The Conductor - MARTIN BINKS

Martin Binks was born in Knaresborough and educated at Rutherford Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne, and at Taunton's School Southampton. He read for the Honours Degree of BMus at the University of Birmingham, and followed this with a further year at University College, Cardiff. It was whilst at Birmingham that he began conducting, organising his own concerts with the University Orchestra. He studied conducting with Sir Charles Groves and Louis Frémaux whilst they were the Conductors of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

In September 1970, Martin Binks became Conductor of the Leeds Symphony Orchestra and, up to the beginning of this season, has conducted two hundred and thirty-five concerts with the Orchestra. During his time as Conductor, the repertoire has been very wide, from the early eighteenth century to the present day. Perhaps particularly noticeable has been the inclusion in the programmes of much French music, with nearly all the orchestral music of Berlioz being performed.

As Artistic Director and Conductor of West Riding Opera, Martin has conducted some two hundred and thirty performances of thirty-nine operas. Several operas have been given their first-ever production in the North of England, such as Weber's Euryanthe and Oberon, Delibes' Lakmé, Lalo's Le Roi d'Ys, Bellini's Il Pirata, Marschner's The Vampire, and Lortzing's The Poacher and Berlioz' Béatrice et Bénédict. In April 2008, he will be conducting a production of Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor at The Carriageworks Theatre in Leeds.

Martin Binks is Conductor of Knaresborough Choral Society, with whom he has recently conducted major works by Vivaldi, Purcell, Handel, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Berlioz, Fauré and Orff. In December 2007, he conducts Handel's Messiah in Mozart's orchestration.

Martin is a guest conductor of the Oslo Conservatoire Orchestra and of York Opera. His active interests include cricket - he plays with Arthington C.C. He is married with two sons.

In recognition of his services to French music with the Leeds Symphony Orchestra and West Riding Opera, the French Government appointed him Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1993. He received the insignia from the French Ambassador in May 1994.