Carnegie Hall

The English Concert is an outstanding orchestra—exceptional in the world-renowned quality, ambition, and variety of its live and recorded output; unique in the zeal of its players for working and performing together; unwavering in its desire to connect with its audience around the world.

Under the artistic direction of Harry Bicket and principal guest Kristian Bezuidenhout, The English Concert has earned a reputation for combining urgency, passion, and fire with precision, delicacy, and beauty. The artistic partners it collaborates with reflect and enhance its pursuit of new ways to bring music to life. Joyce DiDonato, Dame Sarah Connolly, Iestyn Davies, Alison Balsom, Trevor Pinnock, Dominic Dromgoole, Tom Morris, and many more have brought their extraordinary skills to individual projects, and continue to help the ensemble shape the way it performs.

One cornerstone of the orchestra’s annual cycle is its international Handel opera tour. Blossoming from an ongoing relationship with Carnegie Hall, the itinerary now regularly takes it to the Theater an der Wien, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and Barbican, and the roster of great halls continues to grow. Meanwhile, its regular London series allows it to explore a radically different path, presenting programs for its home audience that challenge and inspire the musicians. In 2023, The English Concert launched its ambitious Handel for All project, which aims to film and make freely available all of Handel’s works online.

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Harry Bicket is internationally renowned for his interpretation of Baroque and Classical repertoire and since 2007 has been artistic director of The English Concert, one of Europe’s finest period orchestras. He has been chief conductor of Santa Fe Opera since 2013, and was appointed music director in 2018. His productions with the company include Don Giovanni, Orfeo, Pelléas et Mélisande, Carmen, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Le nozze di Figaro, Fidelio, La finta giardiniera, Roméo et Juliette, Alcina, Candide, and Così fan tutte; in 2019, he conducted R. Strauss’s Four Last Songs with Renée Fleming. He returns in summer 2025 for Le nozze di Figaro.

This season, Mr. Bicket makes his Opernhaus Zurich debut with Agrippina, and returns to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for a collaboration with the Joffrey Ballet. With The English Concert, he leads a tour to Europe and the US of Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto, and performs Messiah in Madrid and Barcelona.

Mr. Bicket is a regular guest at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Canadian Opera Company, and Houston Grand Opera. In addition, he regularly conducts North American orchestras that include the Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Boston symphony orchestras; The Cleveland Orchestra; New York and Los Angeles philharmonics; Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; San Francisco, Houston, and Seattle symphonies; Orchestra of St Luke’s; Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa); and Minnesota Orchestra.

Mr. Bicket has made numerous recordings with The English Concert as well as with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, among them a collection of Handel opera arias with Renée Fleming (Decca) and Ian Bostridge (EMI), and selections from Handel’s Theodora, Serse, and the cantata La Lucrezia with Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (Avie), which was nominated for a Grammy Award. His recordings with David Daniels for Virgin Veritas and Susan Graham for Erato were both nominated for Gramophone Awards.

Born in Liverpool, Mr. Bicket studied at the Royal College of Music and the University of Oxford, where he was organ scholar at Christ Church. He is an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music and was awarded an OBE at the 2022 Queen’s birthday honours.

French countertenor Christophe Dumaux is a regular guest on international opera stages and at prestigious venues that include the Metropolitan Opera, Opéra de Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Vienna State Opera, Theater an der Wien, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Glyndebourne, and BBC Proms, among others. He has collaborated with conductors who include René Jacobs, William Christie, Emmanuelle Haïm, Gianluca Capuano, Giovanni Antonini, Harry Bicket, Andrea Marcon, Ivor Bolton, Philippe Jaroussky, Ottavio Dantone, and Francesco Corti, and has performed with such ensembles as Les Arts Florissants, La Cetra Barockorchester & Vokalensemble Basel, Freiburger Barockorchester, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and The Philadelphia Orchestra. He recently performed Handel’s Messiah with Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain and Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Mr. Dumaux has worked with stage directors who include Claus Guth, David McVicar, Robert Carsen, Calixto Bieito, Barrie Kosky, David Alden, Christof Loy, Barbora Horáková, and Richard Jones, performing masterpieces by Monteverdi, Cavalli, Vivaldi, Handel, and Mozart, among others. Recent highlights include Ottone in Agrippina in Hamburg; the title role in Orlando at the Theater an der Wien; Polinesso in Ariodante at the Vienna State Opera, Salzburg Festival, Bolshoi Theatre, and Palais Garnier in Paris; and Athamas in Semele in Zurich.

