Ken-David Masur (born 1977 [1] ) is a German-born American conductor.
Born in Leipzig of Japanese and German ancestry, Masur is the son of conductor Kurt Masur and Masur's third wife, the soprano Tomoko Sakurai. He began piano studies at age 6. Masur was also a boy soprano, and sang with the Gewandhaus Children's Choir at age 9. [2] He later obtained a formal vocal education at the Hanns Eisler Conservatory in Berlin, where his teachers included Thomas Quasthoff. During his father's tenure with the New York Philharmonic, Masur attended the Music Conservatory of Westchester, where he studied trumpet. [2] He subsequently attended Columbia University, where he established the Bach Society Orchestra and Chorus, and served as its first music director from 1999 to 2002. [3] [4] He graduated from Columbia in 2002. [5]
In Europe, Masur was an assistant conductor with the Orchestre National de France from 2004 to 2006. He became principal guest conductor of the Munich Symphony Orchestra in 2011. In the US, Masur was resident conductor of the San Antonio Symphony from 2007 to 2011. In 2011, he became an assistant conductor at the San Diego Symphony. [2] He was a conducting fellow at the Tanglewood Festival in 2011, [6] and made his conducting debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood in July 2012, in a program where he and his father shared conducting duties. [7] He later became assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra as of the 2014–2015 season, [3] and later took on the title of associate conductor of the orchestra.
In May 2018, Masur first guest-conducted the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO). The MSO immediately re-engaged him for a second guest-conducting appearance in September 2018. On the basis of these concerts, in November 2018, the MSO announced the appointment of Masur as its next music director, effective with the 2019–2020 season, with an initial contract of 4 seasons. This appointment marks Masur's first music directorship. He took the title of MSO music director-designate with immediate effect. [8] [9] With his appointment to the MSO, Masur stood down from his Boston post. [6] In June 2019, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Masur as the next principal conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, effective with the 2019–2020 season. [10]
Masur is married to the pianist Melinda Lee Masur. They founded the Chelsea Music Festival and serve as its artistic directors. [11] They have 3 children. [9]
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, the BSO performs most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at Tanglewood.
Kurt Masur was a German conductor. Called "one of the last old-style maestros", he directed many of the principal orchestras of his era. He had a long career as the Kapellmeister of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and also served as music director of the New York Philharmonic. He left many recordings of classical music played by major orchestras. Masur is also remembered for his actions to support peaceful demonstrations in the 1989 anti-government demonstrations in Leipzig; the protests were part of the events leading up to the fall of the Berlin wall.
Seiji Ozawa is a Japanese conductor known for his advocacy of modern composers and for his work with the San Francisco Symphony, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna State Opera, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he served as music director for 29 years. He is the recipient of numerous international awards.
Edo de Waart is a Dutch conductor. He is Music Director Laureate of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. De Waart is the former chief conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic (2011-2016), Artistic Partner with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (2010-2014), and music director of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (2016-2019).
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The orchestra performs primarily at the Bradley Symphony Center in Allen-Bradley Hall. The orchestra also serves as the orchestra for Florentine Opera productions.
Robert Spano is an American conductor and pianist. He is currently music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Aspen Music Festival and School, and music director laureate of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO).
James Lawrence Levine was an American conductor and pianist. He was music director of the Metropolitan Opera from 1976 to 2016. He was terminated from all his positions and affiliations with the Met on March 12, 2018, over sexual misconduct allegations, which he denied.
Paul Schuyler Phillips is an American conductor, composer and music scholar. He is the Gretchen B. Kimball Director of Orchestral Studies, with the rank of Associate Professor in Teaching, at Stanford University, where he directs the Stanford Symphony Orchestra and Stanford Philharmonia. He maintains an international career as a guest conductor and composer. As a scholar, he is best known for his writings on Igor Stravinsky and Anthony Burgess.
Markus Stenz is a German conductor. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik Köln with Volker Wangenhein and at Tanglewood with Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa.
The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops. The center operates as a part of the Tanglewood Music Festival, an outdoor concert series and the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO).
Charles Ansbacher was an American conductor. After undergraduate and graduate work at Brown University ('65) and the University of Cincinnati, he studied conducting at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. Ansbacher was the conductor and musical director of the Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra from 1970 to 1989, and, in 2000, founded the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, which gives free classical music concerts at various locations in the Boston area. On September 1, 2010, he was named Conductor Laureate of the Boston Landmarks Orchestra.
James Paul is an American conductor. He is currently the music director of the Oregon Coast Music Festival.
Grant Llewellyn is a Welsh conductor and music director of the North Carolina Symphony and Orchestre National de Bretagne.
Andris Nelsons is a Latvian conductor who is currently the music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Gewandhauskapellmeister of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. He has previously served as music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, and music director of the Latvian National Opera.
Ludovic Morlot is a French conductor.
Victor Yampolsky is a Russian-born conductor and the son of pianist Vladimir Yampolsky. He was most recently director of orchestras at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music, a position he has held since 1984. He is the music director emeritus of the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, where he was music director from 1995 to 2004. He also is the music director of the Peninsula Music Festival and the honorary director of the Scotia Festival of Music in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Before his appointment to the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Yampolsky served as the principal conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of South Africa and as the resident conductor of the Chicago Civic Orchestra, the training ground for younger musicians under the auspices of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Black conductors are musicians of African, Caribbean, African-American ancestry and other members of the African diaspora who are musical ensemble leaders who direct classical music performances, such as an orchestral or choral concerts, or jazz ensemble big band concerts by way of visible gestures with the hands, arms, face and head. Conductors of African descent are rare, as the vast majority are male and Caucasian.
James Gaffigan is an American conductor.
Marcelo Lehninger is music director of the Grand Rapids Symphony, a professional orchestra located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Robert Treviño is a Mexican-American conductor. He is currently music director of the Basque National Orchestra in Spain, principal guest conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, and artistic advisor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra in Sweden.
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