Christian Curnyn

In 1994 Christian Curnyn founded the Early Opera Company (www.earlyopera.com), an ensemble dedicated to the performance of Baroque opera using period instruments. Notable Handel performances with his company have included Agrippina in New York, Ariodante for the BOC Covent Garden Festival, Orlando for the South Bank Centre Early Music Festival, Partenope for Buxton and Aldeburgh Festivals, and national tours of Flavio and Susanna.

He has given recitals at London’s Wigmore Hall and appeared at the Batignano Festival in Italy.

Guest conducting engagements have included Rameau’s Platée in Lisbon, Messiah in Girona, Handel’s Semele with British Youth Opera and with Budapest Chamber Opera.

In the spring of 2005 Christian Curnyn made his debut with Scottish Opera conducting their production of Semele and returned in 2006 for a new production of Handel’s Tamerlano. He conducted Handel’s Jephtha for the Halle Handel Festival, Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea and Handel’s Orlando for Opera Theatre Company in Dublin and Handel’s Saul for Opera North.

For Grange Park Opera he has conducted Le Nozze di Figaro in 2006, Handel’s Semele in 2007 and Cavalli’s Eliogabalo in 2009.

In 2008 Christian Curnyn made his hugely successful debut with English National Opera in a new production of Partenope and in 2009 with The Royal Opera, Covent Garden in Britten’s The Beggar’s Opera.  He returned to ENO for After Dido Katie Mitchell’s realization of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.  Future engagements include Messiah for Ulster Orchestra and his debuts with New York City Opera (Partenope), Glimmerglass Opera (Handel’s Tolomeo) and Chicago Opera Theater (Cavalli’s Giasone). He returns to Opera Theatre Company (Handel’s Alcina) and English National Opera (Rameau’s Castor and Pollux).

His first recording of Handel’s Partenope for Chandos won widespread critical acclaim and his recently released recording of Handel’s Semele was chosen as a Best Recording of 2008 by The Sunday Times, Editors Choice in Gramophone Magazine and has been awarded the 2008 Stanley Sadie Handel Prize. His recording of Eccles’ The Judgement of Paris was recently released and The Beggar’s Opera for Chandos will be released during 2009.

Christian Curnyn teaches the baroque vocal class at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.