In late 2025 Northern Ballet announced recruitment for a Gentleman Jack Conducting Fellowship to run February – September 2026. The company are thrilled to welcome William Lai to this role which will see him receive mentorship and training and conduct performances of Gentleman Jack across the UK.
Hong-Kong born Lai serves as the Principal Conductor of the Gramophone Orchestra in Hong Kong and was the Orchestra Prize winner of the 5th International Conducting Competition University of Almería in Spain, a finalist in Germany’s elite Forum Dirigieren programme and a semi-finalist of the 11th Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors in Poland.
Northern Ballet is committed to artistic excellence and supporting emerging talent across their work and this initiative was designed to offer early-career conductors hands-on experience and mentorship within a touring professional ballet company. Lai will rehearse, tour, and conduct live performances as part of Northern Ballet’s artistic team working under the mentorship of Associate Conductor Daniel Parkinson and Artistic Director Federico Bonelli. The Fellow will develop the skills, insight, and confidence required for a future career in conducting for ballet, which is a highly specialised skill. The Fellowship has been supported by Jerwood Foundation, who are known for their support of the UK arts ecology, specifically in supporting emerging talent.
Daniel Parkinson, Northern Ballet’s Associate Conductor said, “I’m delighted that after a competitive audition process, William Lai has been selected as Northern Ballet’s first Conducting Fellow. This scheme marks an exciting step in Northern Ballet's continued commitment to nurturing emerging artistic talent. I look forward to supporting and mentoring William as we produce our next full-length ballet, Gentleman Jack.”
William Lai said, "I’m genuinely excited to join Northern Ballet for the creation of Gentleman Jack. I’ve always felt a deep pull towards ballet conducting - the extraordinary energy of the dancers and musicians pushes the music to flourish in ways only this art form allows. I believe Gentleman Jack has the potential to become a defining classic for Northern Ballet, and I’m proud to help shape Peter Salem’s musical world for the story. Working alongside Daniel Parkinson and Federico Bonelli on a production of this scale is exceptional and I hope our audiences will feel the same spark that drives us: to create something truly extraordinary.”
With choreography by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and a new score by Peter Salam, Gentleman Jack will premiere in spring 2026, in Leeds before being performed across the UK. Continuing Northern Ballet’s masterful canon of creating stories that connect, the ballet will bring to the stage the life of the 19th century icon, Anne Lister.
Photos by Karol Fatyga (image 1 and 2) and Wojciech Mateusiak (header/image 3).
Notes
Jerwood Foundation
Established in 1977 for John Jerwood MC (1918-1991) by Alan Grieve CBE (1928-2025), Jerwood Foundation is a UK charity committed to supporting excellence and emerging talent in the arts in the UK. Alan Grieve served as Chairman for over 30 years and was appointed Chairman Emeritus in 2023, when Rupert Tyler was appointed Chairman. The organisation is led by Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee and to date Jerwood Foundation has committed over £113 million to support the arts in the UK.
Jerwood Foundation owns the Jerwood Collection of modern and contemporary art, and an important part of Jerwood’s philanthropic mission is delivered by the Collection through its loaning programme and promotion of a broader understanding, interpretation and enjoyment of art. Also included in the Jerwood group of organisations is Jerwood Space, which was Jerwood’s first major capital project when established by Jerwood Foundation in Southwark in 1998. Jerwood Space is a dedicated rehearsal space providing theatre, musical theatre, opera and dance companies with an outstanding environment within which to create their work.
William Lai
Newly named the Conducting Fellow of the Northern Ballet for the season 2025/2026, the Hong Kong-born conductor William Lai is the Orchestra Prize winner of the 5th International Conducting Competition “University of Almería” in Spain, a finalist in Germany’s elite Forum Dirigieren programme and a semi-finalist of the 11th Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors in Poland. He serves as the Principal Conductor of the Gramophone Orchestra in Hong Kong. In 2024, he assisted Herbert Blomstedt with the Gewandhausorchester for concerts and recordings of the Schubert Symphony Cycle.
William Lai has gained opportunities to conduct some of the world-class orchestras internationally including the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Kammerorchester Basel, Nürnberger Symphoniker, Filharmonia Śląska, Lüneburger Symphoniker, Mitteldeutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Brandenburger Symphoniker.
Equally at home in the field of opera, William Lai showcased his operatic and keyboard proficiency, winning critical acclaim for leading the opening night of Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto from the harpsichord at the Alte Musik Institut Hannover. He has collaborated with distinguished soloists such as the International Chopin Piano Competition laureate Colleen Lee, Tomasz Strahl, Isabelle Bringmann, Quiteria Muñoz and Felix Brunnenkant.
William Lai was selected to take part in prestigious masterclasses and has received valuable input from renowned conductors such as Martyn Brabbins, Johannes Schlaefli, Jorma Panula, Ulrich Windfuhr, and Sir Stephen Cleobury. William Lai holds a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Hochschule für Musik Theater und Medien Hannover, where he studied with Eiji Oue.
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