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Goodman is well known for his work as director and founder of the Brandenburg Consort (1975-2001), as co-director/founder of The Parley of Instruments (1978-1986), co-founder of the London Handel Orchestra (in 1981), Principal Conductor of the Hanover Band (1986-1994), Music Director for fifteen years of the European Union Baroque Orchestra (1989-2004), Principal Conductor of the Händel Festspiele at the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe (1990-1998), the first Principal Conductor of Umeå Symphony Orchestra & Northern Opera Sweden (1995-2001), Music Director of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra in Winnipeg (1999-2005) the first Principal Conductor of Holland Symfonia & Dutch National Ballet (2003-2006) and, after taking over from Charles de Wolff in December 2003, Conductor of the Bachkoor Holland accompanied by the Royal Concertgebouw Kamerorkest until 2010.
Born in January 1951, Roy Goodman achieved international fame with King’s College Choir as the boy soloist in Allegri’s Miserere (Decca 1963). Already in 1970 he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, and he completed his studies with a violin performer's ARCM and a music teacher's diploma. In 1979 Goodman was a founder member of Ton Koopman's Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, then he joined Trevor Pinnock's English Concert, and became the first Concertmaster of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (under Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Simon Rattle, Frans Brüggen & Ivan Fischer).
Also during the 1980's he directed for CD with the Hanover Band the first ever performances on historic instruments of the complete symphonies by Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and Weber, as well as 14 symphonies by Mendelssohn and 60 symphonies by Haydn. He has directed over 120 CDs ranging from Monteverdi's sacred vocal music to Holst's Planets, in addition to conducting more than forty world premières of contemporary music. His CD recordings of the complete Schumann symphonies for BMG/RCA Red Seal (Abbey Road 1993) received unanimous and outstanding critical praise worldwide.
Guest appearances in recent years have included Stuttgart and San Francisco Operas, and SWR Stuttgart, WDR Cologne, NDR Hannover, Royal Concertgebouw, BBC Philharmonic and Hallé Orchestras. During 2010/11, in addition to his regular commitments in Holland, Sweden and New Zealand, Goodman also conducts the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the major Symphony Orchestras in Graz, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney—he made his debut at the Sydney Opera House with three concerts in April 2010. Roy Goodman is an honorary Doctor of Music (University of Hull) and in 2005 was made an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Music (London) presented by HRH The Prince of Wales. He has three children and four grandchildren, and he loves downhill skiing and offshore sailing!