Mr. Dumaux’s Handel roles in the 2024–2025 season include Polinesso in Ariodante at the Opéra national du Rhin; Arsamene in Serse and Nerone in Agrippina at Opernhaus Zurich; and the title role in Giulio Cesare in Egitto at the Barbican Centre in London, Dublin, Newcastle, and on tour throughout Europe and the US with Harry Bicket and The English Concert, as well as at the Salzburg Festival under the baton of Emmanuelle Haïm.

Mr. Dumaux’s discography includes a recording of J. S. Bach’s cantatas and passions with Ensemble Pulcinella (Ambroisie-Naïve) and Pergolesi’s oratorio Septum verbe a Christo with René Jacobs (Harmonia Mundi). On DVD, he can be seen as Tolomeo in Giulio Cesare in Egitto at Glyndebourne with William Christie and David McVicar (Opus Arte), Theater an der Wien with Ivor Bolton and Keith Warner (Unitel), and Salzburg Festival with Giovanni Antonini, Moshe Leiser, and Patrice Caurier (Decca), as well as in Cavalli’s Il Giasone, recorded in Antwerp for Dynamic.

A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London-based baritone Thomas Chenhall made his international debut in 2019 as Laquais in Massenet’s Don Quichotte at the Wexford International Opera Festival. Since then, he has worked extensively throughout the UK and Europe, making his Royal Opera House concert debut in 2023 as part of its lunchtime recital series.

Recent highlights include his house debut at Glyndebourne Festival Opera as Curio in David McVicar’s acclaimed production of Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Schaunard in Puccini’s La bohème for Hurn Court Opera, Papageno in Mozart’s The Magic Flute for the Royal Ballet and Opera Stream, Maestro Spinelloccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi at the Nevill Holt Festival, and Silvio in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci for West Green House Opera. Upcoming engagements include Mozart’s Don Giovanni with the BVA trust and Glyndebourne players, and covering the role of Schaunard in Sir Jonathan Miller’s production of La bohème for the English National Opera.

In the 2024–2025 season, mezzo-soprano Beth Taylor makes her debut in the title role of La Cenerentola at Opéra national de Lorraine, with performances at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, Théâtre de Caen, and Opéra de Reims. Concert performances include Lisea in Vivaldi’s Arsilda at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Berliner Philharmoniker at the Baden-Baden Easter Festival and the Philharmonie de Paris; Haydn’s Harmoniemesse at the Konzerthaus Berlin, G. Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, G. Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Alma Mahler’s Fünf Lieder with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal for her Canadian debut, Michael Haydn’s and Mozart’s requiems with Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society for her US debut, Tippett’s A Child of Our Time at Glyndebourne, Elgar’s Sea Pictures with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and Falla’s El amor brujo with the Tonkünstler Orchestra.

Recent operatic highlights include Bradamante in Handel’s Alcina at Glyndebourne; Arsace in Semiramide, La Cieca in La Gioconda, Erda in Das Rheingold, First Norn in Götterdämmerung, and Schwertleite in Die Walküre for Deutsche Oper Berlin; Giuliano Gordio in Eliogabalo at Opernhaus Zurich; Falliero in Bianca e Falliero and Dardano in Amadigi di Gaula at Oper Frankfurt; Lacoste’s Bradamante at Opéra national de Lorraine; Felix Mendelssohn’s Elias at Opéra National de Lyon; and J. S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at Theater Basel.

