Tom Hammond

photo of Tom Hammond by: Chris Redgrave

Tom Hammond relishes conducting an interesting range of repertoire, and is as happy working in the operatic world as he is with symphonic /chamber music, or devising educational projects. He is Music Director of the Essex Symphony Orchestra, British Police Symphony Orchestra and Sinfonia Tamesa as well as Artistic Director of the professional ensemble sound collective www.soundcollective.co.uk. He was a prize winning semi-finalist at the prestigious Leeds Conductors Competition, 2009.

In 2006 he was selected by Sir Charles Mackerras to become the first Junior Fellow in Conducting at Trinity College of Music, London. During this two year post, Tom conducted opera (including Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress and Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites), assisted visiting conductors, and worked with all of the college ensembles. He is now a regular guest conductor at Trinity College.

Tom's musical career started as a professional trombonist, and after graduating from The Royal Academy of Music with a First in performance, he enjoyed ten years of successful freelance work with leading ensembles such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, King's Consort, Gabrieli Consort and EuropaGalante. In 2005 he opted to concentrate on conducting as a full-time occupation.

With sound collective he has given several World and London premières, notably Matthew Taylor's Symphony No. 3. Tom has also conducted music by other noted contemporary composers including John McCabe, David Matthews, Robert Saxton, Paul Patterson, Elena Firsova, and Bernard Hughes.

Tom’s potential was highlighted in 2005 by Finnish Maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen, when he selected him as one of only twenty conductors world-wide to participate in the prestigious Sibelius International Conductors’ Competition, where he conducted the Finnish Radio Symphony in some of the most challenging works in the repertoire. In 2007 Tom made his début with the London Symphony Orchestra Brass Ensemble, conducting the World Première of Alvin Curran’s Maritime Rites at Tate Modern. In 2009 he makes his début at Symphony Hall, Birmingham.

Tom has also been asked to lead music education and outreach programmes for Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and the Historic Royal Palaces. He was Musical Director for the 2001 English National Opera's Baylis Programme production of Weill's Die Dreigroschenoper in London and Berlin, produced by the leading community art organisation, 1st Framework.

July 2009

Reviews

"The orchestra’s rapturous acclaim ... was visible testimony to their esteem for his contribution…"
The Classical Source 2007

"...His meticulous work on this difficult score was quite simply perfect...He has an easy and natural authority on the rostrum..." Barry Wordsworth (Music Director, Royal Ballet) 2008