Nicholas Cleobury was a Chorister at Worcester Cathedral and Organ Scholar of Worcester College, Oxford. A pupil of Sir Adrian Boult and assistant to many leading conductors, including Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez and Bernard Haitink, he has conducted all the major UK orchestras, opera companies and choirs, appeared at many leading Festivals, including the Proms, worked extensively for the BBC and Classicfm and has a wide recording catalogue. He has conducted widely across Europe, notably for many years at Zurich Opera, extensively in Scandinavia and in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa and the USA.
Posts he has held, include Conductor/Schola Cantorum of Oxford, Assistant Director/BBC Singers, Chief Opera Conductor/Royal Academy of Music, Principal Conductor/Fires of London, Director/Cambridge Festival, Founder Conductor/Britten Sinfonia, Founder Director/Sounds New (Major Contemporary Music Festival in Kent), Chief Guest Orchestra of the Swan, Music Director/JAM and Mid Wales Opera, and Head of Opera at the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane.
He is a notable champion and exponent of New Music, has worked with many leading composers, notably Harrison Birtwistle, Peter Maxwell Davies, James Macmillan and Michael Tippett, conducted countless Premieres and championed many younger composers.
He is a compelling lecturer and works widely in education, Conducting, Coaching and Teaching at the RAM, RCM, National Opera Studio and Jette Parker/ROH programme, Birmingham Conservatoire, RWCMD/Cardiff and RCS/Glasgow.