George Vass

The work of conductor George Vass shows an orientation toward contemporary and lesser-known works by British composers. In his work as a festival director, he has often showcased new works.

Vass was born in Walsall, near Birmingham, England, on May 9, 1957. He studied at the Birmingham Conservatory and the Royal Academy of Music, at first taking percussion and composition courses in addition to conducting. By the late '80s, he had decided to focus on conducting. In 1989, he formed a new orchestra for the Presteigne Festival in Wales, and he signed on himself as the ensemble's conductor. In 1992, he was named the festival's artistic director, and he remained in that position as of the mid-2020s. Vass also became artistic director of the Hampstead & Highgate Festival in 2004, continuing there until the early 2010s. His recording debut came in 2005 when he led Orchestra Nova and the Canterbury Chamber Choir in an album of works by Cecilia McDowall on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Dutton+Vocalion%22">Dutton Vocalion</a> label.

At those festivals and elsewhere, Vass introduced numerous new works by such composers as Adrian Williams, <a href="spotify:artist:3mHbFOOrXQYhy7FpYCLOW8">John McCabe</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5hW3rwG9xpF3l0TT0wCP4b">Hilary Tann</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:28D2AiQnfO3vo4wmRo5vap">Hugh Wood</a>. He went on to make several more recordings of <a href="spotify:artist:4yEgFPjtOoOIlQS3WPiEnr">McDowall</a>'s music and also recorded works by <a href="spotify:artist:1mbEOjTtE8f4p5ilUMshiv">David Matthews</a> and Donald Tovey. He has also made multiple recordings of music by <a href="spotify:artist:1mbEOjTtE8f4p5ilUMshiv">Matthews</a> and Michael Hurd. Vass has also performed and recorded mainstream repertory from <a href="spotify:artist:4NJhFmfw43RLBLjQvxDuRS">Mozart</a> to <a href="spotify:artist:6s1pCNXcbdtQJlsnM1hRIA">Shostakovich</a>. Vass is noted as a supporter of community music, conducting the Bushey Symphony Orchestra and the St. Albans Choral Society. He is also associated with the Blaze Ensemble and the Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra and has led ensembles at the Dartington International Summer School. In the late 2010s and early 2020s, Vass recorded for the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Resonus+Classics%22">Resonus Classics</a> label. He moved to the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Lyrita%22">Lyrita</a> label in 2023, leading the <a href="spotify:artist:1fhEh9FpKs42GFeqerlBUf">BBC National Orchestra of Wales</a> on the album British Piano Concertos: Addison, Jacob, Rubbra. ~ James Manheim, Rovi