Artist manager Jonathan Groves has launched Groves Artists, a new company formed from the Ingpen & Williams agency. Groves made the decision to rebrand the company after David Sigall, his co-director at Ingpen & Williams, announced his retirement in May.
Some key Ingpen & Williams staff remain such as Helen Hogh, who will be director of vocal artists at the new agency. Others, like Thomas Hull and Nicki Wenham, have taken up positions with other agencies.
Commented Groves: ‘I am delighted that Groves Artists stands on the secure foundations of Ingpen & Williams…artists value the continuity that we are able to offer them.
‘We have deliberately established a small company so we can devote the maximum amount of time to our artists. It has always been my belief that, when it comes to managing artists, small is good.’
Artists on the new company’s books include conductors Ivor Bolton, Sian Edwards and Ryan Wigglesworth, as well as singers Gwynne Howell, Monica Bacelli and Kiandra Howarth. In total, the agency represents 35 artists.
The company now consists of Groves (managing director) Hogh (director of vocal artists), Fiona Wells (servicing manager), Francesco Bastanzetti (assistant artist manager) and Kirsteen Davidson (assistant artist manager).
Joan Ingpen founded Ingpen & Williams in 1946, naming the company after herself and her pet dachshund. A successful opera manager, she is credited with launching the career of Luciano Pavarotti after she hired him to perform in La Boheme at Covent Garden in 1963.
Concluded Groves: ‘While the launch of Groves Artists represents a new chapter, it emerges from the seventy-year history of Ingpen & Williams. I cannot imagine a better way to start a business.’