A cellist, pianist and composer by training Jason first came to notice as one the leading lights in a new generation of young conductors after the BBC Philharmonic voted him the winner of the BBC Young Conductors Workshop. His successful tenure as Assistant Conductor to the BBC Philharmonic from 2002-2005 gave him the opportunity to conduct the other BBC orchestras and BBC Singers in various concerts and recordings which have been broadcast on Radio 3. He made his BBC Proms debut with the BBC Philharmonic in 2003.

Jason has conducted many orchestras both here in the UK and abroad including Hong Kong Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra, and has recently been appointed the Artist Associate with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

As a broadcaster Jason has appeared on the panel of BBC Young Musician of the Year competition and was a judge in the recent BBC2 classical talent show Classical Star and also conducted and co-hosted the Blue Peter Prom with the BBC Philharmonic. He was one of the conducting mentors in the BBC2 series Maestro which aired in August 2008 and won the competition with his celebrity student comedienne Sue Perkins. He co-hosted a new music show for CBBC called Clash and some presenting for the BBC Proms season 2009. He can be seen as a contributer on The Culture Show on BBC2 as well.

Television:

The Culture Show - BBC2 (Presenter)
Maestro - BBC 2 (Mentor)
Proms - BBC2/BBC4 (Conductor/Presenter)
How A Choir Works BBC4 (Expert)
Blue Peter Proms - BBC1/BBC2 (Conductor/Presenter)
Clash! - CBBC (Mentor)
Classical Star - BBC2 (Judge)
Ready Steady Cook - BBC1
Young Conductors Workshop - BBC4 (Conductor)
Young Musician of the Year - BBC4 (Expert)

Jason's website can be found at: www.jasonlai.co.uk

Training:

Chetham's School of Music, Manchester
Oxford University, Worcester College (MA Music)
Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London (M.Mus Composition, Diploma GSMD 'Cello, Fellow in Conducting)

Gallery:

Jason Lai