Sir Antonio Pappano will conduct the Coronation Orchestra at The Coronation of Their Majesties The King and Queen Consort at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, 6 May 2023. The Orchestra is composed of musicians drawn from the orchestras of The former Prince of Wales’s Patronages including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
Twelve newly commissioned pieces of music showcase musical talent from across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. A range of musical styles and performers blend tradition, heritage and ceremony with new musical voices of today, reflecting The King’s life-long love and support of music and the arts.
Sir Antonio Pappano said:
“I am deeply honoured to have been chosen by His Majesty to participate in the musical presentations that will embrace the historic occasion of his Coronation. His Majesty has chosen a most beautiful and varied programme that I believe will enhance the splendour of this very special celebration.”
One of today’s most sought-after conductors, Sir Antonio Pappano has been Music Director of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden since 2002 and Music Director of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome since 2005. He has held previous titles with Norwegian Opera, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2023 he will become Chief Conductor Designate of the London Symphony Orchestra, taking the full Chief Conductor title from 2024.
Pappano appears as guest conductor with many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, festivals and opera houses, including the Berlin and New York Philharmonic Orchestras, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the London, Chicago and Boston Symphonies, the Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras, the Vienna State Opera, Metropolitan Opera New York and Teatro alla Scala Milan, the Salzburg and Verbier Festivals, and the BBC Proms.
Pappano has been an exclusive recording artist for Warner Classics (formerly EMI Classics) since 1995, and he has also developed a notable career as a speaker and presenter. He has fronted several critically acclaimed BBC Television documentaries including Opera Italia, Pappano’s Essential Ring Cycle and Pappano’s Classical Voices. As a pianist, he appears as an accompanist with some of the most celebrated singers, including Joyce DiDonato, Diana Damrau, Gerald Finley, Matthias Goerne, Jonas Kaufmann and Ian Bostridge.
His awards and honours include Gramophone’s Artist of the Year in 2000, the 2003 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera, the 2004 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award, and the Bruno Walter prize from the Académie du Disque Lyrique in Paris. In 2012 he was created a Cavaliere di Gran Croce of the Republic of Italy, and a Knight of the British Empire for his services to music. In 2015 Pappano was named the 100th recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Gold Medal, the body’s highest honour.
For more information, please visit the official website for The Coronation of His Majesty The King & Her Majesty The Queen Consort.
Photo credit: Musacchio & Ianniello
