Ivor Bolton

Ivor Bolton is one of the most distinguished conductors in the field of Baroque and Classical repertoire, yet his musical activities are considerably more wide-ranging.

With the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, where he served as Chief Conductor for twelve years (2004–2016), he recorded a series of Bruckner symphonies; further recording projects were devoted to composers such as Fauré, Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, Berio, Brahms, Britten, and Chausson.

From 2015 to 2025 he was Music Director of the Teatro Real Madrid, where he conducted numerous productions, including Leonore, La Calisto, Achille in Sciro, Peter Grimes, Rusalka, Médée, Mitridate, and Kaija Saariaho’s Only the sound remains.

Projects for the 2025/26 season include engagements at the Teatro La Fenice (opera and concert projects), the Teatro Real Madrid (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and the Bavarian State Opera Munich (Die Entführung aus dem Serail).

Since his tenure as Music Director of the English Touring Opera and the Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Ivor Bolton has appeared at numerous renowned opera houses and festivals, including the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Opéra National de Paris, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, English National Opera, Salzburg Festival, Mozart Week, as well as the opera houses of Bologna, Brussels, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Sydney, Berlin, Hamburg, Venice, Vienna, and Genoa.

For his outstanding work in Munich, he was awarded the prestigious Bavarian Theatre Prize. In recognition of his achievements in Salzburg, he received the Grand Decoration of Honour of the State of Salzburg in 2016.

Ivor Bolton is also a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He made his debut at the Vienna State Opera in 2010.