Dane Lam

conductor

"He was able to get the kind of precision in the complex ensembles that one expects of a top Italian maestro in this repertoire ...
Thanks to Lam's witty and precise conducting, the ensembles went with an authentically madcap Rossinian zing." 
Hugh Canning, Opera

Australian conductor Dane Lam is Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of China's Xi'an Symphony Orchestra.  Acclaimed by Limelight Magazine as “one of the most talented young conductors Australia has produced” and by the Manchester Evening News as “a master of rhythmic and articulatory complexities”, he has earned a reputation as an electrifying musician in a large and varied repertoire.  

Prior to Xi'an, Dane enjoyed highly acclaimed tenures as Principal Conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Associate Conductor with Opera Holland Park and as Assistant Conductor to Kurt Masur at the Orchestre National de France and Gianluigi Gelmetti at the Sydney Symphony.

First appearing with the Sydney Symphony in the Sydney Opera House at age eighteen, Dane has since conducted orchestras on four continents including the Melbourne and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, Manchester Camerata, Verbier Festival Orchestra, Sofia Festival Orchestra, Beethoven Orchester Bonn and the Juilliard Orchestra.

Recent and future engagements include La bohème for Opera Australia, La traviata and The Rake’s Progress for Scottish Opera‚ new productions of Giulio Cesare for Bury Court Opera and Cosí fan tutte for Opera Holland Park, Norma with Chelsea Opera Group and concerts with the Queensland, Adelaide, Canberra and Western Australian Symphony Orchestras.  The upcoming season with the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra sees Dane collaborate with Stephen Hough, Freddy Kempf, Feng Ning and Liwei Qin in works such as Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and Bernstein’s Candide.

Other engagements have included Opera Holland Park's productions of Aida, Il barbiere di Siviglia and Norma, RTE Concert Orchestra (Dublin), Manchester Camerata, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Ensemble 10/10, Oxford University Orchestra, British Youth Opera’s The Bartered Bride and Paul Bunyan and RNCM Opera’s La Clemenza di Tito and Carmen.  He made his German début with the Munich Radio Orchestra and his Royal Festival Hall début with members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra as part of London Music Masters' Bridge Program.  Dane made his New Zealand debut with Dunedin’s Southern Sinfonia and has returned on numerous occasions.  He led the world première season of Jonathan Henderson’s opera Dirty Apple with Opera Queensland 

Born into a musical family, Dane began to play the piano as a child, followed by studies in clarinet.  He was first introduced to conducting through the Symphony Australia Conductor Development Programme.  After completing his study at the University of Queensland under Gwyn Roberts, Dane was accepted (aged 22) as a postgraduate student under James DePreist at New York’s Juilliard School.  He also studied under Maestro Gelmetti at Siena’s Accademia Musicale Chigiana.  

Representation: Australasia

Rayfield Allied: Europe/North America

Dane’s Personal Site