Colin Metters, is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

conductor,

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

l trainer and conducting

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...

. He is Professor of Conducting at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

in London where he founded the Conductors' Course in 1983. In September 2013, he retired as Head of Studies after serving in the post for 30 years. He remains as Professor of Conducting at the Academy's Postgraduate Conductors' Course.

Biography

Colin Metters was appointed Music Director of

Ballet Rambert Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...

when he finished his studies at

The Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

. Subsequently, he was appointed conductor with

Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) is one of the five major Ballet company, ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside The Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish Ballet. Founded as the Sadler's Wells Theatre Bal ...

and conducted for Sadlers Wells on tours in the UK and worldwide and conducted Gala concerts at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

. He has conducted for many of the world's leading dance companies, most recently for New York City Ballet at The Lincoln Centre. Metters has conducted many of the major

symphony orchestras An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and abroad in Poland, Spain, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Venezuela, United States, Hong Kong, Netherlands, France, Vietnam, Greece and New Zealand. He has conducted the first performances of pieces by composers Jonathan Harvey,

John Lambert John Lambert may refer to: *John Lambert (martyr) (died 1538), English Protestant martyred during the reign of Henry VIII *John Lambert (general) (1619–1684), Parliamentary general in the English Civil War * John Lambert of Creg Clare (''fl.'' c. ...

, Matthew Taylor,

Augusta Read Thomas Augusta Read Thomas (born April 24, 1964) is an American composer and professor. Biography Thomas studied composition with Oliver Knussen at Tanglewood; Jacob Druckman at Yale University; Alan Stout and Bill Karlins at Northwestern University ...

Leonard Salzedo Leonard Salzedo (24 September 1921 – 6 May 2000) was an English composer and conductor of Spanish descent. Salzedo was born in London. After some early lessons from William Lloyd Webber he went on to study composition under Herbert How ...

, Ewen Bennett, Tony Biggin, Adam Gorb,

Nicola Lefanu Nicola Frances LeFanu (born 28 April 1947) is a British composer, academic, lecturer and director. Life Nicola LeFanu was born in Wickham Bishops, Essex, England, to William LeFanu and Elizabeth Maconchy (also a composer, later Dame Elizabeth ...

and

Robin Holloway Robin Greville Holloway (born 19 October 1943) is an English composer, academic and writer. Early life Holloway was born in Leamington Spa. From 1953 to 1957, he was a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral and was educated at King's College School, ...

. He has recorded and broadcast for radio and television UK, Germany, Spain and Vietnam. He has been Music Director of the East Sussex Youth Orchestra since its foundation in 1979. In 1997, Metters was invited to visit Vietnam to conduct orchestras in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. He was subsequently appointed Principal Guest Conductor and Music Advisor to the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra. In recognition of his work with the VNSO he has been honoured by the Vietnamese Government with their equivalent of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

for his services to Vietnamese Cultural Development, the first time such an award has been made to a British citizen. In November 2013 he conducted concerts with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra in Hanoi to celebrate 20 years of the work of the British Council in Vietnam. He has given master classes in Germany, Russia, Poland, Switzerland, Finland, Australia, China, Portugal, Venezuela, Vietnam and the USA. He has worked extensively with Dirigenten Forum in Germany directing master classes and serving many times as a jury member. In 2008 he represented the UK on the jury for the 5th Prokofiev International Conducting Competition in St Petersburg. In 2014 he was jury on the Atlantic Coast International Conducting Competition in Portugal. Since 2014 professor Colin Metters collaborates with the Atlantic Coast Orchestra International Conducting Academy as principal guest conducting teacher.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Metters, Colin Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Academics of the Royal Academy of Music English conductors (music) British male conductors (music) Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century British male musicians