# David Charles Abell

David Charles Abell (born 1958) is an American conductor of opera, orchestral music and musical theater. Described as "a protean talent" with "impeccable and inspired" skill as a conductor, he is active in symphonic music, opera and musical theatre. Abell was one of Leonard Bernstein's last protégés, and collaborated with Bernstein on many works during the 1980s.
Abell is known for his television appearances worldwide as conductor of the Les Misérables' 10th and 25th Anniversary concerts. He is also recognized as an authoritative interpreter of the musicals of Stephen Sondheim.
In addition to maintaining an active international opera career, Abell has worked to restore clarity to musical scores with poorly preserved source materials. As of 2017, Abell is a resident of London.

## Early life and education

Born in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Abell was raised in the Philadelphia and Chicago areas, studying viola, piano, organ, trumpet and voice. As a member of the Berkshire Boy Choir, he sang in the 1971 world premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Mass at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The experience sparked his interest in theatrical compositions and fuelled a lasting passion for dramatic music.
In 1976, Abell enrolled at Yale University, where his teachers included John Mauceri and Rob Kapilow. He studied with Nadia Boulanger and Robert D. Levin at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau before returning to Yale to complete his B.A. in 1981.

## Early professional career

In 1982, Abell participated in the inaugural Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute summer school, studying with Bernstein and Daniel Lewis. He continued his postgraduate training from 1983 to 1985 at the Juilliard School under Jorge Mester and Sixten Ehrling
Abell made his professional debut conducting Bernstein's Mass at Berlin's Deutschlandhalle in 1982. The following year he deputized at short notice for John Mauceri conducting Britten's The Turn of the Screw at Washington National Opera. In 1985 he made his New York City Opera debut conducting The Mikado. Abell led San Francisco Opera's 1989 national tour of Carmen and was conductor for City Opera's national tour of The Barber of Seville in 1994.

### Collaborative work with Leonard Bernstein

One of Leonard Bernstein's last protégés, he assisted the composer-conductor on many projects during the 1980s and helped prepare definitive editions of Bernstein's musical theatre scores.

## Work since 1996

Since moving to London in 1996, Abell has conducted orchestras in the UK and abroad, including The Hallé, City of Birmingham, Bournemouth, London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Seattle Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Iceland Symphony and West Australian Symphony orchestras. He is a regular guest conductor with the BBC Concert Orchestra, with whom he has appeared five times at the Proms.

### Opera

In recent years, Abell has made debuts at Cincinnati Opera (Porgy and Bess), Lyric Opera of Kansas City (Silent Night), Opera Philadelphia (Die Zauberflöte), and Hawaii Opera Theatre (Eugene Onegin).

### Musical theatre

The driving force behind Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday celebration at the 2010 BBC Proms, Abell subsequently conducted the 25th anniversary concert of Les Misérables at the O2 Arena, which has been seen worldwide on television and released on DVD. Both the 25th and 10th Anniversary concerts have been extensively broadcast by PBS to boost fund-raising efforts.
Abell was Music Director of the West End production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies from its opening in March 2010 until March 2011. Between 2011 and 2014, he conducted the French premieres of four Sondheim musicals: Follies at the Opéra de Toulon, Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George and Into the Woods at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
Abell conducted London's Laurence Olivier Awards ceremony from 2011 to 2014. He has appeared twice at English National Opera, conducting Sweeney Todd with Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson in 2015 and Carousel with Alfie Boe and Katherine Jenkins in 2017.

### Pops career

A regular guest conductor with the Philly Pops since his debut in 2013, Abell released a Christmas CD with them in 2015 and was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the organization in 2017. He served as Music Director and Principal Conductor from 2020 to 2023. He made his Boston Pops debut in 2016 with an all-Gershwin concert.

## Music scholarship

Abell has helped restore clarity to musical theatre scores affected by accretions of revival productions and poorly preserved source materials, notably West Side Story. Along with pianist and musicologist Seann Alderking, he edited a complete edition of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate, published in 2014. It is one of the first American musicals to be published in a critical edition.

