Newent Orchestra Conductor and Music Director

Michael Turner was born in Birmingham.  He studied violin, viola and percussion in his youth, beginning his first studies of conducting in the 1980s attending courses with John Carewe and George Hurst. He also received tuition from Hilary Davan Wetton who instilled in him a desire to follow the same conducting technique that he learnt from Sir Adrian Boult. While studying Music at Leicester University, Michael formed the Studio 9 Chamber Orchestra, in Birmingham, which gave a number of concerts at the Adrian Boult Hall, receiving critical acclaim.

Michael was appointed Music Director of the Bloomsbury Chamber Orchestra in 1996 and the Oswestry Sinfonia in 2014. He made his professional conducting debut with the Milton Keynes City Orchestra in 1995 and has worked with a number of ensembles including the Manchester Camerata.  Michael founded and is Music Director of the Shropshire Hills Ensemble and Orchestra.

As a choral director, he has worked with choirs including the University of Leicester Singers, City Voices (Birmingham), Harlington Festival Chorus, the Birmingham Singers, the Marches Community Choir (Shropshire) and the More Singers (Shropshire). Michael was Assistant Conductor of the Phoenix Singers (Shrewsbury) for a number of years and is currently Music Director of (Church) Stretton Choral Society and New College Chorale in Wellington, Shropshire.

An active composer, Michael has written extensively for choral and orchestral forces.