Christopher Willis

Born in London, Christopher Willis studied violin and piano at the RAM where his teachers included David Martin, Sidney Harrison and Rex Stephens. He joined the Music Staff at Glyndebourne in 1978 and since 1985 has been a member of the Music Staff of The Royal Opera. He has been closely involved in the preparation of new works with both companies, by composers including Luciano Berio, Michael Tippett, Harrison Birtwistle, Oliver Knussen, Thomas Adès, Nigel Osborne, Alexander Goehr, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Georg Friedrich Haas, Gerald Barry and George Benjamin. He also gave several first performances for the Royal Opera House’s chamber opera company The Garden Venture. He was Musical Director for City of Birmingham Touring Opera’s production of Smetana’s The Two Widows, creating a chamber reduction of the orchestral parts for piano and string quartet. He has conducted Paul Bunyan, Stiffelio, Eugene Onegin, The Tsarina’s Slippers, Rigoletto, Don Giovanni, Simon Boccanegra, Elektra, Le nozze di Figaro, La traviata, Semiramide, Carmen, The Queen of Spades and The Barber of Seville for The Royal Opera.