John Eliot Gardiner

John Eliot Gardiner studied at King's College, King's College London and Bryanston School. Training under Nadia Boulanger is recorded. Trisevgeni Kalokiri is recorded as having studied under John Eliot Gardiner. The recorded working language is English and French. The field of work recorded is music, conducting and Baroque music. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are classical music. Places of work recorded in the authority are England. Distinctions recorded are Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, Knight of the Legion of Honour, Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and honorary doctorate from University of Lyon-II.

• Name — Sir John Eliot Gardiner • Honorific Suffix — HonFBA • Born — 20 April 1943 • Birthplace — Fontmell Magna, Dorset, England • Occupation — Conductor of classical music • Education — Bryanston School • Alma Mater — King's College, Cambridge King's College London • Years Active — 1964–Present • Children — 3, including Francesca Gardiner • Father — Rolf Gardiner • Relatives — Alan Gardiner (grandfather) H. Balfour Gardiner (great-uncle) Margaret Gardiner (aunt) Martin Bernal (cousin) Howard Hodgkin (cousin)

Born in Fontmell Magna, Dorset, son of Rolf Gardiner and Marabel Hodgkin, Gardiner's early musical experience came largely through singing with his family and in a local church choir. As a child, he grew up with the celebrated Haussmann portrait of J. S. Bach, which had been lent to his parents for safekeeping during the Second World War.[2] A self-taught musician who also played the violin, he began to study conducting at the age of 15. He was educated at Bryanston School, then studied history at King's College, Cambridge, where his tutor was the social anthropologist Edmund Leach.[3] • Illustration — Portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach, by Elias Gottlob Haussmann, which was in Gardiner's childhood home While an undergraduate at Cambridge, he launched his conducting career with a performance of Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine in King's College Chapel on 5 March 1964.[5] This either featured or led to the foundation of the Monteverdi Choir, with which he made his London conducting debut at the Wigmore Hall in 1966. Whilst at Cambridge, he conducted the Oxford and Cambridge Singers on a concert tour of the Middle East. After graduating, Gardiner continued his musical studies at King's College London under Thurston Dart and in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, whose music had been a very early influence.[6] Returning to England, Gardiner joined the BBC Northern Orchestra as an apprentice conductor. In 1968, he founded the Monteverdi Orchestra. Upon changing from modern instruments to period instruments in 1977, the orchestra changed its name to the English Baroque Soloists in 1978.[7][8] In 1969, Gardiner made his opera debut with a performance of Mozart's The Magic Flute at the English National Opera. Four years later, in 1973, he made his first appearance at the Covent Garden conducting Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride. The English Baroque Soloists made their opera debut with him in the 1977 Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, performing Handel's Acis and Galatea on period instruments. His American debut came in 1979 when he conducted the Dallas Symphony Orchestra with soloist Robert Hale in a performance of Handel's Messiah.[9] He then became the lead conductor of Canada's CBC Vancouver Orchestra from 1980 to 1983.[10] After his period with the CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Gardiner went to France. From 1983 to 1988, he was music director of the Opéra National de Lyon. During his period with the Opéra he founded an entirely new orchestra.[11] During his time with the Opéra National de Lyon, Gardiner was also artistic director of the Göttingen Handel Festival (1981 until 1990).[12] In 1989, the Monteverdi Choir had its 25th anniversary, touring the world giving performances of Handel's oratorio Israel in Egypt and Bach's Magnificat among other works. In 1990, Gardiner formed a new period-instrument orchestra, the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, to perform music of the 19th century. From 1991 until 1995, he was principal conductor of the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra. He founded the Monteverdi Choir (1964), the English Baroque Soloists (1978) and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique (1989). From the 1990s onwards he undertook more world tours with his ensembles, including: • A European tour in 1993 with the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique featured Berlioz's rediscovered Messe solennelle. Beginning in Bremen, Germany the tour ended with a recorded performance in Westminster Cathedral, London 1993. • In 2000, Gardiner set out on his Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, performing, over a 52-week period, all of Bach's sacred cantatas in churches around Europe and the United States.[13] • In late 2004, Gardiner toured France and Spain with the Monteverdi Choir performing pieces from the Codex Calixtinus in cathedrals and churches along the Camino de Santiago.[14] • Illustration — In rehearsal, 2007 Gardiner has recorded over 250 albums, most of which have been published by Deutsche Grammophon and Philips Classics,[15] and by the Soli Deo Gloria label, which specialises in recordings by Gardiner and by his ensembles. Gardiner is most famous for his interpretations of Baroque music on period instruments with the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists, but his repertoire and discography are not limited to early music. With the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, Gardiner has performed a wide range of Classical and Romantic music, including many works of Berlioz and all of Beethoven's symphonies. A recording of the third symphony of the latter was used in a dramatisation by the BBC of Beethoven's writing of that symphony.[16] Gardiner has served as chief conductor of the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra and has appeared as guest conductor with such major orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Vienna Philharmonic. Gardiner is also well known for his refusal to perform the music of Richard Wagner; in a 2008 interview for Gramophone Gardiner said, 'I really loathe Wagner – everything he stands for – and I don't even like his music very much.'[17] Gardiner has been the subject of various allegations of rudeness and bullying of performers and colleagues.[18] In 2005, he was featured in BBC's Bach Christmas broadcasts.[20] In late 2012, citing health concerns, he cancelled his planned December 2013 tour of Australia with the Monteverdi Choir and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.[21] In 2013, Gardiner published Music in the Castle of Heaven: A Portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach. In 2013, he narrated the BBC Two documentary Bach: A Passionate Life. In 2014, he started a five-year term as president of the Leipzig Bach Archive, being succeeded by Ton Koopman in that position in 2019.[24][25] One of the realisations during Gardiner's presidency was the Archive's collaboration to the Bach 333 box set with the complete recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach's works, released in 2018.[26] Gardiner conducted his Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists in a pre-service concert at Westminster Abbey for the Coronation of Charles III. In August 2023, Gardiner was reported to have angrily slapped and punched English bass William Thomas in the face in front of cast members at the Berlioz Festival in La Côte Saint André, after Thomas exited the wrong side of the podium after a performance of Les Troyens. The incident resulted in a public backlash against the conductor.[27] On 24 August 2023, Gardiner withdrew from all further engagements[29] for 'a period of reflection and, in consultation with his medical advisors... focusing on his mental health while engaging in a course of counselling'.[33] In July 2024, it was announced that he would be stepping down as leader and artistic director of the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras, focusing instead on 'other activities including guest conducting, recording, writing, creative and education projects.'[34] In September 2024, Gardiner founded the Constellation Choir and Orchestra, following his departure from the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras earlier that year. The new ensemble attracted several former members of the Monteverdi ensembles, leading to a competitive dynamic between the groups. Some concert venues replaced scheduled Monteverdi performances with those of Gardiner's new ensemble, further intensifying the rivalry.[35]

