Marin Alsop

Marin Alsop
Background information
Born (1956-10-16) October 16, 1956
New York City
Genres Classical
Occupation(s) Conductor
Instruments violin
Associated acts Colorado Symphony Orchestra;
Eugene Symphony;
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra;
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra;
Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo

Marin Alsop (born October 16, 1956) is an American conductor and violinist. She is the music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and music director of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra.[1][2]

Early life and education

Alsop was born in New York City to professional musician parents, and was educated at the Masters School.[3] She attended Yale University, but later transferred to the Juilliard School, where she earned a bachelor's and a master's degree in violin. She founded the string ensemble String Fever in 1981. She won the Koussevitzky Prize as outstanding student conductor at the Tanglewood Music Center in 1989.

Early career

Alsop has been music director of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, California, since 1992. The festival specializes in contemporary orchestral music. In fall 2015, Cabrillo announced that Alsop would step down following the 2016 Festival. From 1993 to 2005, she was first principal conductor and then music director of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. She is now the orchestra's conductor laureate. Alsop has also served as music director of the Eugene Symphony in Eugene, Oregon. She was associate conductor of the Richmond Symphony in Richmond, Virginia, from 1988 to 1990. On September 20, 2005, Alsop became the first conductor ever to receive a MacArthur Fellowship.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

In September 2007, Alsop was appointed the 12th music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (Baltimore SO),[4] having been named Music Director Designate for the 2006-2007 concert season. Her selection was noteworthy because Alsop is the first woman to hold this position with a major American orchestra. The initial controversy surrounding her choice stemmed from significant resistance from the orchestra's players, who insisted they had not had enough voice in the search process. The orchestra and Alsop met after the announcement and apparently smoothed over some of their differences.[5][6] In June 2009, the orchestra announced the extension of her contract for another five years, through August 2015.[7] In July 2013, the Baltimore SO announced a further extension of her contract as music director through the 2020-2021 season.[8][9]

Since she became music director, Alsop's initiatives with the Baltimore SO have included the "Webumentary Film Series" and a free iTunes podcast, "Clueless About Classical." She recently announced a new educational program called "OrchKids", in which underprivileged Baltimore children will receive free music instruction, based on Venezuela's El Sistema program. Alsop was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008.[10]

In August 2015 Alsop was appointed Director of Graduate Conducting at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, succeeding one of her mentors, Gustav Meier.[11]

Outside the US

In the UK, Alsop has served as principal guest conductor with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and with the City of London Sinfonia.[12] Alsop was Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (Bournemouth SO) from 2002 to 2008.[13] She was voted Gramophone magazine's Artist of the Year in 2003 and won the Royal Philharmonic Society's conductor's award in the same season. In April 2007, Alsop was one of eight conductors of British orchestras to endorse the 10-year classical music outreach manifesto, "Building on Excellence: Orchestras for the 21st Century", to increase the presence of classical music in the UK, including giving free entry to all British schoolchildren to a classical music concert.[14] Alsop received an honorary degree of Doctor of Music from Bournemouth University on 7 November 2007. Alsop served as an Artist-in-Residence at the Southbank Centre, London, for the 2011-2012 season.[15]

In 2012, Alsop became principal conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra[16] and became music director in July 2013, with her contract now extended to the end of 2019.[17] Her work with the São Paulo orchestra includes steering the orchestra in its artistic and creative programming, recording ventures and its education and outreach activities, as well as their annual Campos do Jordão International Winter Festival. Alsop led the orchestra on a European tour, including its first-ever appearance at the Proms in August 2012,[18] the first Proms appearance by any Brazilian orchestra. They returned to Europe in October 2013, with concerts in Berlin, London, Paris, Salzburg and Vienna.[19]

On 7 September 2013 she became the first woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms, and conducted the prestigious concert again on 12 September 2015 having been asked to return.[20] On 4 September 2014, on a return visit to the Proms to conduct works by John Adams and Mahler, she was awarded Honorary Membership of the Royal Philharmonic Society,[21] the presentation being made on stage by the composer and RPS trustee, Colin Matthews.

Personal life

Since 1990, Alsop's partner has been Kristin Jurkscheit, a horn player. They have a son, and Alsop has spoken publicly about her family.[22][23][24] While Alsop was conducting the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, of which her partner was a member, their relationship provoked controversy, though Alsop replied that the relationship predated her appointment to lead the orchestra and had no bearing on her job performance.[6]

Discography

Alsop conducted her first recording in 2000 with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in a selection of works by Samuel Barber, which was released as part of the American Classics Series on Naxos Records.[25] This disc was followed by four more released between 2001–2004 dedicated to the works of Samuel Barber. In 2003, she released her first disc of Leonard Bernstein which she recorded with the Bournemouth SO and Chorus, with the Symphonic Suite from On The Waterfront and the Three Dance Episodes from On The Town. Following this, in 2005, Alsop’s fully staged production of Bernstein’s Candide with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra was nominated for an Emmy Award (DVD: PBS Great Performances/ Image Entertainment).

In June 2006, Alsop conducted the Baltimore SO and violinist Joshua Bell in John Corigliano’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, The Red Violin, recorded by Sony Classics and released in September 2007.[26] She also led the Baltimore SO in Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, which became the orchestra's first-ever live-recording release on iTunes.[27] Following her advent to the Baltimore post, one of her first projects as Music Director was a series of recordings of Dvořák for Naxos. The first disc in the series, featuring Symphony No. 9, From the New World, and Symphonic Variations, was released in February 2008,[28] and was nominated for BBC Music Magazine’s 2008 Album of the Year.

