The London-born Swiss conductor Kevin Griffiths represents the third generation of conductors in his family.

A regular guest at the Menuhin Festival Gstaad and the Rheingau Music Festival—where he conducted, among others, Gustav Holst’s The Planets—Griffiths has established himself as a sought-after conductor. He is also a valued artist at the Vaduz Classic Festival in Liechtenstein and at the “Klosters Music” festival, known for its high-caliber musical contributions.
His diverse artistic work has included a production with the Schauspielhaus Zürich and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, which was presented at both the Holland Festival in Amsterdam and the Venice Biennale.

Over the course of his career, Griffiths has worked with leading orchestras such as the Frankfurt Radio Symphony (hr-Sinfonieorchester), the Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the German State Philharmonic of Rhineland-Palatinate, and the Staatskapelle Weimar. His time as artistic director and chief conductor of the Collegium Musicum Basel from 2011 to 2018 was particularly formative. He also maintains close collaborations with orchestras such as the Basel Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana.

His interest in historical performance practice frequently brings him to projects with period ensembles, such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in London and the ensemble Musica Aeterna in Bratislava.

Griffiths has worked with a wide range of prominent soloists, including Sir James Galway, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Kian Soltani, Anastasia Kobekina, Reinhold Friedrich, Vesselina Kasarova, and Fazil Say. He has also had the opportunity to work personally with legendary composers such as Steve Reich and John Powell, underscoring his versatility and openness to different musical worlds.

His discography demonstrates his artistic breadth: for Warner Classics, Sony, CPO, and Prospero Classical, he has recorded music by contemporaries of Mozart and Beethoven as well as Swiss Romantic composers like Paul Juon and Hans Huber. The classical music magazine KlassikHeute highlighted his transparent and original musicality: “The listener is constantly captivated by original ideas and rhythmic verve.”

In addition to his work with established repertoire, Griffiths has been committed to contemporary music for many years. As co-founder and conductor of the London Steve Reich Ensemble, he gained international recognition. The ensemble’s debut CD received the Diapason d'Or, and their second recording was named one of the “Must-Have” recordings by BBC Music Magazine.

Another of Kevin Griffiths’ passions is nurturing young artists. Through his involvement in projects for emerging talent, he regularly offers them a stage to showcase their abilities.

In the field of film music, Griffiths was accredited by Disney Studios in Hollywood to conduct orchestras in live synchronizations of original film scores. Since 2018, he has been a regular guest conductor of the City Light Symphony Orchestra, with which he has performed at venues such as the KKL Lucerne. Together, they have already recorded two CDs, including their first film music release Spotlight on John Williams, which was nominated for the German Record Critics' Award and has reached nearly 2 million streams on Spotify. Their second album, Adventures, is set to be released this year.

Kevin Griffiths studied conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.
With the Empyrean Orchestra and Academy he founded, Griffiths aims to explore new paths in the concert world.

Contact

+41 79 709 46 69
kevin@kevingrifiths.ch
www.kevingriffiths.ch