Robert Houssart Conductor

Born in Haarlem, Netherlands, Robert Houssart grew up in England, where he graduated from St John's College (Cambridge) and the Royal Northern College of Music. As an organist, he has performed as a soloist throughout Europe, making several recordings and winning major prizes for improvisation. He can also be heard on the piano as a chamber musician, and has a keen interest in jazz. He is conductor-in-residence at the Royal Danish Opera and works closely with the new music ensemble Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen.

He made his operatic debut conducting the Australian premiere of Le Grand Macabre at the Adelaide Festival. He has worked at La Monnaie in Brussels, English National Opera, Opera North and Opéra Comique, as well as Theater an der Wien, where he conducted the world premiere of Anno Schreier's Hamlet. Since 2014, he has worked with the Royal Danish Opera and the Royal Danish Ballet, where he has directed over one hundred and forty performances, including new operas such as Hans Abrahamsen's The Snow Queen, Louise Alenius's Manualen, Thomas Adès's The Exterminating Angel and Powder Her Face, and David Bruce's Nothing.

In addition to new music, Robert Houssart's repertoire is highly varied. He has conducted Mozart and Wagner at the Longborough Festival, Bernstein with the Hallé Orchestra, Puccini with Opera North and Strauss at the Lucerne Theatre. He has also worked on Baroque music projects for the Yorke Trust, including Theodora and Castor et Pollux. He will soon be appearing at the Dresden Staatsoper, Opéra National du Rhin, Opernhaus Zurich, Angers Nantes Opéra, Opéra de Lausanne and the Copenhagen Opera Festival, among others.

Debut at the Opéra national de Paris