A dynamic presence in both the opera house and concert hall, recent highlights include La Bohème for Glyndebourne which resulted in an immediate re-invitation as well as returns to Oper Frankfurt (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Opera Theater of Saint Louis (The Magic Flute). In the last few seasons he has returned regularly to the Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National and Tokyo City Philharmonic orchestras amongst others as well as making successful debuts with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie and at the Brisbane and Adelaide Festivals for Peter Grimes (with Stuart Skelton) and Romeo Castelucci’s Requiem. He returns to the US for several symphonic debuts in the 24/25 season.
His conducting combines intellectual rigour with passionate and dynamic engagement. With a notably wide repertoire from Dowland to MacMillan, Rory is particularly strong in Sibelius and the Nordic composers with an additional focus on British music. His collegiate approach has led to many successful collaborations with leading artists and production teams. Passionate about new music, Rory has conducted the premieres of works by composers including Sally Beamish, Sir James MacMillan, Geoffrey Gordon and Carl Vine.
Orchestral highlights have included the Royal Concertgebouw, Oslo Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Hallé, Staatsorchester Stuttgart, Essen Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic, Residentie Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonica di Bologna, San Diego Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Nagoya Philharmonic and the symphony orchestras of Adelaide, Queensland, West Australia and Tasmania.
Opera highlights include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Die Zauberflöte (San Francisco Opera, Royal Danish Opera, Opera Australia); Carmen (Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Teatro São Carlos, Lisbon), Fra Diavolo (Teatro dell’Opera di Roma); Le Nozze di Figaro (Gothenburg Opera); The Cunning Little Vixen (Bergen National Opera) and Fidelio, Hänsel und Gretel, Das Rheingold, Owen Wingrave, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Orphée at the Royal Opera House.
His recordings include Bruch's Scottish Fantasy with Nicola Benedetti for Decca, as well as highly acclaimed discs for Hyperion, Chandos and Linn Records, with two further discs with the RSNO due for release later this year.
