Biography
Sian Edwards studied at the RNCM, and with Professor A.I. Musin at the Leningrad Conservatoire. She is Head of Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music and Professor of Conducting at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts.
During her extensive career as an active conductor she worked with many of the world’s leading orchestras including Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland, Orchestre de Paris, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Berlin Symphony, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, MDR Leipzig, Ensemble Modern, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Royal Flanders Philharmonic, London Sinfonietta, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Hallé, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and BBC National Orchestra of Wales She appeared regularly at the Proms, and the Aldeburgh and Edinburgh Festivals.
She worked at all the major UK opera houses following her operatic debut in 1986 conducting Weill’s Mahagonny for Scottish Opera and her ROH debut in 1988 with Tippett’s The Knot Garden. From 1993 to 1995 she was Music Director of ENO for whom her repertoire included Khovanshchina, Jenufa, Queen of Spades and Blond Eckbert. Other operatic engagements include Munich (including the world premiere of Turnage’s Greek), Opéra Comique, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Stockholm, Vienna and Aspen. Her last appearance at Glyndebourne was for Falstaff in 2025.
Sian Edwards regularly serves as jury member for the world’s leading conducting competitions.
