Nicholas Collon (born 7 February 1983 in London) is a British conductor.
A viola player, organist and pianist by training, Collon played viola in theNational Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYOGB). He studied atEton and was an organ scholar atClare College, Cambridge. One of his conducting mentors was SirColin Davis, and Collon has served as an assistant conductor to SirMark Elder.[1]
In 2004, Collon,Robin Ticciati and fellow NYOGB musicians founded theAurora Orchestra, with Collon as its artistic director. He was awarded the 2008 Arts Foundation Fellowship for conducting, from a list of twenty nominated British conductors. For the 2011–2012 season, Collon was Assistant Conductor of theLondon Philharmonic Orchestra.[2]
In April 2007, Collon conductedMozart'sThe Magic Flute, directed bySamuel West, inRamallah andBethlehem, the first-ever staged opera production in theWest Bank, and returned in 2009 with the same team for performances ofLa bohème. HisEnglish National Opera conducting debut was in September 2012.[3] In June 2013, he conducted the British stage premiere ofJonathan Harvey's operaWagner Dream forWelsh National Opera.[4]
In June 2015, theResidentie Orchestra inThe Hague announced the appointment of Collon as its co-principal conductor, effective 1 August 2016, for a minimum term of three years, with an estimate of 6 weeks of appearances per season.[5] In June 2017, the Residentie Orchestra announced Collon's appointment as the Residentie Orchestra's sole chief conductor and artistic advisor, effective 1 August 2018, with a minimum of 8 weeks of appearances per season.[6] He stood down as chief conductor of the Residentie Orchestra at the close of the 2020–2021 season.[7]
In 2017, Collon first guest-conducted theFinnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (FRSO). In May 2019, the FRSO announced the appointment of Collon as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2021–2022 season. He is the first non-Finnish conductor to be named chief conductor of the FRSO.[8] In February 2023, the FRSO announced the extension of Collon's contract as its chief conductor through the 2027–2028 season.[9]
Collon has conducted commercial recordings with the Aurora Orchestra for Warner Classics.[10][11]
Collon is married to flautist Jane Mitchell, creative leader of the Aurora Orchestra.[12]
| Cultural offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by (no predecessor) | Principal Conductor, Aurora Orchestra 2004–present | Succeeded by incumbent |
| Preceded by Neeme Järvi (chief conductor) | Co-Principal Conductor, Residentie Orchestra 2016–2018 | Succeeded by incumbent (as chief conductor) |
| Preceded by | Chief Conductor, Residentie Orchestra 2018–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Conductor, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra 2021–present | Succeeded by incumbent |
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