Robert Ames | |
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Born | Kettering, England | 8 October 1985
Occupation | Founder of London Contemporary Orchestra |
Years active | 2008–present |
Robert Ames (born 8 October 1985) is a British conductor and violist, [1] who holds the positions of co-artistic director and co-principal conductor of the London Contemporary Orchestra [2]
Born in Kettering, Northamptonshire, he studied at the Royal Academy of Music. [1] While at University, Robert met Hugh Brunt, [3] who together founded the London Contemporary Orchestra in 2008. [4] He was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in 2016. In September 2016 he was announced as the co-principal conductor [5] of the London Contemporary Orchestra where he conducts across an eclectic range of venues from Oval Space in East London through to Barbican Centre.
Ames regularly works at Abbey Road Studios, the National Theatre and film studio projects such as John Maclean's Slow West (Sundance Film Festival Award), Macbeth and Theeb (BAFTA winning and Oscar nominated). [6]
Ames has collaborated with a wide range of artists including Taylor Swift, Frank Ocean, [7] Imogen Heap, [8] Ron Arad, [9] Belle and Sebastian, [10] Vivienne Westwood, [11] DJ Shadow, Nala Sinephro, Jonny Greenwood, [12] Radiohead [13] and Foals. [2] In 2022, he conducted the first video game prom at the BBC Proms. [14]
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. The BBC SO is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the BBC has organised and broadcast The Proms. Each season consists of concerts in the Royal Albert Hall, chamber music concerts at Cadogan Hall, additional Proms in the Park events across the UK on the Last Night of the Proms, and associated educational and children's events. Recently, concerts have been held in additional cities across different nations of the UK, as part of Proms Around the UK. The season is a significant event in British culture and in classical music. Czech conductor Jiří Bělohlávek described the Proms as "the world's largest and most democratic musical festival".
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The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is a Scottish broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), it is the oldest full-time professional radio orchestra in Scotland. The orchestra is based at City Halls in Glasgow.
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