Gardiner is the son of the British rural revivalist and Nazi sympathizer Rolf Gardiner (1902–1971),[54] and the grandson of the Egyptologist Alan Gardiner (1879–1963). His mother, Marabel Hodgkin, was a member of the Hodgkin family, a notable Quaker family; the artist Sir Howard Hodgkin (1932–2017) was Gardiner's first cousin.[55] Gardiner was married to violinist Elizabeth Wilcock from 1981 to 1997;[56] they have three daughters, including screenwriter and showrunner Francesca Gardiner.[57] From 2001 to 2019, he was married to Isabella de Sabata,[58] granddaughter of conductor Victor de Sabata.[59] In his spare time, Gardiner runs a farm at Springhead near Fontmell Magna[60] in Dorset, which was established by his great-uncle, composer Henry Balfour Gardiner. His continued involvement in this project has earned him the nickname 'Uphill Gardiner' as a consequence of his unorthodox farming methods.[61] In August 2014, Gardiner was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that subject.[62]

In August 2023, during the Festival Berlioz in La Côte-Saint-André, France, Gardiner was involved in a physical altercation with 29-year-old English bass soloist William Thomas. Following a performance of Berlioz's Les Troyens with the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and the Monteverdi Choir, Gardiner allegedly slapped and punched Thomas backstage because the singer had exited the podium on the wrong side.[63] Following the incident, Gardiner withdrew from all remaining engagements for the year, including a scheduled appearance at the BBC Proms. He issued a public apology to Thomas and the other artists, stating that he made no excuses for his behavior and that "physical violence is never acceptable."[64] Representatives for Gardiner initially suggested that extreme heat and a recent change in medication may have provoked the outburst, though he later emphasized that he was seeking specialist help and counselling to better understand his past behaviour and anger management.[65] In July 2024, after nearly a year away from public music-making, it was announced that Gardiner would permanently step down as the leader and artistic director of the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras (MCO), the organization he originally founded in 1964. The MCO board noted that they had considered a rehabilitation process, but ultimately concluded that preventing any recurrence of abuse or assault remained their priority.[66] Despite stepping down from the MCO, Gardiner stated he was not retiring. In September 2024, he announced the formation of a new ensemble, the Constellation Choir and Constellation Orchestra.[67]

On June 16, 2026, another incident occurred during the Leipzig Bach Festival at St. Thomas Church. During the final applause, a festival staff member approached Gardiner to present him with a commemorative scroll. According to reports, Gardiner took the scroll and attempted to tuck it into the neckline of the employee's shirt.[68] The Bach Archive Leipzig released a statement acknowledging that a conductor had behaved "inappropriately," noting that psychological support was offered to the employee and that the board would formally assess the incident. The staff member reportedly filed a criminal complaint, describing the action as an assault.[69] Gardiner issued a statement vehemently denying any form of assault and characterizing the event as an "unfortunate misunderstanding." He explained that he had been surprised by a tap on the shoulder, was unaware a presentation was planned, and had simply tried to return the scroll by placing it behind her neck chain because her hands were full, though he later apologized personally for the distress caused.[70]

His recorded languages were English and French. He was the child of Rolf Gardiner. He married Elizabeth Wilcock. One child is recorded: Francesca Gardiner. Other recorded relations include Alan Gardiner, Margaret Gardiner, Martin Bernal and Howard Hodgkin.

John Eliot Gardiner is recorded as conductor, choir director, music director and composer.