Geoffrey Paterson is renowned for his ‘impressive command’ (The Telegraph) and ‘impeccable grace’ (The Guardian) in repertoire extending from the Baroque to music of the present day.

Highlights from the past season included debuts with Malmo Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Arctic Philharmonic, Warsaw and Janacek Philharmonic orchestras, and returns to Hamburg Symphony and Danish National. In May 2025, Paterson became the first non-Finnish conductor to direct the Helsinki Philharmonic at the prestigious Sibelius Violin Competition, televised live internationally.

In 25/26, Paterson returns to conduct the Nagoya Philharmonic - Stravinsky and Prokofiev, the Janacek Philharmonic (Ostrava) - Schumann 3, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic in both a subscription concert - Bernstein, Copland, and Sibelius - and their contemporary ensemble, RLPO 10:10. He will also continue his collaboration with London Sinfonietta, conducting the ensemble at both the Warsaw Autumn and Huddersfield contemporary music festivals, and appears for the first time at Wroclaw NFM's Musica Polonica Nova festival.

Opera has long been an important part of Paterson’s career. Recent productions include Britten’s Midsummer Night’s Dream in Frankfurt, Philip Glass’s Orphée at English National Opera, and Willem Jeth’s Ritratto at the Dutch National Opera. He has also conducted at the Bayerische Staatsoper (Menotti’s The Consul, Max Richter and Saariaho ballets), Royal Danish Opera (Die Fledermaus, Porgy and Bess, and Prokofiev’s Cinderella), Opera North (La bohème), Glyndebourne on Tour (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) and Music Theatre Wales (Dusapin’s Passion at the Southbank Centre, Eötvös’ The Golden Dragon on tour). In Autumn 2024 he conducted two contemporary ballets at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.

Paterson studied at Cambridge University where he also took composition lessons with Alexander Goehr, followed by studies at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Having won both First Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2009 Leeds Conductors Competition, he went on to participate in the Luzern Festival conducting masterclasses with Pierre Boulez. During his time on the Royal Opera House Young Artist Programme he assisted conductors including Antonio Pappano, Mark Elder, Andris Nelsons and Daniele Gatti on an extensive repertoire. For two seasons he worked in Bayreuth as musical assistant to Kirill Petrenko for Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Photo credit: Ben Ealovega