Douglas Boyd (born 1959,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland) is a British

oboist An oboist (formerly hautboist) is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the oboe d'amore, cor anglais or English horn, bass oboe and piccolo oboe or oboe musette. The following is a list of notable past and pres ...

and conductor.

Biography

Boyd studied oboe 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 ...

, London, as a pupil of

Janet Craxton Janet Helen Rosemary Craxton (17 May 192918 July 1981) was an English oboe player and teacher. She was the youngest of the six children and the only daughter of the pianist and teacher Harold Craxton. Her older brothers included the artist John C ...

. He later was a student with

Maurice Bourgue Maurice Bourgue (born 6 November 1939) is a French oboist, composer, and conductor. Biography Maurice Bourgue studied at the Conservatoire de Paris in the oboe class of Étienne Baudo and chamber music of Fernand Oubradous. He won a First Pr ...

in Paris. In 1984 he won the

Young Concert Artists International Auditions Young Concert Artists is a New York City-based non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and promoting the careers of talented young classical musicians from all over the world. The competition, founded in 1961, allows artists from all over ...

, which led to his New York City recital debut at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

. Boyd was one of the founding members of the

Chamber Orchestra of Europe The Chamber Orchestra of Europe (COE), established in 1981, is an orchestra based in London. The orchestra comprises about 60 members from across Europe. The players pursue parallel careers as international soloists, members of chamber groups and ...

(COE), and served as its principal oboist from 1981 to 2002. During his time with the COE, he developed an interest in conducting, and counted as his first conducting mentors

Claudio Abbado Claudio Abbado (; 26 June 1933 – 20 January 2014) was an Italian conductor who was one of the leading conductors of his generation. He served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the London Symphony ...

and

Nikolaus Harnoncourt Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt or historically Johann Nikolaus Graf de la Fontaine und d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt; () (6 December 1929 – 5 March 2016) was an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music ...

. He also had guidance from

Paavo Berglund Paavo Allan Engelbert Berglund (14 April 192925 January 2012) was a Finnish conductor and violinist. Career Born in Helsinki, Berglund studied the violin as a child, and played an instrument made by his grandfather. By age 15, he had decided on ...

and Sir

Colin Davis Sir Colin Rex Davis (25 September 1927 – 14 April 2013) was an English conductor, known for his association with the London Symphony Orchestra, having first conducted it in 1959. His repertoire was broad, but among the composers with whom h ...

. In 2006, Boyd ceased performing on the oboe to focus full-time on his conducting career. In 2001, Boyd became music director of the

Manchester Camerata The Manchester Camerata is a British chamber orchestra based in Manchester, England. A sub-group from the orchestra, the Manchester Camerata Ensemble, specialises in chamber music performances. The orchestra's primary concert venue is The Bridg ...

, his first major conducting post. He conducted several recordings with the Manchester Camerata for the Avie label, including music of Beethoven, Mozart and Mahler. Boyd concluded his Manchester tenure after the 2010–2011 season. Boyd has also served as principal guest conductor of the

City of London Sinfonia City of London Sinfonia (CLS) is an English chamber orchestra based in London. CLS performs regularly across the city of London in venues from East London clubs to traditional Central London concert halls. CLS is orchestra-in-residence at Opera ...

. In November 2012, Boyd was named artistic director of

Garsington Opera Garsington Opera is an annual summer opera festival founded in 1989 by Leonard Ingrams. The Philharmonia Orchestra and The English Concert are its two resident orchestras. For 21 years it was held in the gardens of Ingrams's home at Garsington ...

, with immediate effect. Outside of the UK, in April 2008, the

Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur The Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur is a Swiss symphony orchestra based in Winterthur, Switzerland at its namesake venue, the Musikkollegium Winterthur. The orchestra performs around 60 concerts a year, and in addition to orchestra concerts, p ...

announced the appointment of Boyd as its principal conductor, as of the 2009–2010 season. Boyd has since extended his Winterthur contract through the 2015–2016 season, and concluded his Winterthur tenure after the 2015–2016 season. Boyd has conducted the Winterthur orchestra in commercial recordings of music of

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sy ...

and

Josef Rheinberger Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (17 March 1839 – 25 November 1901) was a Liechtensteiner organist and composer, residing in Bavaria for most of his life. Life Josef Gabriel Rheinberger, whose father was the treasurer for Aloys II, Prince of Liecht ...

. On 1 July 2015, Boyd became the new music director of the

Orchestre de chambre de Paris The Orchestre de chambre de Paris (OCP) is a French chamber orchestra based in Paris. The orchestra performs throughout Paris with concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris, where it is a resident ensemble, and also at such venues as the Théâtre de ...

. He held the post through the 2019-2020 season. In the US, Boyd's first conducting appearance was with the Gardner Chamber Orchestra in 2000. In 2002, Boyd became co-artistic director of the orchestra, along with

Paula Robison Paula Robison (born June 8, 1941) is a flute soloist and teacher. Early life and education Paula Robison was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the daughter of David V. and Naomi Robison, an actor. David Robison was a playwright and writer for film ...

. In 2004, he became one of the first Artistic Partners with the

Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) is a full-time professional chamber orchestra based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In collaboration with five Artistic Partners, the orchestra's musicians present more than 130 concerts and educational programs ea ...

. In 2006, he extended his contract with the SPCO into the 2009–2010 season. He concluded his SPCO Artistic Partnership in September 2009. He first conducted the

Colorado Symphony Orchestra The Colorado Symphony is an American symphony orchestra located in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1989 as the successor to the Denver Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Symphony performs in Boettcher Concert Hall, located in the Denver Performing ...

in December 2006, and was named their principal guest conductor in January 2008, for a contract of 3 years with 2 weeks of guest appearances per season. Boyd and his wife Sally Pendlebury, a cellist, have three children, Iona, Sebastian and Sam. The family reside in London.

References

External links

Official website of Douglas Boyd

Maxine Robertson Management agency page on Douglas Boyd

MKI Artists agency page on Douglas Boyd
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Douglas 1959 births Living people British classical oboists Male oboists British male conductors (music) Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music 21st-century British conductors (music) 21st-century British male musicians