Having followed many different paths during his career, Errol Girdlestone draws upon an unusually wide range of experience.
His original intention was to become a cathedral organist. In keeping with hallowed English choral tradition, he took an Honours degree in musicology at Oxford University. A subsequent British Council scholarship to study conducting in Warsaw widened his horizons further. He spent the following five years as a professional singer in London, co-founding the world-renowned Hilliard Ensemble and consolidating his lifelong love for the voice and vocal music. Gradually he turned toward the field of opera, conducting and coaching singers and choruses.
Mr. Girdlestone never misses an opportunity to vary his musical fare. He has sung in concert with Pink Floyd and performed experimental music in London with avant-garde composers Cornelius Cardew and David Bedford, as well as Monteverdi and Bach under the direction of John Eliot Gardiner. This taste for diversity is reflected in his eclectic programming for Syrinx Concerts: from Josquin des Prés, Bach and Vivaldi through Beethoven and Sibelius to John Adams.
In the south of France he directs a professional vocal ensemble called Cantores in Vencia, composed of French and English singers. It has met with critical acclaim both in Nice and Vence and joined the ranks of Syrinx Concerts’ other performing groups: for many years now Mr. Girdlestone has been musical director of the Syrinx Vocal Ensemble, a larger chorus, and of the Syrinx Concerts Orchestra. Furthermore, he has conducted operas in the nearby area: Madame Butterfly, The Cunning Little Vixen, La Traviata, Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica, The Barber of Seville…
Concurrently, he pursues an international career conducting orchestras and operas, most notably for productions in Aix-en-Provence, London, Chicago, Monte-Carlo and Cologne.
He recently led the Brahms Deutches Requiem in Leipzig, Handel’s Semele in Chicago and the Bach B minor Mass at the Canterbury Festival in England.
His busy schedule for 2007 includes invitations to conduct at the Chicago College of Performing Arts and Roosevelt University, symphonic works with the Wiener Concert-Verein at the Bregenz Festival in August and the Vienna Brahmssaal in September, plus a production of the Merry Widow in Monaco.
When time permits Errol Girdlestone also enjoys composing. Several of his works have been performed in the immediate area: Rivers of Time and Toccata for Piano and Orchestra (dedicated to François René Duchâble). A piece for two flutes and orchestra will be premiered in Vence this coming March.
Press Review
Nice-Matin, written by A. Peyregne
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