John Beswick Conductor
Welcome
John Beswick is a versatile British conductor renowned for his work across opera, music theatre, and orchestral conducting. He has collaborated with numerous professional and amateur musicians both in the UK and internationally.
About Me
Opera
Orchestra
Music Theatre
Opera
Orchestral Conducting
Orchestral Conducting
John is an experienced conductor whose extensive career in opera has taken him across the UK, the USA, and Europe. He has worked with a wide range of companies, including London City Opera (in association with CAMI), Crystal Clear Opera, Opera Box, British Youth Opera, Oxford Touring Opera, and St Albans Chamber Opera. In addition, he has served on the music staff for both the Icelandic Opera and Grange Park Opera.
As Musical Director for Pimlico Opera, John conducted numerous touring productions and led several of the company's acclaimed Prison Projects at HMP Coldingley, HMP Bronzefield, and HMP Wandsworth, where he conducted productions of Assassins (Sondheim), Chicago (Kander and Ebb), and Les Misérables (Boublil and Schönberg), respectively.
Since 2012, John has been the Musical Director of Swansea City Opera. In this role, he has spearheaded numerous community engagement initiatives and conducted productions of The Magic Flute, Carmen, Così fan tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, Lakmé, Faust, Don Pasquale, The Barber of Seville, and La Bohème.
Orchestral Conducting
Orchestral Conducting
Orchestral Conducting
John trained as a postgraduate conducting scholar at the Royal College of Music, studying with Neil Thomson, George Hurst, and Odaline de la Martinez. He later continued his development under Diego Masson at the Dartington International Summer School.
Currently Principal Conductor of the Redhill Sinfonia—a position he has held since 2012—John has also held posts with the Slough Philharmonic Society and the Southampton Youth Concert Sinfonia. He has guest-conducted a variety of ensembles including the Oxford University Orchestra, Oxford Chamber Orchestra, Colne Philharmonic Orchestra, Hertfordshire Philharmonia, Bedfordshire Symphony Orchestra and Kew Sinfonia. His work with professional groups includes appearances with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, The Bristol Ensemble, and Ensemble Eos Cymru, the latter with whom he recorded works by Welsh composer Christopher Weeks.
Music Theatre
Music Theatre
Music Theatre
An accomplished and experienced conductor in the world of musical theatre, John has held key musical leadership roles in several major productions. His West End credits include serving as Associate Musical Director for Les Misérables and Avenue Q, as well as for Damon Albarn’s pop-opera Monkey: Journey to the West at The O2 in London (2008–09). He was also Musical Director for the UK tour of Miss Saigon.
John has extensive experience working with young and emerging talent, having conducted numerous student and youth productions. He is no stranger to directing large ensembles, sometimes leading up to 200 performers. In 2010, he made history by directing the first-ever Ukrainian production of Oliver! for the British International School in Kyiv.
In addition to his conducting and directing work, John is a sought-after keyboard player. His professional performance credits span a wide range of major productions, including The Phantom of the Opera, Top Hat, Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde, Me and My Girl, Beyond the Barricade, The Full Monty, and Les Misérables.
Music Theatre
Music Theatre
Other Work
John is an experienced arranger whose reduced orchestrations of operas have been widely performed by professional ensembles. His arrangements of film music scores have also received multiple performances. Since 2019, he has served as an instrumental examiner for ABRSM.