Jack Ridley is a London-born conductor and pianist, trained in Vienna at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst. The son of two actors, and having discovered a love of live performance at a young age, his musical sensibilities have been praised for their natural drama.

Following his successful debut at Opera North last season, conducting Ruddigore, Jack returns this season to conduct The Big Opera Mystery, as well as a concert with the Orchestra of Opera North.  He also returns to English Touring Opera, as conductor of The Gondoliers on their 2026 spring tour, and to the Glyndebourne Festival, where his acclaimed 2024 debut with Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress and the London Philharmonic Orchestra followed earlier appearances on the Glyndebourne Tour. His association with Glyndebourne has included The Rape of Lucretia, Cendrillon, the inaugural Christmas Concerts and Phaedra (film) with the Glyndebourne Touring Orchestra; he has also worked with English Touring Opera on several occasions since his debut in 2017 conducting Tosca.

At Garsington Opera, Jack’s debut with Eugene Onegin earned him the Leonard Ingrams Award and three consecutive re-invitations. His interpretation of Der fliegende Holländer for Persona Arts was central to the company’s nomination for the 2025 Making Music Award. Other engagements have included Punch and Judy (Neue Oper Wien), La clemenza di Tito (Drottningholms Slottsteater), Hansel und Gretel (Nederlandse Reisopera), the European premiere of Breaking the Waves (Scottish Opera/EIF), and productions with Welsh National Opera, Birmingham Opera and British Youth Opera.

Beyond the opera stage, Jack’s appointment in 2023 as Principal Conductor of the Cinematic Orchestra of London reflects his commitment to cross-disciplinary work. He conducted Rory Pilgrim’s RAFTS, a project nominated for the 2022 Turner Prize, and led Borka: The Goose with No Feathers at the Hay Festival, blending music with puppetry and multimedia.

On the concert platform he has recently debuted with The Hallé and the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera, and previously appeared with the Southbank Sinfonia, Polska Filharmonia Bałtycka, the London Contemporary Orchestra, the Haydn Chamber Orchestra, and as guest conductor of L’Orchestre QuiPasseParLà in Lausanne. In masterclass, Jack has been fortunate to receive direction from Martyn Brabbins, Pierre-André Valade and George Hurst, and he was a Seminarian at the 2015 Tanglewood Festival.

A distinguished pianist, Jack studied with John Barstow in London and Thomas Kreuzberger in Vienna. A finalist in the inaugural Hans-von-Bülow Klavierwettbewerb, he has performed concertos from Beethoven to Britten, including Beethoven’s C minor Concerto from the keyboard with the Meininger Hofkapelle. He has also worked as a vocal coach and accompanist for the Royal Opera House, English Touring Opera and and Theatre Royal, Bath.

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