Big news: Britain has its first BAME music director

Birmingham Opera Company just named Alpesh Chauhan as its music director, starting next month.

A former assistant conductor with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Alpesh will work with artistic director Graham Vick at the head of one of Britain’s mostvaluable and vulnerable opera companies.

His appointment is huge, for many reasons. Alpesh has long been regarded as one of the rising talent in the British podium. He lost his agency with the collapse of HazardChase at the Covid outset and has not advanced as fast as many expected, beyond holding a post as Principal Conductor of the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini in Parma.

Now he is the first BAME music director in Britain.

That’s a big stride into the future.