music
Mentors, muses and new music: conductor and composer Ryan Wigglesworth
The musician first visited Aldeburgh as a teenage fanboy. Now, he is at the centre of this year’s festival as its featured artist – and he’s opening with his favourite opera
TL;DR
- Ryan Wigglesworth juggles roles as a professor, chief conductor, pianist, composer, and father.
- His early musical development was significantly influenced by his father's records, the radio, Sheffield Central Library, and mentorship from Graham Matthews and Oliver Knussen.
- Wigglesworth will be the featured artist at the Aldeburgh festival, programming Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande" and his own new works.
- He emphasizes the need for new music to be central to the survival of classical music and advocates for improved music education.
- As chief conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, he focuses on developing long-running thematic programming and appreciating the orchestra's versatility.