British conductor James Judd is internationally celebrated for his consummate musicianship, versatility and deep commitment to the orchestras and musicians with whom he works. Music Director Emeritus of South Korea´s Daejeon Philharmonic and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, he is admired for his dynamic music making, communicative style and his gift for establishing inspiring collaborative relationships.
Judd’s partnership with the Daejeon Philharmonic raised their profile with a successful European tour in 2017 and acclaimed performances at the Seoul Art Center’s Festival. As Music Director of the New Zealand Symphony he brought the orchestra to a new level of visibility and international acclaim at the Sydney Olympic Arts Festival, the Auckland International Arts Festival and the Osaka Festival of International Orchestras. He led the NZSO in its first tour of the major concert halls of Europe, including their debut at the BBC Proms, and is still very actively associated with them. He has held artistic positions with the Slovak Philharmonic, Israel Symphony, Orchestre National de Lille, and Adelaide Symphony. His 14 years as Music Director of the Florida Philharmonic culminated in international recognition for their recordings of Walton, Bernstein and Mahler.
In recent seasons he has conducted the NHK Symphony, Hungarian National Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic, Kyoto Symphony, the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra and Slovenian National Philharmonic. He conducted the Romanian Radio Orchestra in a livestreamed performance of Britten’s War Requiem at the Enescu Festival, and has led the Berlin Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Royal Philharmonic, London Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Symphony, and numerous American orchestras.
James Judd has been a regular guest with the English National Opera, Wexford, Glyndebourne and the Florida Grand Opera. He recorded the complete operas of Meyerbeer and Donizetti; his recording of Elgar’s Symphony No. 1 with the Hallé Orchestra remains a highly regarded reference standard. His extensive discography on the Naxos label with the New Zealand Symphony features works by Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Beethoven, Bernstein, Copland, Gershwin. His recording of Mahler’s Symphony No.1 was awarded the Gold Medal by France’s Diapason and the Toblacher Komponierhäuschen for the best Mahler recording of the year. His recordings are also featured on the Decca, EMI and Philips labels.