A Profile of Gavin Carr
GAVIN CARR, who held post of the music director of Bristol Bach Choir from January 2009 until July 2011, was born in London and
studied music and art history at King's College, Cambridge, where he was a Choral Scholar in the celebrated Chapel Choir.
He then emigrated for five years to Australia, where he began his singing career working with leading ensembles including
the Victoria State Opera and Elision Ensemble. Returning to Europe via study in the US, Gavin made his name as a baritone,
appearing at many festivals and with major orchestras and choruses worldwide in concert and recital, and recording for BBC
and German radio
Numerous opera appearances in the UK, France, Ireland, Australia and Italy followed, but in 2003 Gavin accepted the post of
Music Director of The Athenaeum Singers in Warminster, swiftly following this with Assistant Conductor at the Wexford Festival
and at the Cantiere d'Arte di Montepulciano. At Wexford in 2007 he made his operatic conducting debut with the Peter Brook
version of Bizet's Carmen, which was nominated for 'Best Opera Production of 2007' in the Irish Times National Arts Awards.
An affiliation with the Bath Philharmonic began in 2006 when he was appointed Associate Principal Conductor.
In April 2007 Gavin made his debut with the English Chamber Orchestra, conducting Emma Kirkby, Sarah Connolly and James Gilchrist
in the St Matthew Passion in Bath Abbey. This event saw the inauguration of a new professional choir, Chorus Angelorum,
with which Gavin has just recorded Paul Carr's Requiem for an Angel for Stone Records - a disc selected on its launch as
Classic FM 'CD of the week' . In January 2008 he took up the Music Directorship of the Bath Minerva Choir. In 2009 he took the
South West Festival Chorus on a tour to China of The Dream of Gerontius.
Towards the end of 2009, Gavin was appointed Chorus Director of the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, in recognition of his rapid
development as a conductor with a special gift for motivating singers and achieving the highest levels of performance through
his commitment and energy. As further recognition of this gift, in 2011 he was appointed Chorus Master of Wexford Festival Opera.
However, the demands of this prestigious appointment, on top of his increasing number of other professional commitments persuaded him of
the need to relinquish his post with Bristol Bach Choir, a decision which was accepted with great reluctance.