Other highlights of Alsop’s recording collaboration with Naxos include a Johannes Brahms symphony cycle with the London Philharmonic Orchestra (the first commercially recorded Brahms symphony cycle by a female conductor) and an ongoing series of Bournemouth SO recordings, which include Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and the symphonies of Kurt Weill.[29]

In 2009, Alsop released a recording of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass with the Baltimore SO that earned a Grammy nomination for Best Classical Album.[30] In 2010, her recording of Jennifer Higdon’s Percussion Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and soloist Colin Currie won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition.[31][32]

Other recent releases include Dvořák symphonies No. 7 & No. 8 with Baltimore,[33] Nixon in China,[34] and works by Roy Harris, Aaron Copland, and Barber, all on the Naxos label. In 2012, Alsop and the Baltimore SO released a recording of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1, also on Naxos.[35]

References

  1. ↑ Maria Eugênia de Menezes (11 February 2011). "Osesp anuncia nova regente". O Estado de S. Paulo. Retrieved 2011-02-12.
  2. ↑ Andrew Clark (20 July 2012). "'You have to be strong'". Financial Times. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
  3. ↑ Marin Alsop (20 July 2012). "'Marin Alsop- Timeline'". MarinAlsop.com. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  4. ↑ For convenience, the abbreviations "Baltimore SO" and "Bournemouth SO" are used, since both orchestras share the same letters in full abbreviations.
  5. ↑ Lev Grossman (25 July 2005). "A Symphony of Her Own". Time. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
  6. 1 2 Daniel J. Wakin (9 October 2005). "Best Wishes on Your Job. Now Get Out.". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-09-07.
  7. ↑ Anne Midgette (5 June 2009). "Baltimore Symphony Extends Music Director's Contract to 2015". Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  8. ↑ "Marin Alsop Extends Contract as Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Through the 2020-2021 Season" (PDF) (Press release). Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  9. ↑ Tim Smith (2013-07-25). "Marin Alsop renews Baltimore Symphony contract through 2021". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  10. ↑ "Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter A" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  11. ↑ Tim Smith (28 August 2015). "BSO's Marin Alsop to direct graduate conducting program at Peabody". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
  12. ↑ Geoffrey Norris (22 March 2001). "Beating time and space on the way to the top". Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  13. ↑ "'I don’t need to be liked, I’d rather be respected'". The Times. 9 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  14. ↑ Charlotte Higgins (2007-04-26). "Orchestras urge free concerts for children". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  15. ↑ "Southbank Centre Classical Music 2011_12 Season" (PDF). Southbank Centre Press Release notes. 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  16. ↑ Stephen Moss (2012-08-14). "How Marin Alsop plans to put São Paulo Orchestra on the map". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  17. ↑ "Marin Alsop renews contract with São Paulo Symphony Orchestra". Gramophone. 2015-04-15. Retrieved 2015-06-05.
  18. ↑ Andrew Clements (2012-08-16). "Prom 45: São Paulo Symphony Orchestra/Alsop – review (Royal Albert Hall, London)". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  19. ↑ Richard Fairman (2013-10-28). "São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Royal Festival Hall, London – review". Financial Times. Retrieved 2015-06-05.
  20. ↑ "The 2015 BBC Proms season is announced". Gramophone. 2015-04-23. Retrieved 2015-06-05.
  21. ↑ "RPS - Royal Philharmonic Society - Honorary membership for Marin Alsop - News - About Us". royalphilharmonicsociety.org.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  22. ↑ Dalton, Joseph (August 10, 2008). "Marin Alsop to conduct Philadelphia Orchestra at SPAC". Times Union.
  23. ↑ Tommasini, Anthony (November 11, 2007). "A One-Woman Vanguard". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
  24. ↑ Smith, Tim (June 11, 2010). "Alsop cements relationship with BSO, community". The Baltimore Sun.
  25. ↑ Alsop, Marin (October 29, 2010). "Building A Career On Barber, The Enigmatic American". NPR. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  26. ↑ Anderson, Porter (September 5, 2007). "The Red Violin sings again". CNN. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  27. ↑ Smith, Tim (March 19, 2007). "SO recording makes iPod hit parade". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  28. ↑ Alsop, Marin (April 18, 2008). "Dvorak's Symphonic Journey to the 'New World'". NPR. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  29. ↑ Cowan, Rob (June 2005). "Bartók (The) Miraculous Mandarin, Op. 19". Gramophone. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  30. ↑ Smith, Tim (December 3, 2009). "Baltimore Symphony recording of Bernstein's 'Mass' gets Grammy nomination". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  31. ↑ Nicholson, David (October 26, 2010). "Virginia Symphony presents Higdon's percussion concerto". Daily Press. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  32. ↑ Dunkle, David N. (February 2, 2010). "Philadelphia composer Jennifer Higdon scores a Grammy". The Patriot-News. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Dvorák: Symphonies 7 & 8". BBC Music Magazine. January 20, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  34. ↑ Picard, Anna (January 20, 2012). "Adams: Nixon in China". BBC Music Magazine. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  35. ↑ Ashley, Tim (October 11, 2012). "Mahler: Symphony No 1 – review". The Guardian. Retrieved May 12, 2015.

External links

Cultural offices
Preceded by
Philippe Entremont (Denver Symphony)		 Music Director, Colorado Symphony Orchestra
1993-2005 		Succeeded by
Jeffrey Kahane
Preceded by
Yakov Kreizberg		 Principal Conductor, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
2002-2008 		Succeeded by
Kirill Karabits
Preceded by
Yan Pascal Tortelier		 Principal Conductor, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo
2012-present 		Succeeded by
incumbent
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