{{Short description|British conductor known for his Wagner interpretations}}
'''Anthony Negus''' (born June 1946) is a British classical conductor who has concentrated on works written or influenced by Richard Wagner.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Anthony Negus, Conductor|url=https://lfo.org.uk/profile/anthony-negus/ |access-date=2026-05-26|website=Longborough Festival Opera |language=en}}</ref> He has worked annually with Longborough Festival Opera as its Music Director since 2001, performing acclaimed cycles of ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' in 2002/4, 2013 and 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Morrison|first=Richard|date=2024-06-13 |title=Anthony Negus: the one true Ring conductor to rule them all|url= https://www.thetimes.com/culture/classical-opera/article/anthony-negus-the-one-true-ring-conductor-to-rule-them-all-j3rrntkh2|website=The Times|language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Anthony Negus Discusses: Longborough Opera's Ring Cycle,Goodall, Bohm, Wagner, Martin Graham and conducting the Ring|url=https://www.the-wagnerian.com/2011/07/anthony-negus-discusses-longborough.html|access-date=2026-05-26|website=The Wagnerian |language=en}}</ref> In 2017 Negus was awarded the Goodall Award by The London Wagner Society for "his devotion to the works of Richard Wagner".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2023-10-11 |title=Anthony Negus/Biography|url=https://www.operabase.com/anthony-negus-a1555/bio/en |access-date=2026-05-26 |website=Operabase |language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Goodall Award|url=//wagnersociety.org/goodall-award/|website=The Wagner Society|language=en-gb}}</ref> In 2025 Sir Nicholas Kenyon noted “the outstanding musical direction of Wagner supremo Anthony Negus” in his review of Longborough's production of ''Pelléas et Mélisande''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kenyon|first=Nicholas |date=2025-06-30 |title=Pelléas et Mélisande, Longborough Festival, review: Opera at its most intoxicating|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opera/what-to-see/pelleas-et-melisande-longborough-festival-opera-review/|website=The Telegraph|language=en-gb}}</ref>
In the last decade, Negus has been invited by Melbourne Opera (MO) to conduct German opera, especially Wagner, with four hugely successful performances of ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' in 2025 at the Royal Exhibition Building for which he was awarded the Opera Chaser Critics Award for Outstanding Conductor <ref>{{Cite web |last=Bowdler|first=Sandra |date=2025-02-18 |title=A stunning ''Meistersinger'' from Melbourne Opera|url=https://bachtrack.com/review-meistersinger-chaundy-negus-melbourne-opera-february-2025|access-date=2026-05-26 |website=bachtrack.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2026-02-04 |title=OperaChaser Critics Awards 2025 Winners Announced|url=https://artsreview.com.au/operachaser-critics-awards-2025-winners-announced/|access-date=2026-05-26 |website=artsreview.com.au |language=en}}</ref>. In 2023 he conducted two ''Ring'' cycles in Bendigo, Victoria, which also earned him the Outstanding Conductor Opera Chaser Award.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Under the dragon's eye: Melbourne Opera's Ring continues in Bendigo |url=https://bachtrack.com/review-siegfried-negus-chaundy-melbourne-opera-bendigo-march-2023 |access-date=2023-04-11 |website=bachtrack.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Das Rheingold ★★★½ |url=https://limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/das-rheingold-melbourne-opera-bendigo/ |access-date=2023-04-11 |website=Limelight |language=en-AU}}</ref> His 2018 ''Tristan und Isolde'' for MO won the coveted Green Room Award for best conductor.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-04-02 |title=All the 36th Annual Green Room Award Winners|url= https://www.aussietheatre.com.au/news/all-the-36th-annual-green-room-award-winners/|access-date=2026-05-26|website=aussietheatre.com.au/ |language=en-AU}}</ref> Negus was educated at Stowe School before studying clarinet and piano at the Royal College of Music and going on to read Music at Christ Church, Oxford.