Anthony Halstead made his conducting debut in 1976 with the premiere of Elisabeth Lutyens’ music-theatre work One and the same with the Vesuvius Ensemble at the York Festival. He subsequently studied with Sir Charles Mackerras, Michael Rose and George Malcolm. His conducting career has taken him to Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and the Netherlands, as well as the UK. As a conductor or director from the harpsichord he has made over fifty recordings, with orchestras that include the English Chamber Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic, Uppsala Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and The Hanover Band. With the latter, he most notably recorded the entire orchestral music of Johann Christian Bach, on twenty-four CDs, for the German company CPO.