George Vass

George Vass was born in Staffordshire and studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music; he made his professional conducting debut at St John's Smith Square, London at the age of twenty-two. As artistic director of the Regent Sinfonia of London and Orchestra Nova he has appeared at many of the United Kingdom's premier concert halls and festivals. As a guest conductor he has worked with groups including the Ulster Orchestra, Amsterdam's Promenade Orkest, Konzertensemble Salzburg, Joyful Company of Singers, London Mozart Players, Malmö Opera Orchestra, Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Sinfonietta and Oxford Orchestra da Camera. He has broadcast for BBC Radio 3 and Channel 4 television.

George Vass was appointed artistic director of the critically acclaimed Presteigne Festival in Wales in 1992 and from 2004 until 2009 held a similar position with London’s respected Hampstead and Highgate Festival. In his dual career as conductor and festival director, George Vass maintains a strong interest in the performance of contemporary music, and, over the last nineteen years has commissioned and premiered a variety of new works from leading composers including David Matthews, John McCabe, Cecilia McDowall, Paul Patterson, Adrian Williams and Hugh Wood. In March 2000 George Vass was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music. His continually growing discography includes several recordings of contemporary British composers with Orchestra Nova and three discs of music by Donald Tovey for Dutton Epoch and Toccata Classics.