Looking back
Chloe Rooke (United Kingdom, 1996) completed the National Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting, the prestigious two year master’s programme offered jointly by the Royal Conservatoire and the Conservatorium of Amsterdam. She was mentored by Jac van Steen, Kenneth Montgomery, Ed Spanjaard and Antony Hermus and graduated in 2022. Before joining NMO, Chloe discovered her love for conducting while studying music at Oxford University which led her to a master in conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she studied with Sian Edwards. Chloe often credits Sian as a true pioneer and an important inspirator to help her grow as a conductor.

Chloe: “I am really inspired by the generation of women that came before me. The ones that had to face so much hardship so that I do not have to face that much. My first role model was the first female conductor in the UK, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, conductor of the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. It was so inspiring to see someone I could relate to on stage being the chief-conductor.”

Building a career
Chloe came to international attention after winning the Contemporary Award at the first International Conducting Competition in Rotterdam in 2022 and the Audience Prize at the Donatella Flick-London Symphony Orchestra Conducting Competition in 2021. She was subsequently invited to conduct the LSO in family concerts at the Barbican and made her mark at Kings Place with the London Sinfonietta and in a New Year’s concert with the BBC Concert Orchestra. In Autumn 2023, she returns to conduct the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw and is reinvited to the Residentie Orkest. She also debuts with Orchestre National de Lille and London Mozart Players.

Connecting music and society
Chloe is passionate about music’s role in bringing social transformation. Since 2019 Chloe conducts the Street Orchestra Live, whose mantra ‘Music for everyone, anywhere’ has her touring to parts of England with limited access to the arts.

Looking forward
“The main goal I have for conducting is to share the beauty of classical music with everyone. I want the change the perception of classical music and the elite reputation that it has. For everyone to feel as excited and inspired as I am about going to a concert and experiencing a live orchestra, creating an atmosphere where the public feels engaged and included in the experience. If I could make just a little dent into the classical music world that would already make my life complete.”

Chloe Rooke website

Conductor Chloe Rook at the Residentie Orkest

Interview with Chloe KC Alumni Community