Alice Farnham is a British conductor and author, acclaimed for incisive, imaginative music-making across symphonic, opera and ballet stages. Shortlisted for the Royal Philharmonic Society Conductor Award in 2024, she has been recognised by Classic FM’s Today’s Ten Best Women Conductors and the BBC Woman’s Hour Music Power List.

Recent highlights include Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 with the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra at Brighton Dome, and The Elixir of Love with English Touring Opera on tour across the United Kingdom. Trained at the St Petersburg Conservatoire with Ilya Musin, she is noted for championing distinctive repertoire, most recently shining a light on the music of Imogen Holst. Her album Discovering Imogen (NMC), recorded with the BBC Concert Orchestra and BBC Singers and featuring several first recordings, was selected for Presto Music’s Top 100 Recordings of 2024.

Alice has appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, BBC Concert Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Opera House, Mariinsky Theatre, Opéra de Rouen Normandie and Malmö Opera, and has collaborated widely in ballet with The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Ballet Preljocaj. Recent work includes a feature film of La bohème (Finite Films) and concerts with Malmö Opera Orchestra, Dalasinfoniettan, Gävle Symphony, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, Sinfonia Viva and Southbank Sinfonia.

Spring–Summer 2026 engagements include Swan Lake with Ballet Preljocaj at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari (February) and Sinfonia Viva’s The Holsts: Father & Daughter (Derby Cathedral, 21 March 2026). She returns to the UK for a Royal Scottish National Orchestra concert tour (April); Tosca at West Green House Opera (July); a BBC National Open Youth Orchestra concert tour including Barbican Hall, Hoddinott Hall and Bristol Beacon; and Waiting for the Barbarians by Philip Glass for Nederlandse Reisopera, opening 26 September 2026 at Wilminktheater Enschede.

Alongside her conducting, Alice co-founded and is Artistic Director of Women Conductors with the Royal Philharmonic Society, and has led major programmes for the National Concert Hall Dublin and Perth Symphony Orchestra. Her book In Good Hands: The Making of a Modern Conductor (Faber & Faber, 2023) reflects that commitment..

Alice was Organ Scholar at St. Hugh’s Oxford University and Organ Fellow at St. Thomas’ Church Fifth Avenue, New York.

Conducting teacher

Women Conductors

Author

Representation Worldwide.

Please note that this biography is not to be used for programmes. Current information is available on request.