The BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales has appointed Michael Garvey as its new director. Currently chief executive of the Academy of Ancient Music, Garvey will take up the new position in December, working closely with BBC NOW’s principal conductor Thomas Søndergård.

In recent years, Garvey has established the Academy of Ancient Music's own record label, AAM Records, and secured a role for the period instrument orchestra as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant. This summer the AAM also spent three months as resident ensemble at the National Gallery’s 'Vermeer and Music: The Art of Love and Leisure' exhibition.
 
Garvey was general manager at the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment before heading the AAM, and previously worked at Arts Council England and Classic FM.

‘The opportunity to work for BBC NOW’s musicians is a very exciting one,’ he said. ‘Their quality and reputation is formidable, and with Thomas as principal conductor, the artistic future of the orchestra is bright. I also believe that the role the orchestra can play in representing Wales and its culture around the world is particularly interesting, and I look forward to exploring this with BBC NOW’s partners as soon as I start this wonderful new role.’