Born in Jamaica, Gourlay was subsequently raised in the Bahamas, the Philippines, Japan and the United Kingdom.

He was a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, with whom he played under the baton of their founder, Claudio Abbado.

[3][4] Gourlay studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and University of Manchester, before specialising in conducting at the Royal College of Music in London, where he prepared orchestras for Bernard Haitink and Sir Roger Norrington.

[4] In 2014, Gourlay became Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León.

At the BBC Proms he has conducted the 40th Anniversary celebration of BBC Young Musician of the Year, multiple Proms with the London Sinfonietta, Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé and the world premiere of Wunderkammer by Danny Elfman with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.