On the concert platform, she has appeared as Anna in Les Troyens at the Salzburg Festival, BBC Proms, and Festival Berlioz; Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas at Teatro Real Madrid, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Philharmonie Luxembourg, and Philharmonie Essen; Argia in Giacomelli’s La Merope at the Concertgebouw; Ursule in Béatrice et Bénédict at Festival Berlioz; and Teseo in Arianna in Creta at the London Handel Festival.

Ms. Taylor has collaborated with conductors who include Leonardo García Alarcón, Roland Böer, Giuliano Carella, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Edward Gardner, Alessandro De Marchi, Andrea Marcon, Ingo Metzmacher, John Nelson, Raphaël Pichon, Ivan Repušić, Corrado Rovaris, Sir Donald Runnicles, and Constantin Trinks. She is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and The Open University.

Irish mezzo-soprano Paula Murrihy enjoys a busy career working at the highest level in both Europe and the US. Previously a member of the ensemble at Oper Frankfurt, she has since appeared on the world’s major stages, including the Royal Opera, Covent Garden; Metropolitan Opera; Opéra de Paris; Bolshoi Theatre; Gran Teatre del Liceu; Opernhaus Zurich; and Salzburg Festival. Last season, she made an acclaimed role and company debut at the Komische Oper Berlin as Dejanira in Handel’s Hercules in a new production by Barrie Kosky. She returned to the Opéra de Paris as Prince Charmant in Massenet’s Cendrillon and to Santa Fe Opera as Octavian in R. Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier. Concert appearances included Didon in Berlioz’s Les Troyens with the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra in Paris, Berlin, and at the BBC Proms; and Marguerite in Berlioz’s La damnation de Faust with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Highlights of the 2024–2025 season include a return to Oper Frankfurt as Dejanira, Waitress in a new production of Kaija Saariaho’s Innocence at the Semperoper Dresden, Béatrice in Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict at Irish National Opera, the Composer in R. Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos at Opéra de Rouen, Fox in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen at the Opéra de Paris, and Sesto in Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto on tour with Harry Bicket and The English Concert. An accomplished recitalist, Ms. Murrihy has appeared at London’s Wigmore Hall as well as the Oxford International Song Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, and Performance Santa Fe. Her debut solo album, I will walk with my love, was released in 2020 on Orchid Classics.

British soprano Louise Alder’s engagements in the 2024–2025 season include her debut as Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Vienna State Opera, Micaëla in Carmen at San Francisco Opera, Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro at Glyndebourne, and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro at the Bavarian State Opera. On the concert platform, she sings R. Strauss’s Four Last Songs with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mozart arias at the Royal Danish Theater, and Haydn’s The Creation with the Gulbenkian Orchestra.

Ms. Alder’s engagements in the 2023–2024 season included Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte and Susanna in a new production of Le nozze di Figaro at the Bavarian State Opera, and Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto for Glyndebourne Festival Opera. In addition, she sang Mozart arias with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Mozart and Rossini arias with the Czech Philharmonic, the title role of
R. Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, G. Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Bavarian State Orchestra and Vladimir Jurowski, Haydn’s The Creation with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Edward Gardner, and Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Philippe Jordan.

Ms. Alder’s discography includes Chère Nuit: French Songs (Chandos); The Russian Connection (Chandos); Through Life and Love, a disc of R. Strauss songs with pianist Joseph Middleton (Orchid Classics); the title role in Handel’s Theodora (Arcangelo / Alpha Classics); Lucia in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia (Opus Arte / Glyndebourne); and the title role in Handel’s Semele (Monteverdi Choir / SDG).

A former member of the ensemble of Oper Frankfurt, Ms. Alder studied at the Royal College of Music’s International Opera School, where she was the inaugural Kiri Te Kanawa Scholar. She was the winner of the Young Singer Award at the 2017 International Opera Awards, Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize at the 2017 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, and inaugural Young British Soloists’ Competition in 2015; in addition, she was the recipient of Glyndebourne’s John Christie Award in 2014.

Based in London, Meili Li is the first countertenor originally from China to forge an international career. He is the winner of the Farinelli Prize (2016) as well as second prize at the London Handel Festival Singing Competition (2022). His repertoire includes late-Renaissance lute songs, Baroque and Classical operas and oratorios, German and French art songs, and modern and contemporary works.

