Recipient of The 2017 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, CHRISTOPHER ALLEN is featured in Opera News as "one of the fastest-rising podium stars in North America." He has led acclaimed performances with the Atlanta Symphony, Los Angeles Opera, Opera Philadelphia, English National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Washington National Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Atlanta Opera, and Daegu Opera House in South Korea. As The John L. Magro Resident Conductor for Cincinnati Opera, Mo. Allen has joined the company for three consecutive seasons, in addition to leading the Cincinnati Symphony in the annual Washington Park Concert each summer.
Mo. Allen’s career was launched by the Bruno Walter Conducting Award and Memorial Career Grant and has been fostered by Plácido Domingo and James Conlon, who brought him to Los Angeles Opera as Associate Conductor. At LA Opera, Mo. Allen led the musical preparation for the acclaimed The Ghosts of Versailles, which won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. In addition to earning recognition as a Musical America “Artist of the Month” and one of their “25 Stars Still Rising.” Mo. Allen is a recipient of a Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award and an International Opera Awards nominee.
Maestro Allen’s artistic pursuits extend beyond his role as conductor. He demonstrates his commitment to education through his work with young artists at Los Angeles Opera, Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, New England Conservatory, A.J. Fletcher Institute at University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and Aspen Music Festival and School. As an award-winning pianist, he has performed at Carnegie Hall, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He is currently working on a writing and film project that explores the importance of the arts in modern American society. When not in rehearsal or onstage, Mo. Allen enjoys his work as a multimedia visual artist and playwright.