Nathan Fifield
Conductor
INTRODUCTION
Cited by critics for his “forceful and expressive musicality,” his “technical clarity” and “an energy and enthusiasm that is contagious” Nathan Fifield, a native of Idaho received piano and conducting degrees at the Mannes College of Music in New York and has distinguished himself as a conductor in symphonic, operatic, and ballet repertoire.
A sought-after conductor of ballet repertoire around the world, Nathan Fifield has conducted at many top companies including the Dresden Semperoper Ballett, Ballet du Capitole Toulouse, Opera de Bordeaux, San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet, National Ballet of Canada and Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Last season, he made his concert debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in performances throughout the UK and other recent engagements have included include Giselle at the Ballet du Capitole Toulouse, The Prodigal Son at Pennsylvania Ballet and the farewell performances of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center. He has served as Music Director at Nashville Ballet and Tulsa Ballet, and for five years served as Associate Conductor at Northern Ballet where he conducted over fifty performances a year. Nathan Fifield was a conductor at the Opera de Bordeaux for four seasons and conducted a rare and highly acclaimed Serge Lifar program broadcast on French National Television.
Equally at home in the world of opera and musical theatre, Nathan Fifield has gained attention for his skill in bringing singers, chorus, and orchestra into “perfect balance.” Starting his opera career as a repetiteur and chorus master, he has conducted numerous productions including Carmen, Hansel and Gretel, Le Nozze di Figaro, Evita, Into the Woods and West Side Story. He is the past music director of Light Opera of Oklahoma and has conducted productions at Chelsea Opera, One World Symphony and Utah Festival Opera. He has also served on the music staff of Houston Grand Opera and Opera in the Heights.
Engagements during 2019 / 2020 include a return to Dresden for a third consecutive season to conduct further performances of Labyrinth (ballets by Martha Graham, George Balanchine and Joseph Hernandez and Ohad Naharin) and The Nutcracker.
Please note that this biography is not to be used for programmes. Current information is available on request.
REVIEWS
Carmina Burana / Tulsa Ballet
“Nathan Fifield brought all the elements together with great style and led the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra in a performance with all the primal power one expects from “Carmina Burana,” as well as the finesse Tulsa Symphony audiences have come to expect from this orchestra.”
Tulsa World
Coppélia: Pacific Northwest Ballet
“Under Fifield’s baton the orchestra made spirited work of the score, with a charm that never flagged.”
Seattle Times
The Great Gatsby / Tulsa Ballet
“His conducting has an energy and enthusiasm that is contagious.”
Ballet Dance Magazine
Layla / Nashville Ballet
“Principal guest conductor Nathan Fifield, who led the Nashville Symphony from the pit, had little trouble making Danielpour’s idiomatic music sparkle.”
Nashville Scene
Madame Butterfly Northern Ballet
“Nathan Fifield conducted the Northern Ballet Sinfonia in a beautifully condensed orchestral transcription of Puccini’s most familiar opera. The additional use of Japanese music compliments the performance perfectly and is used to full and dramatic effect throughout Butterfly’s heart-breaking death. The wonderful theatrical performances from all the cast made the absence of any sung text a natural evolution from the opera.”
Alt Blackpool
The Nutcracker / Nashville Ballet
“And under the baton of principal guest conductor Nathan Fifield, Nashville Symphony brings Tchaikovsky’s wondrous score to life with precision and style.”
The Tennessean
Romeo and Juliet / Tulsa Ballet
“Nathan Fifield led the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, which performed the Prokofiev score winningly. It was music full of color and passion, the sections kept in perfect balance — the sort of performance that reinforces the idea that the cost of having an orchestra in the pit is money well spent.”
Tulsa World
Rush / San Francisco Ballet
“A compelling performance, an invigorating, continuous surge of music in motion.”
San Francisco Chronicle
The Sleeping Beauty / Nashville Ballet
“Nathan Fifield led the ensemble with color and vigor.”
Arts Nashville
1984 Northern Ballet
“A score that punches hard with the suspense and is played by the Northern Sinfonia, conductor Nathan Fifield, with considerable panache. Big impact from the pit.”
Manchester Theatre Awards