Charles Olivieri-Munroe is one of today’s most distinguished and much-travelled conductors. Of the world’s major orchestras, he has conducted the Israel Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Sydney Symphony, the Berlin DSO Orchestra, Munich Symphony, Danish Radio Symphony, the Czech Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, National Hungarian Philharmonic and many others. With a regular presence in the Asia-Pacific region, he frequently leads concerts in Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam and Thailand.

 

World class soloists with whom Charles Olivieri Munroe works with include Angela Gheorghiu, Krystian Zimerman, Joshua Bell, Maxim Vengerov, Sol Gabetta, Joseph Suk, Mischa Maisky, Shlomo Mintz, Ivan Moravec, Gabriela Benacková and Joseph Calleja, Ramon Vargas, amongst others.

 

Equally in demand as an opera conductor, he made his opera debut in 2001 conducting Falstaff at the Berlin Opera.  Since then his performances have included Don Giovanni in Milan, Evgeny Onegin at Frankfurt’s Alte-Oper, Aida at the Lago di Como Festival, The Rake’s Progress in Warsaw, Il barbieri di Siviglia at the Poznan Opera Theatre, and also productions at the Sydney Opera House, the Teatro Fenice in Venice and in Amsterdam. In 2023 he conducted the Hong Kong Opera’s 20th anniversary celebration. He is notable for creating the first opera suite of Robert Schumann’s opera Genoveva following performances of the opera at theCzech National Theatre.

 

Born in Malta, Charles Olivieri Munroe grew up in Canada where he studied piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music and at the University of Toronto. Following his graduation in 1992, he won three Canadian government scholarships to study with Otakar Trhlik at the Janácek Academy of Music in Brno. He also studied with celebrated conductors Jirí Belohlávek and James DePriest. He perfected his studies at Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena studying with Yuri Temirkanov, Myung Whun Chung and Ilja Musin. Charles’ international career was launched with a series of triumphs at international competitions culminating with his being awarded First Prize at the 2000 Prague Spring International Music Festival Conducting Competition.

 

Charles Olivieri-Munroe is Honorary Music Director of the North Czech Philharmonic with whom he was formerly Chief Conductor between 1997 and 2014. Concurrently he holds the position of Principal Guest Conductor with the Thüringen Philharmonie in Germany and Resident Conductor at the Texas Round Top Festival, the longest continuously running music festival of its kind in USA. Since debuting in 2015 in Bangkok together with celebrated pianist Krystian Zimerman, he has become a regular guest conductor with the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra. 

 

Charles Olivieri-Munroe has served as Artistic Director of the Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra (2015-2021), Chief Conductor of Philharmonie Südwestfalen in Germany (2011-2018) and held the positions of Principal Conductor of the Colorado ‘Crested Butte’ Festival (2008), Artistic Director of the Inter-Regionales Symfonie Orchester in Germany (2008), and Chief Conductor of the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra in Bratislava (2001-2004).

 

Like the late Sir Charles Mackerras, Charles Olivieri Munroe is a recognised specialist in the works of composers Dvorák, Smetana, Janácek, Martinu and the wider Slavic repertoire. He has recorded for Sony, RCA Red Seal, Naxos, SMS Classical and Naïve Records.

 

Since 2022 Charles is a resident of the Republic of Cyprus where he is a passionate promoter of Cypriot musical life and culture both on the island and abroad through the vehicle of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra.

 

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The New York Times

“A naturally charismatic conductor” 

 

Toronto Star

 “He so energised the musicians of the Toronto Symphony that this reviewer hopes he makes many, many return visits”

 

Edmonton Journal

“An excellent showcase for Charles Olivieri Munro’s conducting style. Of all the guest conductors I have seen this year, this natural leader put on the most engaging podium performance”

 

Südwestdeutsche Zeitung

With an active and highly varied conducting style, Olivieri Munroe appears as a combination of Furtwängler and the young Karajan.