Nicholas Carter (conductor)

Carter was born in Melbourne, Australia and began learning the violin and piano at school. Aged nine, he became member of the National Boys Choir of Australia,{{Cite web |last=Strahle |first=Graham |title=A man of musical line: Nicholas Carter – The Adelaide Review |url=https://www.adelaidereview.com.au/arts/performing-arts/2015/12/21/nicholas-carter-conducts-aso-concert-festival-theatre/ |access-date=2023-12-18 |language=en}} where he had his first exposure to orchestral music and opera, through involvement in concerts with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Opera Australia.{{Cite news |last=Spring |first=Alexandra |date=2015-08-05 |title=Nicholas Carter: conducting is not what every seven-year-old wants to do |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/australia-culture-blog/2015/aug/06/nicholas-carter-conducting-is-not-what-every-seven-year-old-wants-to-do |access-date=2023-12-18 |issn=0261-3077}}

Carter came under the mentorship of Richard Gill, one of Australia's leading music educators and conductors,{{cite web | title=5 Minutes with Nicholas Carter | website=Adelaide Symphony Orchestra | date=22 October 2018 | url=https://www.aso.com.au/5-minutes-with-nicholas-carter/ | access-date=29 December 2024}} and conducted his first opera production, Hans Krása's Brundibar for OzOpera in 2004. Following this and concurrent to his studies at the University of Melbourne, where he studied Piano and Voice, he continued to work with Gill in the newly formed Victorian Opera from 2006.

In 2009, Vladimir Ashkenazy chose Carter as his assistant conductor with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.{{Cite web |title=Nicholas Carter: Auf Wiedersehen Adelaide |url=https://limelight-arts.com.au/features/nicholas-carter-auf-wiedersehen-adelaide/ |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=Limelight |language=en-AU}} Carter held this post for three seasons, during which time he met Sir Donald Runnicles and Simone Young, who became mentors to Carter.

Young appointed Carter as Kapellmeister and musical assistant at Hamburg State Opera from 2011,{{cite news| author=Matthew Westwood | title=Nicholas Carter: 'Don't call me maestro' | url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/music/nicholas-carter-dont-call-me-maestro/news-story/b5c151cadb3b28a4834870f5aaeaefa5 | work=The Australian | date=2015-04-10 | access-date=2025-01-06}} which saw him conduct The Magic Flute, Hänsel und Gretel, Lucia di Lammermoor, The Barber of Seville as well as assisting Young on a broad repertoire that including all ten Wagner operas.{{Cite web |title=Australian Youth Orchestra – Nicholas Carter |url=https://ayo.com.au/people/nicholas-carter/ |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=Australian Youth Orchestra |language=en-US}}

From 2014, Carter was appointed Kapellmeister at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, working closely with Sir Donald Runnicles. His repertoire expanded, conducting productions of The Love for Three Oranges, La bohème, Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, L'elisir d'amore and Die Entführung aus dem Serail. In 2015, Carter was appointed Principal Conductor of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, becoming the first Australian conductor in 30 years to lead an Australian orchestra. He held the Adelaide post until 2019.

Carter became chief conductor of the Stadttheater Klagenfurt and the Kärntner Symphonieorchester as of the 2018–2019 season.{{Cite web |title=Nicholas Carter has ASO contract extended (and a new job) |url=https://limelight-arts.com.au/news/nicholas-carter-has-aso-contract-extended-and-a-new-job/ |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=Limelight |language=en-AU}} He stood down from both posts in 2021. In 2021, he became chief conductor and co-opera director of Bühnen Bern.{{Cite web |date=2020-06-05 |title=35-jähriger Australier wird Berner Operndirektor – "Er ist ein Ausnahmetalent" |url=https://www.derbund.ch/nicholas-carter-wird-neuer-chefdirigent-981857464922 |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=Der Bund |language=de}} His work in Bern has included conducting the company's first production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen.{{Cite web |last=Berzins |first=Christian |date=2021-12-13 |title=Wagners "Rheingold" zum ersten Mal szenisch im Stadttheater Bern |url=https://www.tagblatt.ch/kultur/oper-geglueckter-start-richard-wagners-monumentalwerk-goettervater-wotan-trickst-die-rappenden-riesen-aus-ld.2227433 |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=St. Galler Tagblatt |language=de}} He is scheduled to stand down from his Bühnen Bern posts at the close of the 2024–2025 season.{{cite press release | url=https://buehnenbern.ch/site/assets/files/7004/buhnen_bern_contract_extension_and_new_chief_conductor_of_opera_11_04_2024.pdf | title=Contract extensions for the Artistic Director and the Section Directors – Alevtina Ioffe will be the new Chief Conductor of Bern Opera from summer 2025. | publisher=Bühnen Bern | date=11 April 2024 | access-date=2025-01-15}}

In November 2024, Staatsoper Stuttgart announced the appointment of Carter as its next General Music Director, effective with the 2026–2027 season.{{cite press release | url=https://www.staatsoper-stuttgart.de/magazin/nicholas-carter-ab-herbst-2026-generalmusikdirektor-in-stuttgart/ | title=Ab Herbst 2026: Nicholas Carter wird neuer Stuttgarter Generalmusikdirektor | publisher=Staatsoper Stuttgart | date=8 November 2024 | access-date=2024-11-12}}

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• [https://www.intermusica.co.uk/artist/Nicholas-Carter Intermusica agency page on Nicholas Carter]

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{{succession box | title=Chief Conductor, Kärntner Sinfonieorchester | before=Alexander Soddy | years=2018–2021 | after=Nicholas Milton}}

{{succession box | title=Chief Conductor, Bühnen Bern | before=Kevin John Edusei | years=2021–present | after=incumbent}}

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Category:1985 births

Category:Australian conductors (music)

Category:Musicians from Melbourne

Category:Living people