"One of the best collaborations I have had in the Saint-Saëns concerto! Michael did a great job with the orchestra in such a short time!"
- pianist, Pascal Rogé
ABOUT
New Zealand-born conductor Michael Joel studied at Otago University and also with conductors Heinz Wallberg, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Jac van Steen, and at the Dartington International Summer School.
Equally at home in the orchestra, choral and operatic repertoire, Michael has conducted extensively throughout New Zealand and the United Kingdom. He has worked at The Royal Opera House, assisting Antonio Pappano, Alexander Joel, Dan Ettinger, Placido Domingo, Oleg Caetani and Mark Minkowski.
He has conducted many of the established orchestras and companies in New Zealand – Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, Opera Otago, the City of Dunedin Choir, NZSO National Youth Orchestra and, prior to relocating to London, principals and members of the NZSO and NZ String Quartet in a critically acclaimed performance of Mahler’s 4th Symphony.
Michael is currently Music Director of St Matthews Chamber Orchestra and has worked on the music staff of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as duty conductor on productions of Tosca, La Bohème, La Traviata and, most recently, Carmen. He also assisted with the music preparation and children’s chorus for La Bohème and Carmen. He conducted pianist, Pascal Rogé in Saint-Saëns 2nd Piano Concerto with the Lakeland Sinfonia in the UK to great acclaim.
Michael has a busy 2022 planned including concerts with St Matthews Chamber Orchestra.
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TESTIMONIALS
"Michael Joel gave strong musical direction which showed a deep understanding and love of the music. With both clarity and subtlety his conducting enabled the musicians to give it their all. I particularly appreciated his modest and genuine approach which allowed the music to shine".
BRIDGET DOUGLAS / PRINCIPAL FLUTE / NEW ZEALAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
"I have had the good fortune to experience Michael Joel twice as a conductor, both as a soloist and as a member of a chamber orchestra. The former was in 2010 when playing the Bartok Viola Concerto with St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra, an amateur orchestra and the latter was as a member of a chamber orchestra performing the chamber arrangement of Mahler’s 4th symphony at the 2013 Adam Festival of Chamber Music with the New Zealand String Quartet members and wind and double bass principals from the NZSO. In both these settings, either with highly sophisticated full-time musicians at the top of their game or with keen amateurs, Michael was at all times professional, respectful, clear, efficacious, utterly prepared and focused. He has natural musical instincts, an absorption in the repertoire he is working on, great attention to detail, and the ability to communicate his ideas well to the other members of the team. I warmly recommend him to orchestras of any level."
GILLIAN ANSELL / VIOLIST / NEW ZEALAND STRING QUARTET