Top international artist, Wayne Marshall, agreed to become President of APO several years ago. The APO Committee decided to invite Wayne to be our President not only because he represents excellence in music making, but also a versatility and determination to break down barriers in music and bridge various styles. In January 2007, we were absolutely delighted to welcome Wayne to our 5th anniversary concert, where he thrilled the audience with his performance of Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’.
Wayne Marshall appears all over the world as a virtuoso organist, solo pianist and conductor and is a familiar figure at leading festivals and symphonic series. He also gives many duo recitals and cabaret programmes and has a keen interest in education/outreach projects. His discography ranges from solo organ and solo piano to symphonic conducting and he is a renowned interpreter of the works of Gershwin, Bernstein, Ellington and other twentieth century American composers. He has recorded Gershwin’s complete works for piano and orchestra with the Aalborg Symphony.
As pianist, he appears in regular duo partnerships with Kim Criswell, Tasmin Little, Natalie Clein, Ole Edvard Antonsen and Willard White. Recent appearances include the Berlin Philharmonic and Philharmonia orchestras, as well as solo recitals in Spain, Portugal and various venues in the UK.
As organist he has appeared in many of the world’s top venues. Recent seasons have included recitals at Notre Dame, Paris; the Royal Festival Hall; Symphony Hall, Birmingham and Westminster Abbey. He is organist in residence at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, where he gives a number of recitals every season.
As conductor he appears with a number of international orchestras. Highlights of recent seasons have included ‘Wonderful Town’ and ‘Porgy and Bess’ with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Ellington and Bernstein with the Vienna Symphony and a memorable Bernstein Mass with the Bremen Philharmonic. Later this season he will conduct ‘West Side Story’ at the Bregenz Festival, returning in 2004. Other recent appearances as conductor include the Swedish Radio Symphony orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, the orchestras of Bordeaux and Lyon and the New Amsterdam Sinfonietta. Future projects include’Wonderful Town’ with the Accademia Nazionale Santa Cecilia, Tours with the Munich Radio Orchestra and a number of projects with various European orchestras.