A rising star in the world of classical music who overcame childhood deafness has been invited to take centre stage at a major international festival.<\/p>\n
Talented conductor Robert Guy, who comes from Wrexham, will be taking the baton at the prestigious ChopinPianoFest in Pristina in Kosovo on May 29.<\/p>\n
He was recommended to the festival by one of the world\u2019s top concert pianists, Peter Donohoe CBE.<\/p>\n
Donohoe chose Robert\u00a0 to conduct while he plays the notoriously challenging Rachmaninoff Concerto No.3 with the\u00a0 Kosovo Philharmonic Orchestra.<\/p>\n
The concert will be a highlight of the festival that\u2019s dedicated to the mastery of piano performance.<\/p>\n
It is held every spring after being established for the first time in 2010 by the Kosovo Chopin Association to mark the 200th anniversary of Polish-born composer Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Chopin.<\/p>\n
Robert, Director of Ensembles and Head of Choral Programme at University of Manchester, said he is hugely honoured to have been invited to conduct and to have had the endorsement of one of his long time musical heroes, Peter Donohoe.<\/p>\n
Remarkably, he overcame childhood deafness to forge a successful career in music as a conductor, educator and entrepreneur.<\/p>\n
Thanks to operations to widen his ear canals, by the time he was completely discharged from hospital at the age of 15 his hearing had been fully restored.<\/p>\n
Now in his 30s he is the co-founder with his composer brother Jonathan of NEW Sinfonia, the resident orchestra at the North Wales International Music Festival in St Asaph which will be making its debut at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in July.<\/p>\n
At Llangollen he will be conducting the orchestra and a massed choir of 200 voices in a concert calling for world peace.<\/p>\n
The concert, called The White Flower: Into the Light, on Wednesday, July 5,will pay tribute to the thousands of men, women and children massacred in the 1990s war in Bosnia and shine a light on the desperate plight of those currently suffering in war-torn Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Robert is \u201cenormously excited\u201d about the chance to work with Peter and the Kosovo Philharmonic.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI\u2019ve not been to Kosovo before and I don\u2019t speak the language. I believe they speak Albanian, but music is a common language so I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll all make ourselves understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe big task will be familiarising myself with the Rachmaninoff work and the Kosovo musicians\u2019 style of playing. Each orchestra is slightly different than another even when playing the same music so there are sure to be some challenges ahead but I\u2019m greatly looking forward to rising to the task.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert says the surprise invitation from Peter is a feather in his cap as he works towards achieving his long-held dream of becoming an internationally sought after conductor.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to work with orchestras around the world, conducting in some of the great concert halls on the planet. That would be the pinnacle for any conductor or musician. We all dream of working with the best of the best and so when Peter called and asked me if I would do this there was only one answer, I jumped at it. I feel so honoured that he chose me out of all the conductors he knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert\u2019s reputation is on the rise as he enjoys a close relationship with Manchester Camerata and in December 2022 made his debut with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Internationally he has previously conducted in Vietnam, Korea, France, Finland, Austria, and Kazakhstan, among other destinations.<\/p>\n
He has worked with Welsh National Opera and has conducted 55 world premi\u00e8res. He took charge of the baton for the world premi\u00e8re of a new opera by acclaimed composer Paul Mealor called Gelert, at the North Wales International Music Festival.<\/p>\n
He has performed at the Manchester International Festival and is Principal Guest Conductor to Stockport Symphony Orchestra. He also guest conducts Immix Ensemble, a new music ensemble based in Liverpool.<\/p>\n
Peter Donohoe said: \u201cThe festival organisers specifically asked me to play Rachmaninoff Concerto No.3 which I have played many times, but there is no denying that it is widely recognised as being one of the most challenging pieces for any pianist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peter was invited to select one of three conductors suggested to him by the festival panel but he was unfamiliar with their work and instead asked if he could bring in Robert Guy.<\/p>\n
Although they have not performed together before Peter knows of Robert\u2019s work and has been impressed by his conducting style.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cHe is a great communicator which is one of the most essential skills for a conductor to possess.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs well as being skilled musically, he is very personable and develops an easy rapport with an orchestra. If he carries on in this vein I really believe he has what it takes to go far in the international classical music world.\u201d<\/p>\n