He studied at the RCM and the National Opera Studio as the Royal Opera scholar. He then joined the Royal Opera music staff as a répétiteur and later as chorus director, making his Royal Opera conducting debut aged 26. His many engagements for The Royal Opera include Tosca, La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Macbeth, Der Frieschütz and Die Fledermaus. He has conducted for Glynderbourne, Opera North, Schottish Opera, Wexford Festival, Netherlands Opera, in Mexico City and for the operas companies of Gothenburg, Johannesburg and San Diego. He has conducted Kiri Te Kanawa in concert worldwide and worked on many classical music programmes on television and radio. Recordings includes the Pearl Fischers Duet with Pavarotti and Ghiaurov and operetta arias with Tuart Burrows (Decca), three recital CDs with Tito Beltrán (Silva Records), Spanish shongs with José Carreras (Phillips), Massenet's Grisélidis (gala) and a series of popular classics (EMI).