Christopher Ward Named Longborough Festival Opera’s Next Music Director
By David Salazar(Credit: Marine Stassen)
Longborough Festival Opera has appointed Christopher Ward as its next Music Director.
He will take over for Anthony Negus, who has held the post for more than two decades and will now transition to the title of Conductor Laureate in 2027, when he will lead the company’s anniversary production of Wagner’s “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.”
Ward joins from Theater Aachen and Sinfonieorchester Aachen, where he has served as General Music Director since 2018. The London-born conductor brings over two decades of experience at leading German opera houses, with guest conducting credits including Staatsoper Hamburg, Komische Oper Berlin, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Staatsoper Prague and Welsh National Opera.
“Longborough Festival Opera, founded through the bold vision of Martin and Lizzie Graham, is a truly special place, with deep and loyal relationships with its audiences and a strong commitment to nurturing future generations through its education and community work,” Ward said per an official press release. “From my first meetings with the team, I was struck by their collective enthusiasm and collaborative spirit, and I am hugely excited to join them and to bring the experience I have gained over two decades working within the German opera house system to the next chapter of the festival.”
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