Michael Lloyd is an experienced opera, ballet and orchestral conductor in a wide-ranging repertoire. He began his conducting career with Scottish Ballet, then spent eight years with opera companies in Germany, in Kassel and Stuttgart. On his return to the UK he joined English National Opera, becoming Assistant Music Director and Senior Resident Conductor. Michael Lloyd is Music Director of both Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra (since 1994) and Chandos Symphony Orchestra, Malvern (from 1988). In recent years he has undertaken many international engagements and teaches regularly at the opera schools of the Royal College of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Michael Lloyd studied music at the University of East Anglia and the Royal College of Music. He joined Scottish Ballet in 1972, conducting his first performances of NUTCRACKER, Adam GISELLE, LA SYLPHIDE and various short ballets with the Company. Subsequently he returned as a guest conductor for tours of THE TALES OF HOFFMANN and Prokofiev ROMEO AND JULIET.
In 1976 Michael Lloyd joined the Staatstheater Kassel, initially as Ballet Conductor and Pianist but after one season was offered a post on the opera staff. He made his operetta debut there with performances of MERRY WIDOW and Offenbach DUKE BLUEBEARD. For two years he was assistant to the Music Director, James Lockhart, and conducted several performances of major operas (LOHENGRIN, FALSTAFF, TOSCA,CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN and KATYA KABANOVA) and ballet (Stravinsky FIREBIRD and FAIRY'S KISS) as well as forming a piano trio and becoming Chorus Master of the Kasseler Konzertchor.
In 1980 he moved to Stuttgart, conducting performances of Britten ALBERT HERRING, Lortzing ZAR UND ZIMMERMAN, Orff DIE KLUGE and Henze POLLICINO. At the same time, he worked regularly as an Associate Chorus Master for the Stuttgart Philharmonische Vokale Ensemble, the Suddeutscher Madrigalchor and the South German Radio Chorus. He was also very active in chamber music and as a continuo player, appearing regularly as the latter with the Ludwigsburg Festival Orchestra under Wolfgang Gönnenwein. With them he toured France and the Far East and completed a recording of JUDAS MACCABEUS with Peter Schreier.
Michael Lloyd joined English National Opera in 1985, making his conducting début in 1986 with performances of MADAM BUTTERFLY. Since then, his performances have included highly-acclaimed new productions of THE ELIXIR OF LOVE in 1998 and NABUCCO in 2000, revivals of CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA, I PAGLIACCI, THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, LA BOHEME, the European première of Philip Glass THE MAKING OF THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR PLANET 8, performances of A MASKED BALL, DON CARLOS, RIGOLETTO, MACBETH, SIMON BOCCANEGRA, DON PASQUALE, THE BARBER OF SEVILLE, DON GIOVANNI, PACIFIC OVERTURES, THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN, CARMEN and THE PEARLFISHERS, as well as TURN OF THE SCREW on tour in the USSR and at the Coliseum during ENO's 20+ Season.
Michael Lloyd has conducted in Japan and Korea, and he made his New Zealand début in 1994 conducting UN BALLO IN MASCHERA for Wellington City Opera. He was immediately invited back to conduct RIGOLETTO, DON GIOVANNI and OTELLO. He conducted Britten WAR REQUIEM in Auckland in 1998 and has conducted the prestigious Mobil Songquest - now Lexus Songquest - Finals for several years.
He directed performances of Monteverdi IL COMBATTIMENTO DI TANCREDI E CLORINDA from the keyboard in a staging at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and conducted concerts with the London Concert Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall and the Barbican, the Salomon Orchestra at St John's, Smith Square and concert performances with Chelsea Opera Group at the Queen Elizabeth Hall of Massenet THAIS and HERODIADE, Chabrier LE ROI MALGRE LUI, Stravinsky LE ROSSIGNOL, Bizet DJAMILEH and Gomes IL GUARANY.
Recent opera engagements have included TOSCA for Singapore Lyric Opera; CARMEN, Bernstein ON THE TOWN and NIXON IN CHINA for English National Opera; L'ELISIR D'AMORE for Opera Holland Park in London; and the Mozart Requiem in Macau. He conducted SLEEPING BEAUTY and NUTCRACKER for English National Ballet both in London and on tour. In addition to orchestral concerts with the Bournemouth and Ulster Orchestras in the UK, Michael Lloyd made his debut with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in 2007.
Following his debut with Den Norske Opera Ballet in Oslo in 2005, Michael Lloyd returned the following season and conducted the Company again in October 2007. From 2006 to 2008 he was Music Director of Andrew Lloyd Webber's production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, the hit musical of London's West End.
During the 2007/8 season he conducted MAGIC FLUTE in London; returned to Den Norske Opera for ballet performances; conducted SUOR ANGELICA and GIANNI SCHICCHI also in Norway; as well as ANNA BOLENA on tour in the UK. He made his début with Australian Ballet: NUTCRACKER at Sydney Opera House, MANON in Melbourne and a double bill at Sadler's Wells in London (LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS and Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony) and conducted Royal New Zealand Ballet's ROMEO AND JULIET.
In 2009 he returned to Norway and also to New Zealand for another Lexus Songquest Final. Since September of that year he has been a regular visitor to the opera house in Magdeburg, Germany, conducting Offenbach ORPHEE AUX ENFERS, Verdi LA TRAVIATA, the ballets MANON, GISELLE, NUTCRACKER, and GRADUATION BALL and two symphony concerts. In September 2011 he will return for the ballet DON QUIXOTE and revivals of NUTCRACKER and DIE FLEDERMAUS.
