Natalia Raspopova is currently Assistant Conductor at the Queensland Symphony Orchestra - a position she has held since July 2015. In this role, Natalia has assisted international conductors such as Simone Young, Maxim Vengerov, Fabien Gabel, Yu Long, Alondra de la Parra, Ainars Rubikis, Jessica Cottis, Rory Macdonald, Johannes Fritzsch, Lukasz Borowicz, Santtu-Matias Rouvali and Jacques Lacombe. She has also conducted many of QSO’s concerts in her own right – including their family concerts, education programmes and on tour. In 2016/2017, she also appears with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Monash University Academy Orchestra, Queensland Conservatorium Orchestra and Opera Queensland. Russian-born, Natalia came to Australia aged sixteen and has performed widely in Australia as a pianist – including an appearance with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra as concerto soloist. Concerts and important collaborations with singers led Natalia to developing an interest in opera, and subsequently to the study of conducting. Natalia also has been part of the Symphony Services International Conductor Development Program, which has seen her working with the Tasmanian and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, Auckland Philharmonia and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. She has studied under the guidance of Christopher Seaman, Johannes Fritzsch and Eckehard Stier. Natalia completed her Masters Degree in Conducting under the tutelage of Imre Pallò and Eduardo Diazmunoz at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. In 2014, she commenced a Doctor of Musical Arts at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under supervision of Eduardo Diazmunoz. Whilst studying, Natalia was engaged by the Willoughby Symphony Choir as Choir Director. In this capacity she worked closely with Dr. Nicholas Milton, preparing works such as Rachmaninov’s The Bells, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Verdi’s Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah.
