Garsington Opera has appointed Scottish conductor Douglas Boyd as its new artistic director with immediate effect following the retirement of Anthony Whitworth-Jones, who has been the company’s general director since 2005. Boyd will collaborate closely with Nicola Creed, who after 13 years at Garsington has been named executive director.

‘I am thrilled to become artistic director of Garsington Opera,’ said Boyd. ‘I am passionate about the ethos of the company and have enjoyed wonderful collaborations in the past few years, conducting Fidelio, Figaro and Don Giovanni. I hope to be able to continue the brilliant and extraordinary work of Anthony Whitworth-Jones and to live up to the vision of Leonard Ingrams - putting fine music at the heart of Garsington Opera.’

Currently chief conductor of Musikkollegium Winterthur in Switzerland, Douglas Boyd was formerly music director of Manchester Camerata, and principal guest conductor of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and City of London Sinfonia. He was a founder member and principal oboist of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe for 21 years.

Founded in 1989 by Leonard Ingrams, Garsington Opera moved from its original home at Garsington Manor in Oxfordshire to Wormsley Park in 2011. The company also announced that Gramophone critic and Royal Academy of Music principal Jonathan Freeman-Attwood has been appointed to the Board and will chair the Garsington Opera Artistic Committee.