British conductor Ben Glassberg is fast becoming one of the most sought after conductors on the global stage
Described as conducting with ‘irresistible panache’ (The Guardian), his meticulously sophisticated interpretations of an extensive opera and symphonic repertoire are consistently praised for providing fresh insights and perspectives.
Ben is currently Music Director of the Opéra de Rouen Normandie. He was Principal Guest Conductor at Volksoper Wien, where he was later appointed Music Director from January 2024
Former Associate Guest Conductor of the Orchestre National de Lyon, symphonic highlights of the 2023/24 season include a debut with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and a return to the Teatro Massimo di Palermo.
Ben has held the position of Music Director of the Opéra de Rouen Normandie since the beginning of the 2020/21 season. He has conducted titles at Rouen including Mozart Die Zauberflöte, Verdi Rigoletto and Britten A Midsummer Night’s Dream, alongside symphonic concerts focusing on 20th century Russian repertoire and a concerted effort to perform music by as diverse a range of composers as possible.
As Principal Conductor of the Glyndebourne Tour (2019-2021), Ben conducted productions of Donizetti L’elisir d’amore, Offenbach Mesdames de la Halle, Beethoven Fidelio and Handel Messiah. Following his debut at the 2017 Glyndebourne Festival, he has returned frequently for performances including Puccini Madama Butterfly, Verdi La traviata and in 2022, conducted Mariame Clement’s production of Donizetti Don Pasquale. Elsewhere, Ben's growing reputation has resulted in a number of revisits to some of Europe’s most prestigious houses, with highlights including the complete Mozart/Da Ponte trilogy and a new production of Britten The Turn of The Screw for La Monnaie and La bohème for English National Opera.
Symphonic highlights include concerts with Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lille, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
As a recording artist, Ben has released a diverse discography including award-winning CDs for Warner Classics with guitarist Thibaut Garcia and mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa. Glassberg has released recordings of The Turn of the Screw (Alpha Classics) and Mozart La clemenza di Tito (Alpha Classics).
Ben first came to international attention upon winning the Grand Prix at the 55th Besançon Young Conductors Competition 2017 at the age of 23.