Michael Beattie, harpsichord and organ

Michael Beattie has received international attention for his work as a conductor and keyboardist specializing in the music of the Baroque period. As Associate Conductor of Emmanuel Music, he has conducted more than 100 Bach cantatas in the weekly series at Emmanuel Church and in 2007 made his Emmanuel Music opera debut conducting Handel's Ariodante. Other performances conducted at Emmanuel include Bach's St. John Passion, the complete Bach Motets, and a recent concert of the orchestral music of Haydn and Schoenberg.

Mr. Beattie made his Glimmerglass Opera debut conducting Purcell's Dido and Aeneas in 2009 with Jonathan Miller as stage director. Future conducting projects include Handel's Rinaldo with Pittsburgh Opera in 2011. In 2009 he joined Les Violons du Roy as organist and harpsichordist for their 25th anniversary tour (with performances in Quebec, Montreal, Carnegie Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall). In demand as a vocal coach specializing in music of the Baroque and Classical periods, he has been on the music staff of Glimmerglass Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, and the Carmel Bach Festival (where he is Music Director of the Vocal Master Class program) and has served as musical assistant to Baroque specialists Harry Bicket, Jane Glover, Emmanuelle Haïm, Bernard Labadie and Raymond Leppard. He is a founding member and harpsichordist of Favella Lyrica and the Baroque chamber ensemble Très. He was Assistant Conductor for Peter Sellars’ stagings of the Mozart/da Ponte operas conducted by Craig Smith, which were performed throughout the United States and Europe, recorded for television and released on DVD. He made his opera conducting debut in the Boston premiere of Handel’s Rodelinda.

As a pianist, he has performed at the Athens, Banff, and Tanglewood music festivals and in Emmanuel Music’s chamber series. World premieres to his credit include works of John Harbison, Andrew Imbrie, Earl Kim, and Andy Vores. Mr. Beattie is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and Boston University. He has been on the faculties of the Tanglewood Music Center and the Walnut Hill School and is currently a Teaching Associate at Boston University. He has recorded for KOCH International Classics and Nonesuch records.