Our Maestro

Michael Newnham is in his fourth season as Music Director of the Northumberland Orchestra and Choir. He brings a rich experience in conducting symphonic, choral and operatic programmes throughout Europe, Asia and Canada.

After finishing his initial training as a trombonist at University of Toronto and Indiana University School of Music, Michael's interest in exploring the world of conducting took him to Poland, where he became a student of Boguslaw Madey at the renowned Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw. Among his other important mentors was the late Georg Tintner.

Equally at home in the opera house, Michael was appointed to the conducting staff of the Warsaw Chamber Opera, where he remained for six years in the 1990s, leading highly acclaimed performances of Mozart, Rossini, Cimarosa and others. He was named "Best Operatic Conductor" at the State Opera of Slovakia in Kosice in 1998.
In Canada, Michael has been active with Opera New Brunswick.

The education and nurturing of young musicians has also been a very strong passion.

He was Guest Professor at the Taegu-Hyosung University Faculty of Music in South Korea, and has led several youth orchestras in Canada. He is the founding conductor of Peterborough's Kawartha Youth Orchestra, which he continues to direct.

Mr. Newnham is also currently Music Director of Symphony New Brunswick and the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra.

During the 2010/11 Season, he appears also with the Guelph Symphony Orchestra and also will conduct a concert in honour of the beatification of Pope John Paul II with international soloists at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall.

The recipient of numerous awards, including 'Best Operatic Conductor' from the East Slovakian State Opera and the Order of Merit from the Republic of Poland, he was recently presented the Turzanski Foundation award for his services in promoting Polish music and culture in Canada.