Toby Purser

“…rousing heartfelt playing... Beautifully stylish” (The Independent, June 19th 2008)

“…masterly” (The Independent, March 31st 2009)

Toby Purser is Principal Guest Conductor of the Kammerphilhamonie Graz, Principal Conductor of the London International Orchestra and Artistic Director and Founder of the Orion Symphony Orchestra, with which he has worked with numerous great musicians including Dame Ann Murray, Susan Gritton, Nicola Benedetti, Valeriy Sokolov, Martin Grubinger and Teo Gheorghiu.  His debut CD with the orchestra was released this year to widespread critical acclaim.

Orchestras he has guest-conducted recently include L’Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Sinfonia Viva, working with pianist Uri Caine, the St. Petersburg Festival Orchestra, Orpheus Sinfonia, Oxford University Orchestra and Kotorart Chamber Orchestra in Montenegro. He has also worked with the BBC Philharmonic, Orchestra of Opera North, and St. Petersburg Camerata. He was Assistant Conductor of L'Ensemble Orchestral de Paris for the year 2007.

Toby is head of music and a regular conductor with Grange Park Opera, most recently including Rigoletto with their Rising Stars. This summer he will be conducting Madama Butterfly, and both Tosca and the revival of Rigoletto in 2011. With Pimlico Opera he has conducted productions of West Side Story and of Carmen the Musical with the inmates of Wandsworth Prison.  He is in great demand as a conducting teacher, and is co-director of the Graz Summer Conducting School, teaching assistant to George Hurst at the Canford Summer School do Music, and delighted to be leading the first-ever conducting class at the Aberystwyth Music Festival.