Described as ‘Our finest young Handelian’ by The Times,Christian Curnyn was born in Glasgow and studied at York and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. In 1994 he founded the Early Opera Company which has now established an international reputation as a leader in historically informed performance of the baroque repertoire.As aguest conductor he has directed, among others, Rameau’s Platée in Lisbon, Messiah in Girona, Handel’s Semele with British Youth Opera and Budapest Chamber Opera, and L’elisir d’amore, Le nozze di Figaro and Semele at Grange Park Opera where he will return to conduct Cavalli’s Eliogabalo in the summer of 2009.In 2005 he made his debut with Scottish Opera conducting Semele, returning in 2006 for a production of Handel’s Tamerlano. He recently made his debuts with English National Opera, in a new production of Handel’s Partenope, and The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, in Britten’s realisation of The Beggar’s Opera. He returns to English National Opera in 2009 for performances of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. He has also appeared at the Halle Handel Festival, the Opera Theatre Company in Dublin and at Opera North, and is soon to make his debut with Chicago Opera Theater. For Chandos he has made acclaimed recordings of Partenope and Semele, the latter of which won the 2008 Stanley Sadie Handel Prize. Christian Curnyn teaches at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.