Adrian Partington

Who is Adrian Partington?

Adrian Partington is an English conductor, chorus master, organist and pianist. He is director of music at Gloucester Cathedral, joint conductor of the Three Choirs Festival and artistic director for the Gloucester festival years, director of the BBC National Chorus of Wales, conductor of Bristol Choral Society and Gloucester Choral Society and leader of the postgraduate choral conducting course at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

The son of professional musicians, he was a chorister at Worcester Cathedral under Christopher Robinson, studied at the Royal College of Music under Herbert Howells, and was organ scholar at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle and King's College, Cambridge. He returned to Worcester as assistant organist from 1981 to 1991, before turning more of his attention to choral conducting.

He was associate chorus master of the CBSO Chorus and conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Chorus during the Simon Rattle years until September 2000.

In 1999, he was appointed director of the BBC National Chorus of Wales - a position which he still holds, and has involved preparing the chorus for many concerts, BBC Radio 3 broadcasts, BBC Proms appearances and recordings under conductors such as Richard Hickox during his years as principal conductor of BBC National Orchestra of Wales. He also conducts several concerts himself each season, as well as other BBC engagements such as conducting the televised Swansea link at the Last Night of the Proms and recording the soundtrack for one series of Doctor Who.