Stephen Threlfall: Conductor

A hugely experienced musician, Stephens career encompasses that of a conductor, cellist, and, through his current role of Director of Music at Chetham’s School of Music, one of the UK’s leading musical educators.

As a conductor, Stephen has earned outstanding acclaim and respect for his performances, recordings and broadcasts which encompass a wide range of orchestral and choral repertoire. He has conducted at many major venues and festivals in the UK often with many recognised solo artists.   He also works in close collaboration a number of conductors which includes Yan Pascal Tortelier, Vassily Sinaisky, Paul McCreesh, Jac Van Steen, and Sir Mark Elder.

Engagements have taken him to the USA, Europe and in particular Scandinavia, with regular visits to the Urals Philharmonic and Bach Chamber Orchestras in Yekaterinburg and the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra. Other ensembles include the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Northern Ballet and Northern Chamber Orchestras, Manchester Camerata and Canzonetta, Leeds Festival Chorus, Chester Bach and Manchester Chamber Choirs. 

In August 2007, Stephen was invited to conduct the Finals of the inaugural Manchester International Piano Concerto Competition with Manchester Camerata, performing eight concertos drawn from the list of 20 possible works.  He was immediately asked to conduct the second competition and will conduct next year’s competition again with Manchester Camerata.

He has also conducted an ever-growing number of programmes on radio both for the BBC, (with the BBC Philharmonic, Lakeland Sinfonietta and Chetham’s Chamber and Symphony Orchestras) for Classic FM, Russian National Radio and a number of European radio networks. He also made a guest appearance conducting in the feature film ‘Hilary & Jackie’, based on the life of cellist Jacqueline du Pré and recently giving a conducting lesson to the actor Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid in ‘Harry Potter’ ) on UK national television.

Stephen was previously Principal Conductor of the Formby Choral Society, King Edwards Music Society, the Gorton Philharmonic Orchestra and Cordial Company Touring Opera. He has also conducted the principal orchestras in a number of cities across the country including Chester, Bolton, Maidstone, Blackburn, Wilmslow, the Isle of Wight and Isle of Man.

Prior to his position at Chetham’s he also created the Benenden Music Festival in the South East incorporating a special Beethoven weekend with the Mass in C and Triple concerto with leading UK soloists. His many charity concerts include an Armistice Concert in 1993 with Raphael Wallfisch as soloist in Elgar’s Cello concerto and his choral work The Spirit of England; a rare performance of Britten’s Ballad of Heroes and  Finzi’s A Farewell to Arms. He has also recorded the complete Handel’s Messiah with the Northern Chamber Orchestra for a major national charity event broadcast live on the Classic FM network. Other charity work has involved being Musical Director of Musicians Against Cancer, a chamber orchestra drawn from leading North West professional musicians; and the number of concerts he has given for the Royal Naval Lifeboat Institute was recognised by a special national award in May 2007.

Stephen has a passion for working with young people and has enjoyed successful collaborations with many student and youth orchestras. He has worked regularly with both the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras at Trinity College in London, the Birmingham Conservatoire and Royal Northern College of Music, National Children’s Orchestra plus a number of university and youth orchestras both at home and abroad. Stephens repertoire is wide ranging and includes several world premieres. 

He has created a number of acclaimed arts and community projects involving an impressive number of guest musicians, artists and specialists. These included the award nominated Antarctica (2001), Brundibár (2002/3), A Child of Our Time (2004) and The Spirit of Norway Festival (2007) which consisted of over 50 events including many educational workshops and performances.  In autumn 2008, his most recent project ‘A Leonard Bernstein Celebration’ included chamber and symphonic concerts, plus a special concert with the composer’s daughter Nina Bernstein-Simmons.

This season includes his fourth visit to the Urals, engagements with the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra, with concerts for the Qatar Symphony Orchestra, Vännersborg Youth Orchestra of Sweden and the Texas Music Festival Chamber Orchestra.
Following a highly acclaimed concert last March, broadcast by BBC Radio he received invitations to appear at the Geneva Festival and also to conduct Mahler’s Second and Sixth symphonies for the composers’ centenary year in 2011.