conductor
DAVID CHARLES ABELL Conductor David Charles Abell was born in North Carolina, went to nursery school in New York, and came to Philadelphia, his mother’s hometown, at the age of 5. He attended Germantown Friends School for seven years, then moved to the Chicago area with his family. Having lived and worked in several different countries since that time, he now resides in London. He made his Philly POPS debut in 2013 and is thrilled to have re-established a warm connection with his early home. At the age of 12, David joined the Berkshire Boys’
Classical music, opera, and musical theater all contribute to
Choir, which was chosen to participate in the world premiere
a diverse career, unified by a serious yet theatrical approach.
of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass at Washington’s Kennedy
Since last year’s Philly POPS Christmas Spectacular, David has
Center for the Performing Arts. David met Bernstein
conducted the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night at
again while attending Yale University and assisted him on
Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Sweeney Todd at English National
various projects in the 1980s. After completing his studies
Opera (starring Emma Thompson and Bryn Terfel), Fiddler
at the Conservatoire Américain in France and the Juilliard
on the Roof (also starring Terfel) at Grange Park Opera and
School, he made his professional conducting debut in Berlin
the BBC Proms, and Kiss Me, Kate (in his own critical edition)
with Bernstein’s Mass. His association with Bernstein’s
at England’s Opera North, as well as concerts with the Royal
music continues: he recently served as Musical Supervisor
Philharmonic and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. In August, he
for Candide in London and has been asked by Bernstein’s
was the subject of a feature article in the Financial Times.
children to serve on the committee marking the centennial of the composer’s birth.
Upcoming projects include another new production of Kiss Me, Kate (at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris) and
David is most widely known for the two Les Misérables
return engagements with the Orchestre Pasdeloup,
Anniversary Concerts (10th and 25th), both of which have
London Philharmonic (for the film Brief Encounter with live
become PBS fundraising perennials. He regularly appears
orchestra) and Lyric Opera of Kansas City (Carmen).
on radio and television in the UK, most notably at the BBC Proms, London’s annual music festival at the Royal Albert Hall. These appearances have included the Richard Rodgers Centenary celebration (2002), a world premiere opera (2007), Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday (2010) and the War Horse Prom (2014).
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