Nicholas McGegan

Nicholas McGegan studied music at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and Magdalen College, Oxford. He played the Baroque flautist in some of the first productions of historical performance practice in the 1970s, including Christopher Hogwood’s ground breaking recordings of the Mozart symphonies. He has taught music at British institutions such as King’s College, Cambridge, Oriel College, Oxford, and the Royal College of Music. From 1993 to 1998, he was Principal Guest Conductor at the Scottish Opera in Glasgow.

McGegan first appeared in the United States as a guest conductor with the St. Louis Symphony in 1986. In 1985 McGegan became Music Director of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in San Francisco and Berkeley, California. In 1988, he was Music Director of the Ojai Music Festival alongside Peter Maxwell Davies and Diane Wittry. Since 2013, he has been Principal Guest Conductor of the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra. In October 2024, McGegan was appointed Music Director Laureate of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.

From 1991 to 2011, McGegan was Artistic Director of the Göttingen International Handel Festival. From 2002 to 2005, he was Music Director of the Irish Chamber Orchestra. In 2014, he became Artist-in-Association with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. McGegan founded the chamber music group Arcadian Academy.

His extensive discography includes more than 100 releases spanning five decades, including more than 40 with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale and more than 20 with Capella Savaria. McGegan’s recordings have been recognized with two Gramophone Awards and two GRAMMY nominations.

For his “services to music overseas” he was appointed Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Committed to the next generation of musicians, McGegan regularly conducts and teaches students at Yale, Juilliard, Harvard, the Colburn School, and the Aspen Music Festival.

Nicholas McGegan is Ambassador of MUSIC OF HOPE