Michael Francis

The rising, young British conductor, Michael Francis, is receiving conducting engagements and accolades around the world. Following a 2010 début concert with the San Francisco Symphony, Francis was immediately given a two year invitation to conduct the ten classical concerts of the orchestra’s annual summer concert series.

He came to prominence in 2007 when he was asked, with 12 hours’ notice, to replace Valery Gergiev for the performance with the London Symphony Orchestra. Only one month later, he was asked, this time with only two hours’ notice, to replace the composer/conductor John Adams in a performance of his own works with the LSO. The LSO has since continued to regularly invite him to conduct rehearsals as an assistant to Valery Gergiev, a diverse range of concerts, as well as in the recording studio. In 2009, he replaced André Previn to conduct four concerts with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart. All four concerts received great critical praise.

In 2010, Michael Francis appeared with the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra in Sweden. As a result of his success in Sweden, he was recently appointed Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra for a three year term to begin in the 2012/13 season.

The 2010/11 season also held successful débuts with the New York Philharmonic (with Anne-Sophie Mutter), Seattle Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, among others. He also worked with Anne-Sophie Mutter in Japan and Taiwan with the National Taipei Symphony Orchestra and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. In spring 2012, he joined forces with Mutter once again for a European tour, performing Sebastian Currier's Violin Concerto with the RSO Stuttgart. In addition, he will also return to Taiwan and Japan (Japan Philharmonic) with Mutter later in 2012. Michael Francis made his début with the Cincinnati Symphony in the same year, as well as with Vancouver and Toronto symphonies, and will return to both Oregon and Seattle symphonies.