Music Director Search
On the eve of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra’s 30th anniversary in 2012, the orchestra seeks a dynamic artistic director to lead the organization into the future. From a pool of more than 100 applicants, the LSO has chosen six exceptional conductors to be considered for the position of Music Director. Lawrence Isaacson led the orchestra in the finale of its 2010-2011 season. David Commanday leads the LSO’s free outdoor concert at the DCR Hatch Shell on Boston’s Esplanade on Wednesday, August 17, 2011. The remaining four candidates – Susan Davenny Wyner, Edward Jones, Federico Cortese, and Ronny Feldman – are featured in this season’s Jordan Hall concerts.
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| Lawrence Isaacson
May 14, 2011
Lawrence (Larry) Isaacson earned a B.M. with honors from Northwestern University. He has studied with Arnold Jacobs, Frank Crisafulli, Dave Langlitz, Ron Barron, and Glenn Dodson and in 1979 served as a fellow at Tanglewood Music Center. Prior to joining The Boston Conservatory—where he is Associate Director of the Music Division—Isaacson served on the faculties of Boston University, MIT, the New England Conservatory, the University of New Hampshire, Tufts University, Mannes College of Music, and Tanglewood. As a trombonist, he is a former member of the Empire Brass Quintet, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Boston Pops. Isaacson currently serves as Music Director of the Neponset Valley Philharmonic, conductor of the Old South Brass in Boston, and director of The Boston Conservatory Brass Ensemble. He is a regular guest conductor at the Aspen Music Festival.
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| David Commanday
August 17, 2011
David Commanday is the founding Artistic Director and Conductor of the Heartland Festival Orchestra in Illinois. As past Music Director, he raised the Peoria Symphony Orchestra to a level of regional distinction. Earlier in his career, Commanday was Music Director of the Boston Ballet and the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, and he conducted and taught at Harvard University, MIT, and Boston University. He has guest conducted orchestras around the world, including the National, American, Seattle, Atlanta, Flagstaff, and Richmond Symphony Orchestras; the Israel and Las Vegas Philharmonics; and the Vienna Pro Arte and Louisville Orchestras. Commanday was educated at Harvard University and continued his musical education at the Vienna Hochschule für Musik.
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| Susan Davenny Wyner
October 1, 2011
Trained initially as a violinist and violist, Ms. Wyner went on to an international career as a soprano soloist, performing with the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the New York, Los Angeles, and Israel Philharmonics, with such conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Sir Colin Davis, Erich Leinsdorf, André Previn, Lorin Maazel, Seiji Ozawa, Robert Shaw, and Michael Tilson Thomas. Tragically, she lost her voice in a hit-and-run car accident and began her conducting career, which has earned praise from The New York Times and the Boston Globe, among other major news organizations. From 1999 to 2005, Ms. Davenny Wyner served as the Music Director and Conductor of The New England String Ensemble, a professional string orchestra that she brought to national prominence. She is currently conductor of the Boston Midsummer Opera, Opera Western Reserve, and the Warren Philharmonic Orchestra. She attended Cornell University, Yale, and Columbia and studied conducting at Tanglewood, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute.
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| Edward Jones
December 3, 2011
Originally from Wales, Edward Jones studied music at Cambridge University, where he was Organ Scholar of Emmanuel College, and at Mannes College of Music. For the past eight years, he has been University Organist and Choirmaster of the Memorial Church at Harvard University, where he is director of the Harvard University Choir. He is assistant conductor at Opera Boston and has guest conducted the Handel and Haydn Society and Emmanuel Music, among many others. Jones conducted the Longwood Symphony Orchestra in concert in 2009 and has assisted in the preparation of numerous other Longwood performances.
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| Federico Cortese
March 17, 2012
Federico Cortese recently completed his second season as Director of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra. He has served as Music Director of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras since 1999 and in the same capacity for the New England String Ensemble since 2005. From 1998 to 2002 he served as Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa; he also served as Assistant Conductor to Robert Spano at the Brooklyn Philharmonic and to Daniele Gatti in Rome. Cortese has conducted several prominent orchestras, including the Atlanta, Dallas, and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestras, the Sydney Symphony, and the Oslo Philharmonic. Cortese studied composition and conducting at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome and at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna and has been a conducting fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center. Cortese also holds a law degree from La Sapienza University in Rome.
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| Ronny Feldman
June 9, 2012
Ronny Feldman joined the Boston Symphony as a cellist at the age of 19, a position from which he retired in 2001 after a 35-year career. His other performances include chamber collaborations with Emmanuel Ax, Garrick Ohlsson, Gil Shaham, and Yo-Yo Ma. He has appeared as guest conductor with major orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Saint Louis Symphony. He served as assistant conductor to John Williams at the Boston Pops from 1989 to 1993. Feldman currently directs the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra, a regional orchestra in residence at Williams College, where he is on the music faculty. He was formerly the conductor and Music Director of the New England Philharmonic and the Worcester Orchestra. He has served on the faculties of Williams College, the New England Conservatory of Music, The Boston Conservatory of Music, and the Berklee College of Music.
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