Mark Shanahan has already conducted Tosca (2004/05), Death in Venice (2006/07), Simon Boccanegra (2007/08) and Nabucco (2009/10) at Oper Frankfurt. This Irish artist studied at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, the Royal Academy of Music in London and won first prize at the NAYO conducting competition. He is a regular guest at opera houses throughout the world and with leading European orchestras. He enjoys particularly close relationships with the Nederlands Symfonieorkest (as First Guest Conductor) and the Forest Philharmonic Orchestra (as their Artistic Director). Theatres where he has conducted in recent seasons have included English National Opera (La forza del destino, Otello, Ernani, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La Bohème and Tosca), Opera North in Leeds (Rigoletto, La Traviata), the Teatro La Fenice in Venice (The Mikado), De Nationale Reisopera (La Traviata), Nantes-Angers Opera (Jenufa, which was awarded the 2007 Claude Rostand Critique Award, Così fan tutte, The Rape of Lucretia, The Makropoulos Case and Falstaff) and Marseille Opera (Jenufa, La Bohème). Future engagements include La Clemenza di Tito in Marseille and Jenufa in Lille.