Peter Manning

British Conductor and Artistic Director Peter Manning is regarded as one of the leading interpreters in today’s Orchestral and Opera Scene.

His international career has seen him perform and broadcast from the world’s leading concert halls and performance venues. A deep understanding of the inclusive role that classical music can play in our world has led to conducting engagements with world-class orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, The Dallas Opera, The Royal Philharmonic and the Malta Philharmonic.

In Peter’s new role as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Bath Festival Orchestra he will progress the founding work of Yehudi Menuhin for England’s oldest established festival. With his new, revitalised orchestra, he is engaged in technological developments for music lovers and harnesses the latest forms of technological expression that enable young musical participants to reach their audiences around the world.

He serves as the Music Director of the Mozart Kinderorchester in Salzburg for MozartWoche.

Peter’s musical advocacy and his innovative, 21st-century passion for opening access to live, interactive music to a new generation of performers and audiences, stems from his unique and leading position in the British arts scene.

He was the founder of the Britten String Quartet, a group exclusive to EMI, which with Peter as its leader played the world’s stages. His other appointments as concertmaster for the Royal Opera House (18 seasons), as leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra have given him a unique vision for the orchestras and opera orchestras of the future.

In addition to his live performances, he has recorded as a conductor for the BBC, BBC World, Nimbus and YouTube.

Peter is a board member of the National Campaign for the Arts in the UK, a Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.


The BFO’s parallel objective is to make exquisite classical music accessible to diverse audiences in overlooked urban communities as well as traditional heritage cities.
Peter Manning, BFO Founder and Artistic Director