Jack Ridley is a London-born conductor and pianist, trained in Vienna at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst. The son of two actors, and having discovered a love of live performance at a young age, his musical sensibilities have been praised for their natural drama.

This autumn, Jack makes his Opera North debut, conducting Ruddigore. Highlights from the 2023-24 season included a return to English Touring Opera for their Spring Tour, to Glyndebourne to work on Carmen, and acclaimed performances of Der fliegende Holländer in Birmingham for Persona Arts.

His 2023 debut at Glyndebourne Festival, conducting The Rake’s Progress with the London Philharmonic Orchestra marked the apogee so far of his long association with the house. While still a student, Jack made his debut on the Glyndebourne Tour, conducting the award-winning production of The Rape of Lucretia in Canterbury, having assisted on it during the rehearsal period.  At the final rehearsal, with the Principal Conductor indisposed, Jack jumped in to conduct the work publicly for the first time at Glyndebourne since 1946, when the opera was premiered.  Since then, he has returned to conduct performances of Cendrillon and the inaugural Glyndebourne Christmas Concerts; he also conducted Phaedra for film with the Glyndebourne Touring Orchestra,

Jack made his Garsington debut conducting Eugene Onegin, which earned him a Leonard Ingrams award from the company and re-invitations for the following three seasons.  Jack was Head of Music Staff for English Touring Opera's 2017 spring tour, on which he conducted multiple performances of every opera programmed, as well as being responsible for the high musical standards of the whole company throughout.  As Assistant Conductor, Jack has worked on the award-winning production of Punch and Judy (Neue Oper Wien); La clemenza di Tito (Drottningholms Slottsteater); Wake (Birmingham Opera Company); Owen Wingrave (British Youth Opera); the European premiere of Breaking the Waves (Scottish Opera & the Edinburgh International Festival); Rigoletto (Welsh National Opera); and Hänsel und Gretel (Nederlandse Reisopera).

Jack’s appointment as Principal Conductor of the Cinematic Orchestra of London in 2023 speaks to his determination to push the boundaries between different media and art forms. The concert realisation of Rory Pilgrim’s RAFTS, which Jack conducted, was - together with Pilgrim’s artwork - nominated for the 2022 Turner Prize. Other presentations of note include a performance at the Hay Literary Festival of Borka: The Goose with no Feathers, based on a children’s book and involving puppetry and multimedia.

Recent appearances on the concert platform include debuts with The Hallé and the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera.  He was a regular guest conductor of L’Orchestre QuiPasseParLà in Lausanne between 2013 and 2017, and has performed with - among other orchestras - Polska Filharmonia Bałtycka, Southbank Sinfonia, London Contemporary Orchestra and Haydn Chamber Orchestra. In masterclass, Jack has been fortunate to receive direction from Martyn Brabbins, Pierre-André Valade and George Hurst, and he was a Seminarian at the 2015 Tanglewood Festival.

A distinguished pianist, Jack studied with Prof. John Barstow in London and Prof. Thomas Kreuzberger in Vienna.  A finalist of the inaugural Hans-von-Bülow Klavierwettbewerb in Meiningen, Jack conducted Beethoven’s Piano Concerto in C minor from the keyboard with the Meininger Hofkapelle.  His repertoire for piano and orchestra includes works by Grieg, Schumann, Brahms, Shostakovich and Britten. He has worked as a coach and accompanist for the Royal Opera House, English Touring Opera and Theatre Royal, Bath.

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