Recent roles include Licida in Vivaldi’s L’Olimpiade with Peter Whelan at Irish National Opera, the Royal Opera House, and Nouvel Opéra Fribourg; Adone in Salvatore Sciarrino’s Venere e Adone under Kent Nagano at Hamburg State Opera; the title role in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice with Peter Whelan at Blackwater Valley Opera Festival; Spirito in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo at Opéra royal de Versailles with Jordi Savall and with Christopher Moulds for the Royal Opera House’s production at Roundhouse; Oberon in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream under Andreas Schuller at Stadttheater Gießen; Liang Shanbo in Richard Mills’s Butterfly Lovers at Victorian Opera (Melbourne); Peleo in Fux’s La corona d’Arianna under Alfredo Bernardini at Styriarte; and Alcasto in von Bayreuth’s Argenore with Attilio Cremonesi at Theater Münster. Recent performances of Handel operas include the title role in Giustino with Markellos Chryssicos at Theater an der Wien, the title role in Tolomeo under Stefan Vladar at Theater Lübeck, Alessandro in Tolomeo under Federico Maria Sardelli at the Händel-Festival Karlsruhe, the title role in Fernando under Leo Duarte for the London Handel Festival, and Dardano in Amadigi di Gaula under Attilio Cremonesi at the Meiningen Court Theatre.

Mr. Li’s discography includes Variations on Choice and Longing, Fux’s La corona d’Arianna with the ensemble Zefiro and Alfredo Bernardini, and Giulio Cesare in Egitto with The English Concert and Harry Bicket. Mr. Li holds degrees in film and philosophy from Peking University, a master’s degree in voice from the Royal Academy of Music, an artist diploma from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and a fellowship from Independent Opera. He is a resident artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company and The CounterTenor Project of the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

John Holiday has established himself as “one of the finest countertenors of his generation” (Los Angeles Times). His voice has been praised as “a thing of astonishing beauty” (The New Yorker); “arrestingly powerful, secure and dramatically high” (The Wall Street Journal); and “timeless” (The Washington Post), and his powerful story has been the subject of profiles in The New Yorker, CNN’s Great Big Story, Los Angeles Times, and more.

Highlights of Mr. Holiday’s 2024–2025 season include his debut in the role of Farnace in Mitridate, re di Ponto at Boston Lyric Opera, in a production by James Darrah. In March 2025, he debuted in the title role of Philip Glass’s Akhnaten in a new production by Barrie Kosky at Komische Oper Berlin. In addition, he returns to the Bavarian State Opera for Ligeti’s Le grand macabre and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and embarks on a tour of Giulio Cesare in Egitto with The English Concert and Harry Bicket at venues throughout Europe and the US. He also performs with the San Francisco Symphony, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and Apollo Chamber Players; performs a solo recital at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts; and appears on NPR’s Tiny Desk and Amplify with Lara Downes.

Among the most exciting baritones of his generation, Morgan Pearse studied at the Royal College of Music, where he won the Lies Askonas Prize and a gold medal at the Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition. He went on to become a member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio and made his UK debut at English National Opera singing Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia. Recent and upcoming opera highlights include Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Papageno in The Magic Flute, and Araspe in Tolomeo at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe; Sid in Albert Herring at the Buxton Festival; Belcore in L’elisir d’amore and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia at New Zealand Opera and the State Opera of South Australia; Ned Keene in Peter Grimes with the Auckland Philharmonia; Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro at Opernhaus Zurich; Pasquini’s Idalma at the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music; Papageno with the Russian National Orchestra; and Scarpia in Tosca for Opera Holland Park. Concert highlights include a solo recital at Wigmore Hall; concerts with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Musica Viva, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, The Hallé, Gabrieli Consort, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Academy of Ancient Music, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, and the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge; and Handel’s Messiah with the Tasmanian, West Australian, and Adelaide symphony orchestras; Royal Scottish National Orchestra; London Handel Festival; and Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra.