David Briskin
Henry St Clair
Rafi Gokay Wol
“David Briskin’s fine conducting of the orchestra makes the tremendously powerful score a seamless piece with the dancing.”
(Toronto Star, 2018)
Music Director: National Ballet of Canada
Music Director and Principal Conductor of The National Ballet of Canada since 2006, David Briskin is widely recognized as one of contemporary ballet’s most accomplished conductors.
Prior to moving to Canada, Mr. Briskin lived and worked for 23 years as a conductor in New York City in opera, ballet and concert. He conducted for seven years with American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City Center and in major opera houses throughout the world. He served as a seasonal conductor for New York City Ballet, both in New York and on tour in the US and Europe. In addition, he has conducted for nearly all the major North American ballet companies and served as Conductor for The Juilliard School’s Dance Division for 13 years.
Highly in demand internationally as a guest conductor, Mr. Briskin has appeared with The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, The Royal Swedish Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet and Hamburg Ballet. He has collaborated and conducted many important world premieres including Alexei Ratmansky’s Romeo and Juliet, Christopher Wheeldon and Joby Talbot’s The Winter’s Tale, and Wayne McGregor and Max Richter’s MADDADDAM. He has worked closely with composers Missy Mazzoli and Lera Auerbach and has served as Music Director for the Nureyev Legend and Legacy Gala at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London. 2024/25 guest conducting engagements include Hamburg Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and his first appearance with The National Ballet of Japan in Tokyo.
Mr. Briskin has appeared with orchestras and opera companies throughout Europe, Asia and North America including the Pittsburgh, Detroit, Baltimore, Cincinnati Pops, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Windsor and Shanghai Symphony Orchestras, as well as Calgary Opera, Manitoba Opera, Opera Carolina, Lake George Opera and Sarasota Opera, among others.
“The composer Joby Talbot produces a beautiful score bubbling with exotic percussive spices, dancey rhythms, dramatic flourishes and full blooded melodies under the fabulous David Briskin conducting.”
“Kudos must also go to conductor David Briskin and the National Ballet Orchestra. The music soared to glorious heights in the famous themes from Rimskij-Korsakov’s Schéhérazade, while in complete contrast, the orchestra perfectly captured the edgy modernism of excerpts from the works of Shostakovich.”
“And this being the National Ballet of Canada, it is, as usual, borne aloft by the seemingly flawless efforts of the NBOC Orchestra, masterfully conducted once again, by David Briskin.”
