Nicholas Kraemer
Conductor
Biography
Having been at the forefront of the early music revolution Nicholas Kraemer has established an enviable reputation for directing period-informed performances with modern orchestras. A dynamic figure in the classical music world, Kraemer began his career as a harpsichordist, quickly rising to prominence by leading performances from the instrument itself. His career spans decades and diverse repertoires from the Baroque to contemporary pieces, blending historical insight with innovative flair.
Kraemer is currently Principal Guest Conductor of Music of the Baroque, Chicago. During his long and distinguished career he has held the positions of Artistic Director of the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the London Bach Orchestra and the Bath Festival music programme; Permanent Guest Conductor of the Manchester Camerata; Principal Guest Conductor of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and Musikkollegium Winterthur and Associate Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He was the first Music Director of Opera 80, now English Touring Opera and founder of The Raglan Baroque Players.
Appearing worldwide with many prestigious ensembles Nicholas Kraemer has conducted the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, The Hallé, Gothenburg, City of Birmingham, Detroit, Houston, Toronto, West Australia and Colorado Symphony Orchestras and the Minnesota Orchestra. In addition, he has directed specialist ensembles such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Philharmonia Baroque and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. Other smaller ensembles with whom he has worked include the English Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and Royal Northern Sinfonia
Kraemer’s Opera engagements have taken him to Paris, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Geneva and Marseilles with repertoire ranging from Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and L’Incoronazione di Poppea to nineteenth- and twentieth-century works including Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos; Britten’s Albert Herring, Noye’s Fludde and Paul Bunyan. He has conducted many Handel operas including Arianna in Creta, Lotario, Tolomeo, Arminio, Ariodante, Il Pastor Fido, Rinaldo, and Orlando, as well as the major Mozart operas. He has conducted The Magic Flute and Handel’s Jeptha at English National Opera, Agrippina for Theater Aachen, Le nozze di Figaro for Den Nye Opera, Bergen, Idomeneo for Grange Park Opera, La finta giardiniera at the Buxton Festival and Ariodante for Scottish Opera.
Nicholas Kraemer’s recordings include Vivaldi concertos with City of London Sinfonia for Naxos; Locatelli Concerto Grossi, Tartini violin concertos, and concertos by Durante, Pergolesi, and Leo with Elizabeth Wallfisch and Raglan Baroque Players for Hyperion; Handel Rodelinda for Virgin Classics; Handel Oratorio Duets with Carolyn Sampson, Robin Blaze and the OAE for BIS and works by Thea Musgrave with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for Collins Classics. He has contributed to several feature films, most notably as Baroque Music Director for The Madness of King George.
Nicholas Kraemer is represented for General Management. For all enquiries please contact Caroline Phillips cphillips@caroline-phillips.co.uk
Reviews
Viva Vivaldi – Music of the Baroque
The big work on the program was the last. Vivaldi’s magnificent Gloria in D Major, RV 589 featured the Music of the Baroque Chorus at their best. The opening “Gloria in excelsis Deo” rang out with thunderous joy, Kraemer ensuring that the moving pace was bracing yet controlled.
Hyde Park Herald, 24 October 2023
Viva Vivaldi – Music of the Baroque
With poise and vigor under Kraemer’s direction.
Kraemer emphasized the mournful sighing of the descending gestures that open the work, and drew incisive playing from the double string orchestra in the fugal conclusion.
The Chorus was impressively unified throughout the ensuing Credo, with Kraemer injecting suspense and contrast in the fast outer movements.
Chicago Classical Review, 17 October 2023
London’s Calling – Music of the Baroque
Maestro Nicholas Kraemer seamlessly conducted Handel, Boyce, Haydn, and Mozart in Sunday night’s performance of the Music of the Baroque… It was remarkable to see Kraemer conduct the orchestra without a score for over two hours (with a 15-minute intermission … Lots of love and sheer joy were infused into Kraemer’s conducting …The maestro outdid himself in directing such an impressive repertoire. He emphasized the nuances within each of the compositions with keen accuracy and verve. The symbiosis of conductor and orchestra was powerful, and I’ve never seen anything like this before!
★★★★★ Around the Town Chicago, 1 March 2023
Classical Heroines – Music of the Baroque
Throughout this opera-within-an-aria, Kraemer led the orchestra with sensitivity, bringing up the orchestra’s dynamic in between vocal lines to great effect.
Putting absolute trust in his orchestra, Kraemer used gracefully minimal gestures in the opening slow movement. … Kraemer brought out the idiosyncrasies of the finale with its asymmetric phrase lengths, unexpected accents, syncopations, and swells. It was obvious that both he and the orchestra were enjoying themselves, which translated off the stage as well.
Chicago Classical Review, 22 March 2022
Handel, Locatelli, Telemann & Vivaldi Concertos – Music of the Baroque
The stylish and trusty hand of principal guest conductor Nicholas Kraemer was evident in the symmetry of the programming as well as in the invigorating musical results. Kraemer saw to it that everything was neat, tidy and properly propulsive, that no texture was under-articulated, no dance movement under-characterized.
Kraemer has a special feel for Handel, making him one of the most authoritative Handelians in today’s early-music world.
Chicago Classical Review, 10 May 2021
Pulpit and Playhouse – Music of the Baroque
Kraemer, MOB close season with the sacred, secular and spectacular.
Nicholas Kraemer rang the curtain down on Music of the Baroque’s season Monday night at the Harris Theater. The vehicle was “Pulpit and Playhouse,” a typically enterprising Kraemerian program of rarities, both sacred and secular… There is striking contrapuntal confidence displayed in No. 131, and skillful balancing by MOB’s principal guest conductor ensured that the vocal soloists, chorus, orchestra and instrumental lines all registered.
Chicago Classical Review, 14 May 2019
Bach Christmas Oratorio – Minnesota Orchestra
…the Minnesota Orchestra proved …in an ebullient performance of Cantatas 4, 5 and 6 from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. The key ingredient was the presence of Scottish baroque specialist Nicholas Kraemer on the conductor’s podium… His influence was strongly felt in the lean, sprightly performance of Bach’s Third Orchestral Suite that opened the concert. ..Once again the key influencer was conductor Kraemer …he coaxed delectably incisive playing from the orchestra and exceptionally vivid singing from the choir.
Star Tribune, 9 December 2018
Vivaldi Four Seasons – Music of the Baroque
Conducting as usual from the harpsichord, Kraemer led these beguiling terpsichorean depictions with ample grace and abundant charm.
Chicago Classical Review, 6 November 2018
The Enchanted Isle – British Youth Opera
There is a glow on the sound of Southbank Sinfonia’s modern instruments and Nicholas Kraemer conducts with flair, ensuring that the string of numbers (more than 20 in Act I alone) retains pace and cohesion.
The Stage, 3 September 2018
L’Incoronazione di Poppea – Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Blackheath Halls
…elegantly stylish musical preparation; given the direction of Nicholas Kraemer, how could it have been otherwise? The Trinity Laban forces were blessed by his experienced presence.
Opera, September 2017