<ref name="Anthony Negus - Connaught Artists">{{Cite web|url=https://www.connaughtartists.com/conductors/anthony-negus|title=Anthony Negus|access-date=2026-05-28|website=www.connaughtartists.com/ |language=en}}</ref> His first experiences of working as a répétiteur and conducting opera were at the Else Mayer-Lismann Opera Workshop and the London Opera Centre.<ref name="Anthony Negus - Connaught Artists" /> He went on to study conducting with Franco Ferrara in Sienna and with George Hurst in the UK <ref name="Anthony Negus - Connaught Artists" />. He assisted Reginald Goodall on ''The Valkyrie'' in 1970 at Sadlers Wells before working as a repetiteur at Wuppertal, where he made his conducting debut with D'Albert's''Tiefland''. He went on to work as an assistant conductor at Bayreuth Festival and Hamburg. As a member of, and latterly Head of the Music Staff of Welsh National Opera (WNO) between 1976 and 2012, he assisted conductors including Sir Richard Armstrong, Sir Charles Mackerras, Vladimir Jurowski and Pierre Boulez.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anthony Negus {{!}} Artist {{!}} English National Opera |url=https://www.eno.org/artists/anthony-negus/ |access-date=2023-04-11 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wroe |first=Nicholas |date=2011-07-15 |title=Anthony Negus: with Siegfried at last |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jul/15/siegfried-wagner-opera-anthony-negus |access-date=2023-04-11 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> With WNO, Negus assisted Boulez on ''Pelléas et Mélisande'' and Goodall on ''Tristan und Isolde'', ''Parsifal'' and ''The Valkyrie'' and conducted over 150 performances in the UK, Germany, France, Japan and China.
In 1983, aged 36, he conducted the WNO production of ''Parsifal'' when Goodall fell ill.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1983-02-23|page=3|title=Veteran Cannot Conduct Parsifal |url= https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/904392671/|access-date=2025-11-28|language=en|work=South Wales Echo }}</ref> Wolfgang Wagner, Head of the Bayreuth Festival and the composer's grandson, came to a performance and said: "It is absolutely astounding what Anthony has done. I was impressed with the love he brought to all aspects of the opera. It was a great personal triumph for him."<ref>{{Cite web |date=1983-03-28|page=12-13|title=A Very Important Wagner |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/987007750/|access-date=2025-11-28|language=en|work=Daily Post}}</ref>
Negus has conducted Wagner with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Glyndebourne Festival, Grange Park Opera and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at the Wellington Festival.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2005-07-14|page=111|title=Re-sizing the Ring|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/96574094|access-date=2025-11-28|language=en|work=Pittsburgh Post Gazette}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|title=Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, 6 June 2011| url=https://www.glyndebourne.com/archive_performances/die-meistersinger-von-n-6/?_gl=1%2Af232io%2A_up%2AMQ..%2A_gs%2AMQ..&gclid=CjwKCAjwidXQBhAZEiwA4egw6DtpNDdBBjh6_vwGY9Za3QfHIpwxjKkW5_Nn0haTgdETKozKLF588BoCF44QAvD_BwE&gbraid=0AAAAA-t9sTOKaHIG7HfnzAXYVO-FOuCno|website=Glyndebourne|language=en}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|title=Der Fliegende Holländer (free staging)|url=https://grangeparkopera.co.uk/whats-on/der-fliegende-hollander/|website=Grange Park Opera|language=en}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|title=Negus, Anthony, active 1989-2017|url=https://natlib.govt.nz/records/38053562|website=National Library of New Zealand|language=en}}</ref>
== Personal life == He lives in Penarth, South Wales with his wife, the opera Director Carmen Jakobi.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Standing up to Wagner |url=https://www.theoldie.co.uk/article/standing-up-to-wagner |access-date=2023-04-11 |website=The Oldie |language=en-gb}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Portal bar|Opera|Classical Music|Biography}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Negus, Anthony}} Category:Living people Category:British conductors (music) Category:1946 births