Kevin Griffiths

The London-born Swiss conductor Kevin Griffiths comes from a family of conductors and belongs to its third generation. As a guest of renowned festivals such as the Menuhin Festival Gstaad, the Rheingau Musik Festival, Klosters Music, the Holland Festival and the Venice Biennale, he has established himself as a versatile conductor of a repertoire ranging from historically informed performance practice to contemporary music.

Griffiths has conducted numerous distinguished orchestras across Europe, among them the hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, the Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra, the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, the Staatskapelle Weimar, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, the Basel Symphony Orchestra, the Basel and Zurich Chamber Orchestras, the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, the Belgrade Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de Lille and the Slovak Philharmonic. From 2011 to 2018 he was Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Collegium Musicum Basel, with whom, alongside regular concerts and recordings, he launched the successful «Proms» concert series at the Stadtcasino Basel.

His particular interest in historically informed performance practice has taken him, among other places, to the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in London. His discography for Warner Classics, Sony, CPO and Prospero Classical spans works by contemporaries of Mozart and Beethoven as well as music of the Swiss Romantic era. The music magazine KlassikHeute praised his «original ideas and rhythmic verve».

His artistic partners include soloists such as Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Sir James Galway, Fazıl Say, Giuliano Carmignola, Bomsori Kim, Kian Soltani, Anastasia Kobekina, Paul Lewis, Sergei Nakariakov, Isabelle van Keulen, Reinhold Friedrich and Vesselina Kasarova. Griffiths has also worked personally with composers such as Steve Reich, John Powell, Enjott Schneider and Lera Auerbach.

For many years, contemporary music has also been a particular focus of his work. As co-founder and conductor of the London Steve Reich Ensemble, he earned international recognition. The ensemble's debut recording was awarded the Diapason d'Or, while a further recording was named a «Must-Have» by BBC Music Magazine.

Film music forms a further strand of his work. Griffiths has collaborated with Lebo M, among others, and has been accredited by Disney Studios to perform original film scores in synchronisation with the film. Since 2018 he has also been Permanent Guest Conductor of the City Light Symphony Orchestra, with whom he has recorded, among other albums, Spotlight on John Williams and Adventures. Spotlight on John Williams was nominated for the German Record Critics' Award and reached an audience of millions on Spotify.

Alongside his concert career, Griffiths is committed to fostering young musicians and to social causes. Through his initiative «Artists For A Better Planet», he has organised benefit concerts in aid of people affected by international crises.

Kevin Griffiths studied conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. With the Empyrean Orchestra, which he founded, and the Empyrean Academy, he develops new concert formats and provides impetus for the next generation of musicians.

«The audience could see for themselves the captivating manner in which Griffiths unites precision and soaring elegance in his conducting.»