Frank Zielhorst holds the position of Head of Music Engagement at Queen Mary University and a wide-ranging career that includes conducting orchestras internationally, as well as teaching for institutions such as the Royal College of Music and the Yehudi Menuhin School.
At Queen Mary University, Frank has introduced a model where the Barts and the London Orchestra and the Mile End Music Society Orchestra merge while remaining their own identities. He has managed to grow the number of students and staff participating in the university’s ensembles and choirs and has revitalised the music offer by reinstating Music Scholarships. Concerts have been well attended with audience numbers growing over the year. In the 2024-2025 academic year, QM Music wants to present an offer that is more outward looking, and more engaging with external partners and local communities.
Frank works regularly with orchestras such as the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Ulster Orchestra, the Residentie Orchestra The Hague (Netherlands), the Prague Symphony Orchestra (Czech Republic) and the Orquestra Clássica do Sul (Portugal). He enjoys a special relationship with BSO Resound, a professional disabled-led ensemble.
In 2019 Frank was appointed guest teacher at the Royal College of Music for orchestral studies and since 2022, he teaches Musicianship at the Yehudi Menuhin School. He also regularly conducts at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
Frank is a devoted advocate of music for young people and throughout his career he devoted a large portion of his time to education and outreach work. At Sinfonia Viva, he focused on cultivating creativity and on reaching the most vulnerable in society, and while at the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, he created inspiring programs for schools in the South West of England and beyond.