Crispin Lewis works mainly as a conductor. He has conducted live on BBC Radio 3 and at London venues including Wigmore Hall; the Royal Opera House, Linbury Studio; Christ Church Spitalfields; the South Bank Centre, the Purcell Room; St John’s Smith Square; St James’s Picadilly; St Martin-in-the-fields and St Giles’ Cripplegate.
He has also performed professionally as a singer, violinist, baroque violinist and keyboard continuo player. Crispin has made extensive studies of performance practice, and historical vocal and instrumental techniques, from the sixteenth to the twentieth century.
Crispin is the conductor of The Musicall Compass (a specialist baroque ensemble of voices and instruments), Thurrock Choral Society, Luton Choral Society, Chiltern Sinfonia and chorus master of Welwyn Garden City Chorus. He is also regularly engaged as a guest conductor by symphony orchestras, baroque orchestras and choirs.
In recent years, with his ensemble The Musicall Compass, Crispin has produced and conducted many performances in collaboration with contemporary dance choreographers, creating projects which explore interaction between dancers and orchestral musicians and singers.
After studying violin to postgraduate level at the Royal College of Music, he studied orchestral conducting for three years with Denise Ham in London, and for four summers studied at Canford conductor’s course under George Hurst, Rodolpho Saglimbeni and Robert Houlihan.
He has also performed professionally as a singer, violinist, baroque violinist and keyboard continuo player.
