Biography

Hailed by Opéra Magazine as “a discovery… the orchestra is dripping with colors and sensuality,” American-Irish conductor Robert Tuohy is equally at home in the operatic and symphonic worlds, with a particular affinity for French, Italian, American, and Russian works.

Recent projects include an album of Puccini arias with tenor Brian Jagde and the Orchestra del Teatro Regio Torino for Pentatone, scheduled for release in 2027. He also returned to Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de perles at Opéra de Massy with the Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, a signature work he has conducted at the opera houses of Limoges, Toulon, and Reims.

His French repertoire also includes Lakmé, which he has conducted to critical acclaim at Opéra National de Montpellier, Opéra de Marseille, and Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Concert Hall; Ravel’s L’Heure espagnole and L’Enfant et les sortilèges at Opéra Grand Avignon and Opéra de Tours; and Adam’s Si j’étais roi at Opéra de Toulon. He conducted Bernstein’s Candide at Opéra de Marseille and subsequently on tour at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. Other highlights include Macbeth at Opéra de Reims, La traviata at Opéra de Massy, Eugene Onegin at Opéra de Marseille, and recitals with Nadine Sierra at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and Opéra de Bordeaux. He has also appeared at the Bolshoi Theatre in a gala concert featuring prizewinners of the Queen Sonja Singing Competition.

Orchestral collaborations include the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra della Fondazione Arena di Verona, the Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the State Symphony Orchestra “Novaya Rossiya”. He has also worked with soloists including Sabine Devieilhe, Michael Fabiano, and Roger Muraro.

From 2013 to 2022, he was Music Director of Opéra de Limoges. Over nine seasons, he conducted a repertoire ranging from Così fan tutte and Der Freischütz to Ariadne auf Naxos, Bluebeard’s Castle, Carmen, Cendrillon, Madama Butterfly, and Pelléas et Mélisande, alongside dozens of symphonic programs.

Earlier, as Assistant Conductor at the Opéra et Orchestre National de Montpellier (2009–2013), he worked closely with Music Director Lawrence Foster, conducting symphonic programs and productions including Manon Lescaut, Rusalka, and Die Fledermaus.

Robert trained at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, where he studied with Colin Metters, Sir Colin Davis, and George Hurst. He graduated with distinction and was awarded the Ernest Read Conducting Prize and the DipRAM for an outstanding final recital. He has participated in masterclasses and projects with Sir Colin Davis, Kurt Masur, and leading European orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, and Scottish Chamber Orchestra.