Martyn Brabbins (OCC Director) is one of Britain 's leading and most versatile conducting talents. Artistic Director of the Cheltenham International Festival of Music 2005-2007, he was Associate Principal Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra 1994-2005.

Following studies in London and Leningrad (with Ilya Musin), he won first prize at the 1988 Leeds Competition. Since then he has conducted most of the major symphony orchestras in Britain, and appears every season with the Philharmonia and BBC Symphony and at the BBC Proms.

Known for his Elgar, Britten, and Walton, Brabbins also has a strong affinity for the great 19th century Romantics, and for the Russian and French repertoire. Brabbins is also one of Europe's leading interpreters of contemporary music. Equally at home in the opera house, he has conducted productions at the Kirov, English National, Opera North, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Montpellier and at the Netherlands Opera. Brabbins has made over 60 recordings, 30 of them on Hyperion.

Charles Peebles (OCC Assistant Director) studied at Cambridge University, the Guildhall and as a conducting fellow at Tanglewood. In 1992 he won the first International Cadaques Conducting Competition and has since conducted virtually every Spanish orchestra. He has worked with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Latvian National Symphony and National Orchestra of Mexico as well as with many of the leading British orchestras. In the opera house Charles has conducted productions for English Touring Opera, Broomhill, Garsington, Glyndebourne and the Bavarian State Opera.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Ensemble t.b.c.