Adrian Lucas is currently Master of the Choristers at Worcester Cathedral, Conductor of both the Worcester Festival Choral Society and the City of Birmingham Choir, Associate Conductor of the Hereford Three Choirs Feistval 2009 and a freelance conductor, organist and lecturer.
He is widely respected as an orchestral and choral conductor and works regularly with such groups as the Philharmonia, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the CBSO. Over recent years he has been involved in a large number of major concerts in the Midlands and across the country, conducting programmes which range in scale from the baroque glories of Bach and Handel, through to the challenges of Stravinsky, Elgar and Walton. In 2002 he succeeded Christopher Robinson as Conductor of the City of Birmingham Choir and has worked with them on a series of highly acclaimed concerts in Symphony Hall. A live broadcast of the centenary performance of Elgar's Apostles was the first of a series of collaborative projects with the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus and its chorus master, Simon Halsey. In October 2005 he directed a major choral festival in Houston, Texas and in 2007 he spent much of the summer conducting choral groups in Chinon and Armagh as well as playing a series of organ concerts in Germany.
In 2008, Adrian was given a one-term sabbatical from his work at the Cathedral during which time he undertook a commission to write music to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of one of Worcester's founding saints, Wulfstan, as well as touring across the USA with a series of organ recitals and workshops. Part of this term was dedicated to observing maestros Ashkenazy and Levine at work, the latter in a world premiere of a new choral symphony by William Bolcom in Boston.
As Artistic Director of the Worcester Three Choirs Festival since 1999, he has enjoyed the challenge of taking this celebrated and historic event firmly forwards with ground-breaking performances of Duke Ellington with the Stan Tracey Orchestra, a world premiere of Francis Pott's A Song on the End of the World, received to great acclaim by national and international media, and the world premiere of Andrew Gant's A British Symphony.
His work with the Cathedral Choir in Worcester includes concerts, broadcasts and tours in addition to the daily round of Cathedral services. Regular appearances on national radio and television keep the Choir's profile high and have included a live broadcast of Bernstein's Mass with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in 2000 and two ambitious Songs of Praise special broadcasts for BBC TV in 2001. The Choir also makes regular international tours, including visits to most European countries, South Africa and seven times to the USA.
