“A conducting force to be reckoned with” (The New York Times), leading British conductor Edward Gardner is now in his sixth season as Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) and his third as Music Director of the Norwegian Opera and Ballet. He also serves as Honorary Conductor of Norway’s Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, after an outstanding nine years as its Chief Conductor.
Gardner’s 2026–27 highlights include star-studded performances of Britten’s War Requiem and Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri, a semi-staged concert presentation of Lessons in Love and Violence by composer-in-residence George Benjamin, and world premieres by Mark Simpson and Judith Weir, all with the LPO. He also launches his first complete Ring cycle, with a new production of Wagner’s Das Rheingold at Norwegian Opera; makes San Diego Symphony and Detroit Symphony debuts; and conducts a new treatment of Britten’s Death in Venice at the Bavarian State Opera. He has previously led distinguished orchestras on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Bavarian Radio Symphony, Berlin Radio Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Danish National Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, and Staatskapelle Berlin. He enjoys longstanding relationships with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, where he was formerly Principal Guest Conductor, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, which he conducted at the First and Last Nights of the BBC Proms. A major figure in the opera world, he previously served as Music Director of London’s English National Opera and has led productions at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne Festival, Opéra National de Paris, Bavarian State Opera, and La Scala.
Gardner’s extensive and wide-ranging discography features multiple Grammy nominees, International Classical Music Award nominees, and Gramophone Award winners, including Britten’s Peter Grimes with the Bergen Philharmonic, named Gramophone’s 2021 Recording of the Year. The founder of Manchester’s Hallé Youth Orchestra, he maintains close relationships with the Juilliard School and Royal Academy of Music, where he is the inaugural Sir Charles Mackerras Conducting Chair. His accolades include the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Conductor of the Year Award, an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera, the Sibelius Prize, and an OBE for Services to Music.
“Gardner was in his element with this opulent material, and coaxed the orchestra into bringing every scintilla of nuance to this work of shifting moods, controlling tempo, dynamic and texture with fluid but commanding gestures to bring us a sensuously warm string sound, and bright, clear woodwinds.”
“Gardner’s fierce conducting and the magnificent playing is the best thing about the current performances of Dvorak’s Rusalka — a glorious score delivered with polish and passion, though there are fine voices too.”
“Gardner’s interpretation was a thing of extremes. The quiet, penumbral opening Introit seemed to hover on the verges of sound and silence. Later, the roaring brass of the Dies Irae pinned you to your seat.”
“The London Philharmonic Orchestra were conducted by Edward Gardner with aplomb and determination, while the three choirs and two soloists left the capacity audience in delighted appreciation.”
“Uniting them all, Principal Conductor Edward Gardner was in complete control of his forces, leading the LPO in a richly textured reading of the score, abundant in both detail and drama.”