Alexander Shelley, Dance4Life Germany
The 27 year old English conductor Alexander Shelley is rapidly establishing himself as one of the most creative musical talents of his generation. Unanimously awarded first prize in the 2005 Leeds Conductors Competition, Shelley was described in the press as "the most exciting and gifted young conductor to have taken this highly prestigious award”. While undertaking regular appearances with major orchestras all over the world, he greatly enjoys bringing classical music to younger audiences through his innovative programming and educational initiatives.
Shelley participated in the Dance4Life Event in 2006 in Bremen, Germany, conducting the Deutsche Kamerphilharmonie Bremen. They performed The Tryst, a modern piece by James MacMillan, to which one hundred young people who had taken part in the Dance4Life Schools Project danced to the choreography of Royston Maldoom.
In 2001 Shelley founded the Schumann Camerata in Dusseldorf. He has now conducted this young chamber orchestra in over 80 concerts both in Germany and abroad. With the Camerata last season he presented "440Hz", a series of concerts involving prominent German television and stage personalities, in a major initiative to attract young adults to the concert hall.
 Recent highlights include a similar project with the Copenhagen Philharmonic at the Tivoli Festival, and his debut at the BBC Proms. In the coming seasons he will appear with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Melbourne Symphony, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Orchestre National de Lyon, Bournemouth Symphony, London Mozart Players, BBC Scottish Symphony and Manchester Camerata. He continues to work regularly with the BBC Philharmonic and conducts the English Chamber Orchestra in several concerts including Birmingham Symphony Hall.
For more information about Alexander Shelley, please click here.
Photographs by kind permission of Clive Barda
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