IMG Artists is delighted to announce the general management of conductor Manoj Kamps (Sri Lanka, 1988). He will be managed by Jennifer Spencer in association with Jennifer Spencer Consultancy from the company’s London office.
One of the most exciting and multi-faceted young conductors currently around, Manoj was the Junior Fellow in Orchestral Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music from 2015-2017 and is the first graduate to have been invited to conduct the BBC Philharmonic immediately upon graduation. This studio concert on November 30, 2017 will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and includes Claude Vivier’s Lonely Child (with soprano Katrien Baerts) — a composer about whom he feels especially passionate — plus music by Albert Roussel, Arthur Honegger, Paul Dukas and Gustav Holst.
With a successful track-record in working with young conductors at the start of their careers, Jennifer says “I first heard about Manoj from Iván Fischer, when he assisted on Mahler Symphony no. 5 with the Berlin Konzerthausorchester a few months ago. Manoj already has the strong backing of several major figures within the industry and I am truly excited about working for him.”
Manoj Kamps commented “When Jennifer and I first met we got on so well and I felt so understood by her that I am exceptionally confident and thrilled about this collaboration. I am honoured that she has chosen to help me develop my career in all the directions I am so passionate about.”
Manoj has conducted, amongst other things, a new chamber opera Be With Me Now at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, a new production of The Fairy Queen for Dutch Touring Opera, Side by Side at Ulster Orchestra, Carte Blanche featuring music by Vivier with Cappella Amsterdam, Connect with Asko|Schönberg Ensemble and projects with Dutch National Opera Academy, Netherlands Chamber Choir, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Choir, Silbersee/VocaalLAB and Tokyo Telemann Chamber Orchestra.
Contemporary music has always been a cornerstone of Manoj’s career and he has conducted premières by Michel van der Aa (The Book of Sand, a digital project created by the composer), Peter Eötvös (Dutch première of da capo with ensemble Ludwig), Karlheinz Stockhausen (Dutch première of Mikrophonie II), Louis Andriessen (first performances of early works, under the composer’s guidance), Rob Zuidam, Boudewijn Tarenskeen, Klaas de Vries and Rodion Shchedrin, at festivals such as the Holland Festival, the AAA Festival of the Royal Concertgebouw, Aldeburgh Festival, November Music, Gaudeamus Festival and Musica Sacra Maastricht.
During his time at the RNCM, Manoj worked with the BBC Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Hallé Orchestra and Manchester Camerata, studying with Sir Mark Elder, Clark Rundell and Mark Heron. He has participated in masterclasses with Bernard Haitink (Lucerne Festival), Carlo Rizzi (European Network of Opera Academies), Marc Albrecht (Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra), Simon Halsey (Rundfunkchor Berlin), Juanjo Mena, Vasily Petrenko and Jorma Panula.
