Martyn Brabbins began his tenure as Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic in
September 2009. Brabbins brings his flawless musicianship, artistic integrity and programming skills to
his new position in Antwerp, where for several weeks a season he will focus on breaking out of
traditional concert formulae, both within the regular season and in his musical direction of a new
festival. He has also begun a series of recordings for Hyperion Records of Belgian Romantic works, the
first of which - works by Mortelmans - has been warmly received internationally.

Artistic Director of the Cheltenham International Festival of Music 2005-2007, he was Associate
Principal Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra 1994-2005. After studying composition in
London and then conducting with Ilya Musin in Leningrad, his career was launched when he won first
prize at the 1988 Leeds Conductors' Competition. Since then Brabbins has regularly conducted all the
major UK orchestras and is much sought-after in Europe, notably in Germany, Holland, Belgium and
Scandinavia.

In 2009/10 Brabbins focuses on opera, opening the season with Wozzeck at the Flemish Opera,
conducting the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group in a new music-theatre work by David Sawer
and directed by Richard Jones at Glasgow's Tramway and the Huddersfield Festival; celebrating Peter
Maxwell Davies' 75th birthday with the BBC Scottish Symphony in performing his opera Tavener; and
giving the world premiere of a new work by Raskatov A Dog's Heart (directed by Simon McBurney) at
the Netherlands Opera/Holland Festival, where he is a regular visitor. He also returns to Hamburg
Opera to conduct Death in Venice, following a spectacular success with the same work at the Opera de
Lyon last May (his debut in the house).

Since his early days conducting Mozart at the Kirov, Brabbins has also conducted for the Deutsche Oper Berlin, English National Opera and Opera North, and is a regular visitor at the Frankfurt Opera where he returns in 2010.

Last season Brabbins' symphonic engagements included appearances at the South Bank in subcription
with the London Philharmonic and Philharmonia orchestras; his Tokyo debut, with the Tokyo
Metropolitan (where he returns in 2011); and visits to the Netherlands Radio Chamber in the prestigious
Matinee series, the Residentie Orkest, Salzburg Mozarteumorchester and Lahti Symphony. He is a
regular guest with the City of Birmingham Symphony, Halle and BBC Philharmonic orchestras, and
appears several times each season with the BBC Symphony and BBC Scottish Symphony orchestras in
subscription and at the BBC Proms.

Known for his Elgar, Britten, and Walton, Brabbins also has a strong affinity for the great 19th century
Romantics, and for the Russian and French repertoire. Brabbins is also one of Europe's leading
interpreters of contemporary music. Conductor of choice for the London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Modern
and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, from 1999-2004 he was the Philharmonia Orchestra's
Music of Today Series Conductor. He has also conducted the Bavarian Radio Symphony in their
Musica Viva series 9 times and returns this season to the Deutsche Sinfonieorchester in the Ultraschall
festival.

Brabbins is much in demand as a recording artist. He has recorded over 30 discs with the BBC Scottish
Symphony on Hyperion, with core repertoire planned for future recordings; and has an ongoing
relationship also with Chandos Records. He has recorded Birtwistle, David Bedford and Finnissy for
NMC; Rachmaninov and Scriabin for Collins Classics and made a notable live recording of Britten's War
Requiem for Naxos. His recording of Korngold's Die Kathrin with the BBC Concert Orchestra for CPO
won the Opera Award at Cannes.