Brad Cohen is the Te Tumu Whakarae, General Director of New Zealand Opera, a role he has held since mid-2023. Previously the Artistic Director of West Australian Opera (2015- 2018), Brad was born in Mauritius and raised in Sydney before moving to England to study at Oxford University, the Royal College of Music, and the Royal Northern College of Music. He first came to public attention when, a year after winning the 1994 Leeds Conductor’s Competition, he conducted the world premiere of Thomas Adès’ Powder her Face.
Over the succeeding decades he has led orchestras including the London Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Het Gelders Orkest, and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Brad has conducted a wide-ranging repertoire at opera companies including English National Opera, New York City Opera, and Opera Australia. His numerous recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, Chandos and Naxos encompass both French and Italian operas.