## Career highlights

| Year | Organization | Title | Notes |
| 2018 | Hawaii Opera Theatre | Eugene Onegin | dir. Tomer Zvulun |
| 2018 | BBC Symphony Orchestra | Bernstein Centenary Concert | including Serenade, Songfest |
| 2017 | Opera Philadelphia | Die Zauberflöte | dir. Barrie Kosky |
| 2017 | English National Opera | Carousel | with Alfie Boe, Katherine Jenkins |
| 2016 | Cincinnati Opera | Die Fledermaus | with Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra |
| 2016 | Opera Orlando | One Voice Orlando | Opera gala benefitting Pulse shooting charities |
| 2016 | Boston Pops Orchestra | Gershwin Celebration | Boston Pops debut |
| 2015 | Opera North | Kiss Me, Kate | based on 2014 Critical Edition |
| 2015 | Lyric Opera of Kansas City | Silent Night | with Kansas City Symphony |
| 2014 | London Philharmonic Orchestra | Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 | Live accompaniment to film Brief Encounter |
| 2014 | BBC Proms | War Horse Prom | dir. Melly Still |
| 2014 | Théâtre du Châtelet | Into the Woods | French premiere |
| 2013 | Menier Chocolate Factory | Candide | Musical Supervision |
| 2013 | Théâtre du Châtelet | Sunday in the Park with George | French premiere |
| 2013 | Opéra de Toulon | Follies | French premiere |
| 2012 | Leicester Curve Theatre | Finding Neverland | World Premiere |
| 2012 | Cincinnati Opera | Porgy and Bess | dir. Lemuel Wade |
| 2011 | Kanagawa Arts Theatre [ja] | Pacific Overtures | dir. Amon Miyamoto |
| 2011 | Théâtre du Châtelet | Sweeney Todd | French premiere |
| 2010 | O2 Arena | Les Misérables | 25th Anniversary Concert |
| 2010 | BBC Proms | Sondheim at 80 | with Judi Dench, Bryn Terfel |
| 2010 | Adelphi Theatre | Love Never Dies | World Premiere |
| 2009 | Cape Town Opera | Porgy and Bess | UK Tour |
| 2008 | Théâtre du Châtelet | On the Town | dir. Jude Kelly |
| 2008 | Glimmerglass Opera | Kiss Me, Kate | dir. Diane Paulus |
| 2007 | Tokyo International Forum | Take Flight | Asian Premiere |
| 2007 | Festival dei Due Mondi | Maria Golovin | dir. Vincent Boussard |
| 2007 | The New York Pops | Gala concert | Carnegie Hall debut |
| 2006 | Young Vic | Tobias and the Angel | dir. John Fulljames |
| 2006 | Royal Albert Hall | Show Boat | dir. Francesca Zambello |
| 2004 | Wales Millennium Centre | Grand Opening Concert | dir. Ken Caswell |
| 2004 | Tokyo International Forum | Candide | dir. Amon Miyamoto |
| 2003 | Bregenz Festival | West Side Story | Floating Stage production |
| 2003 | Luglio Musicale Trapanese [it] | Manon Lescaut | dir. Mario Corradi |
| 2002 | BBC Proms | Richard Rodgers Centenary Concert | dir. Kenneth Richardson |
| 2000 | Theater St. Gallen | The Three Musketeers | World Premiere |
| 1999 | Opera North | The Thieving Magpie | dir. Martin Duncan |
| 1998 | Royal Albert Hall | Madama Butterfly | dir. David Freeman |
| 1997 | Royal Albert Hall | Carmen | dir. Frank Dunlop |
| 1996 | Prince Edward Theatre | Martin Guerre | World Premiere |
| 1995 | Royal Albert Hall | Les Misérables | 10th Anniversary Concert |
| 1991 | Théâtre Mogador | Les Misérables | dir. Trevor Nunn & John Caird |
| 1985 | New York City Opera | The Mikado | dir. Lotfi Mansouri |
| 1983 | Washington Opera | The Turn of the Screw | U.S. conducting debut |
| 1982 | Deutschlandhalle | Mass | Professional conducting debut |

## Selected discography

| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
| 2014 | Something's Gotta Give | CD: Chandos Records | Simon Keenlyside, Scarlett Strallen, BBC Concert Orchestra |
| 2013 | Forever | CD: Warner Classics/Erato Records | Diana Damrau, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic |
| 2010 | Les Misérables | DVD: Universal Studios | 25th Anniversary Concert Alfie Boe, Nick Jonas, Ramin Karimloo, Lea Salonga |
| 2010 | Tobias and the Angel | CD: Chandos Records | World Premiere Recording James Laing |
| 2005 | Strauss: Dance and Dream | DVD: Euroarts | Concert and Docudrama Wiener Akademie Lesley Garrett |
| 2004 | The Little Prince | CD, DVD: Sony Music | World Premiere Recording Joseph McManners, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Lesley Garrett, Willard White, Aled Jones, BBC Concert Orchestra |
| 2002 | Richard Rodgers: An Enchanted Evening | DVD: Image Entertainment | Drury Lane Centennial Concert Judi Dench, Lesley Garrett, Kim Criswell |
| 2000 | Man of La Mancha | CD: Jay Records | First Complete Recording BBC Concert Orchestra Ron Raines, Kim Criswell |
| 1996 | Martin Guerre | CD: First Night Records | World Premiere Recording |
| 1996 | Les Misérables | CD: First Night Records DVD: BBC Video | 10th Anniversary Concert Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Colm Wilkinson, Philip Quast, Michael Ball, Alun Armstrong, Ruthie Henshall |
| 1996 | La bohème (selections) Madama Butterfly (selections) | CD: Tring Records | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Claire Rutter, Paul Charles Clarke, Stephen Gadd |
| 1994 | Miss Saigon | CD: First Night Records | Complete International Symphonic Cast Recording Joanna Ampil, Peter Cousens, Kevin Gray, Hinton Battle, Ruthie Henshall |
| 1992 | Les Misérables | CD: Disques Tréma | Paris Cast Recording Robert Marien, Louise Pitre, Jérôme Pradon, Stephanie Martin |