“LIKE so many others who attended a choir school, my time as a chorister at Ely Cathedral was a huge influence on the rest of my life.

“It was at Ely that I discovered a profound love of Music, encouraged by the exceptional musical education of singing regular services in a cathedral choir. Learning Music is like learning a language – the earlier you start the greater the reward – and to this day I still remember services and anthems that I first sang at the age of 10.

“It proved to be the perfect starting point for a career spent in Music.”

After his time at King’s Ely and Ely Cathedral, David Pickard studied Music at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, before starting his career at the Royal Opera House. In his early career, David worked at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park and was the Assistant Director for the Japan Festival before becoming Sir John Drummond’s deputy at the European Arts Festival.

In 1993 he was appointed Chief Executive of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment where he significantly increased the orchestra’s artistic reputation and international profile, helping to establish the OAE as the pre-eminent period instrument orchestra in the world.

In 2001 he was made General Director of Glyndebourne Festival where throughout his tenure he created an extensive digital programme including online streaming, big screen and cinema relays and broadened the company’s audience base through specially priced performances for young people and a pioneering education programme.

In November 2015, David was appointed Director of the BBC Proms, where he has and continues to work tirelessly to bring new audiences to classical music and identify and nurture emerging talent. As the world’s biggest classical music festival, the BBC Proms offers eight weeks of world-class music-making from a vast array of leading orchestras, conductors and soloists from the UK and around the world.

Image Credit: Thane Bruckland, BBC

Back to all Case Studies