Brad Cohen first came to public attention when, a year after winning the 1994 Leeds Conductor's Competition, he conducted the world premiere of Thomas Adès' Powder her Face. Since that auspicious beginning he has conducted a wide ranging repertoire at English National Opera, Opera Australia, Opera North, and opera companies including Luzern, Nantes/Angers, and the Nederlands Reisopera, and at festivals including Hong Kong, Edinburgh, Cheltenham, Adelaide, Rossini in Wildbad, and Porto.
Brad has conducted orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Het Gelders Orkest, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the City of London Sinfonia.
2007-8 engagements included Brad's debut disc for Chandos: a highlights recording of his own critical edition of Les Pêcheurs de perles, with Simon Keenlyside, Barry Banks, Rebecca Evans, and the LPO. He recently returned to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria, as well as to Opera Australia for La Cenerentola at the Sydney Opera House.
2008-9 engagements included Brad's second disc for Chandos: highlights of Rossini's L'italiana in Algeri with Jennifer Larmore and the Philharmonia. He made his first disc for Deutsche Grammophon with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo and Emma Matthews, and his Swedish opera debut with the Konwitschny production of La bohème. Brad returned to Opera Holland Park for a new production of Il trovatore, and was reunited with Nelly Miricioiu and the Chelsea Opera Group for a South Bank concert performance of Verdi's Macbeth. In addition, he appeared in the major television series, Maestro, for BBC2.
The 2009-10 season began with a new production of La Cenerentola in Malmö. In February 2010 Brad led the American premiere of Jonathan Dove's musical tale The Enchanted Pig in New York, before travelling to Mauritius for concerts and educational projects. In April he conducted Carmen for West Australian Opera, before returning to London for a new production of Pelléas et Mélisande at Opera Holland Park in June. In July he concluded the season with a new production of Norma, with Hasmik Papian in the title role, for Opera Hedeland in Denmark.
In the 2010-11 season, Brad's engagements included his debut for New York City Opera, conducting Jonathan Miller's production of L'elisir d'amore, directing Schumann and Brahms at the Dartington Summer School, and return invitations to WASO (with Ronald Brautigam) and Värmlands Sinfoniettan. In September 2011 he collaborated with Robert Wilson at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, conducting artists including Bryn Terfel, Diana Damrau, and Rufus Wainwright.
2012 began with Brad directing performances of Gianni Schicchi and Il tabarro with the Operahogskolan Stockholm and the Gävle Symphony Orchestra, concluding with a performance at the Royal Opera Stockholm. Donizetti followed, with a London South Bank concert performance of Maria Padilla featuring Nelly Miricioiu, before a season of Lucia di Lammermoor for West Australian Opera, with Emma Matthews in the title role. A gala concert in Broome with the WAO Chorus and Rachelle Durkin rounded off the season.
As an important complement to his performing career, Brad has produced an acclaimed series of opera editions, and, since the worldwide success of his critical edition of Les Pêcheurs de perles he has completed and published editions of Maometto secondo, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Norma.
September 2012