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Biography: John Gilhooly HonFRAM

Irish-born John Gilhooly (38) became Artistic and Executive Director of Wigmore Hall aged 32 in early 2005, making him the youngest leader of any of the world’s great concert halls. He had been Executive Director of Wigmore Hall since January 2001, and is credited with having overseen the financial and administrative transformation of the Hall over the past 10 years. His tenure as Artistic Director has seen record box office returns and its highest ever membership levels, as well as a doubling of overall revenue and annual fundraising.

In July 2010, John Gilhooly was elected Chairman of the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society (one of the oldest music societies in the world), and will lead the Society’s Bicentenary celebrations in 2013. He was awarded Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music in 2006 for his services to the Academy, and in 2011 was awarded Honorary Membership of the Royal College of Music. John Gilhooly is a Patron of the performing arts organisation Irish Heritage and the Cavatina Music Trust. He is also a Trustee of The Opera Group and a ‘Music Ambassador’ for the London Mayor’s Fund For Young Musicians. As Artistic Director of Wigmore Hall, he programmes the largest chamber music and song series in the world. John has twice been named in ‘London’s Top 100 Opinion Makers’ by Time Out magazine and is listed in the Evening Standard’s ‘Most Influential’ list for 2011.

His directorship of Wigmore Hall has also coincided with two successful capital appeals to the tune of £7m. In 2004 he managed the refurbishment of the Hall and in 2006 he led the acquisition of a 250 year lease for Wigmore Hall. John Gilhooly also established the Hall’s highly regarded CD label ‘Wigmore Hall Live’ (named Gramophone’s Record Label of the Year 2011), and introduced an ambitious new music and commissioning scheme, expanding Wigmore Hall’s programming in both traditional and new directions. He is a native of Limerick, which boasts a strong chamber music and opera tradition. He read History and Political Science at University College, Dublin, graduating in 1994. In addition to his academic studies, he pursued classical vocal studies, as a tenor, at the Dublin City College of Music and the Leinster School of Music, under the renowned soprano Dr Veronica Dunne.