American conductor John Paul Jennings has quickly emerged onto the scene as a young conductor of note. He is Music Director of the Suffolk Youth Orchestra, and Assistant Artistic Director of Regents Opera, where he has led performances in critically acclaimed productions of Strauss’s Die Ägyptische Helena and Verdi’s La forza del destino. He received great praise for performances of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle with Green Opera for the Arcola Theatre’s Grimeborn Festival in 2022, with critics describing it as “a searingly incisive orchestral tableau” (britishtheatre.com).

As a guest conductor, John Paul attracted particular attention after jumping in at three hours’ notice for a concert with the Thames Philharmonia, and a highly successful debut with the East Anglia Chamber Orchestra earned him a re-invitation for the following season. He was featured in the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s Emerging Conductor Showcase in 2022, and conducted the Orchestra of English National Opera in a masterclass with Martyn Brabbins. Other recent highlights include assisting Toby Purser and the Philharmonia Orchestra in a performance of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto and Ninth Symphony at the Royal Albert Hall, as well as the UK Premiere of Jake Heggie's Three Decembers with Opera Della Luna.

John Paul was the James Horner Scholar at the Royal College of Music, from which he graduated with Distinction in 2022. He was Resident Music Scholar of the Robert Anderson Trust for 2021-22, as well as recipient of the Trust’s first-ever Special Award. He studied with Toby Purser, Howard Williams, and Peter Stark, and has participated in masterclasses with Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir Roger Norrington, Rafael Payare, Colin Metters, and Jac van Steen. Highlights of his time at the RCM include a highly acclaimed performance of Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, as well as numerous concerts with the RCM Philharmonic.  

Prior to his time in London, John Paul studied Conducting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. A semi-finalist in the Blue Danube International Opera Conducting Competition, he frequently coaches singers in preparing their operatic roles, and comfortably works in English, French, German, Italian, and Czech.

Future engagements include assisting on Bluebeard’s Castle with the Moravské Divadlo Olomouc (Czech Republic) and Regents Opera’s Ring Cycle, continuing with Die Walküre in May 2023, conducting Bizet’s Carmen with St Paul’s Opera in June, and leading the Suffolk Youth Orchestra on a tour of Spain in July. He is based in London.