Our conductor

David Curtis - Conductor

David Curtis’ career encompassed chamber music and conducting.  As viola player in the Coull String Quartet he toured Europe, the Far East, Australia, North and South America, giving over 250 BBC Radio 3 broadcasts and recording over 25 CDs.

With Orchestra of the Swan he toured to Germany, China, Mexico, Turkey and the USA and was Principal Guest Conductor of the North Hungarian Symphony from 2015-2020.  He has conducted the Academy of St Martin’s, Prague Chamber and Radio Orchestras, Moravská Filharmonie, Mikkeli City Orchestra and Hamburg Symphonica. 

More recently he has conducted the Filarmonici di Cefalù and the Bardou Sinfonietta performing challenging and contemporary repertoire such as the Amy Beach ‘Gallic Symphony’, Thea Musgrave ‘Night Music’, Hindemith ‘Mathis der Maler’ and the Bartók Concerto for Orchestra. 

In 2025 David celebrated his Silver Jubilee as Principal Conductor with Cheltenham Symphony and looks forward to many more excellent concerts with them. 

“fine work under the able leadership of David Curtis”
Fanfare Magazine, USA

“a reassuringly calm yet always encouraging and cajoling presence”
The Gramophone

“Curtis’s conducting, is close to Boult’s, if more intimate, and slightly more perceptive”
The American Record Guide

“warmly sympathetic support from David Curtis”
Classic Fm Magazine 5 *****