The British conductor Joolz Gale feels equally at home with modern and period instrument orchestras, offering not only a historically informed approach to baroque, classical and early romantic repertoire but also an extensive knowledge of early 20th-century chamber, choral and symphonic repertoire. His passion to communicate and reach new audiences through special projects and innovative programming has meanwhile led to him being hailed as one of the world’s most refreshing young conductors and leading arrangers of symphonic music.
Born in rural England, Joolz Gale initially studied as a violinist and read Music at the University of Oxford before furthering his studies as a singer at Royal College of Music, London. Graduating in 2007, he became an inaugural apprentice to the Monteverdi Choir under Sir John Eliot Gardiner, at which time he began to develop his skills as a conductor.
In the same year, he took part in the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition, resulting in an immediate invitation by Jonathan Nott to make his debut radio recording with Bamberger Symphoniker and Bayerischer Rundfunk. He soon went on to make conducting debuts with choirs and orchestras throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America, including Orquesta de Cadaqués, Orquesta y Coro de la Comunidad de Madrid, China National Symphony, Cor de Cambra del Palau de la Música Catalana, Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, Shanghai Symphony and Taiwan Philharmonic as well as further guest engagements with orchestras in Poland, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Venezuela and Turkey.
Joolz Gale meanwhile continued his conducting studies and soon developed a close relationship to his mentor, Sir Roger Norrington, who he assisted in projects with orchestras such as Mahler Chamber Orchestra and SWR Symphony Stuttgart. In 2012, he met Paavo Järvi, for whom he conducted Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 and overtures by Schumann with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen as cover conductor. More recently, he has also taken masterclasses with Paavo Järvi at the Järvi Academy in Estonia. Last season, Joolz Gale was invited to conduct rehearsals of RIAS Kammerchor Berlin and Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin as cover and assistant for Justin Doyle.
Recent guest engagement highlights for Joolz Gale have included a Germany-wide tour of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 with Junge Deutsche Philharmonie (nominated for the OPUS Klassik), a return to Bamberg for the theatre production “Die Deutsche Seele” with Orchesterakademie of Bamberger Symphoniker and Handel's “Messiah” in Barcelona's Palau de la Música.
In 2010, Joolz Gale founded Ensemble Mini (comprised of soloists from the German orchestras) to build upon his vision to reach new audiences though new concert formats and alternative locations. Projects often include newly commissioned arrangements for ensemble by Joolz Gale himself (including Strauss’ “Ein Heldenleben”, Suite from “Der Rosenkavalier”, Bartók’s “Dance Suite”, Debussy’s “La Mer”, Bruckner’s 9th, Prokofiev’s 5th and Shostakovich’s 9th & 10th Symphonies), for which he is represented and published by Schott, Sikorski and Boosey & Hawkes. Newly published arrangements include Bartók’s “Concerto for Orchestra”, Sibelius’ 3rd Symphony, Mahler’s “Totenfeier”, Bruckner’s 8th Symphony and Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”.