Marin Alsop Appointed Principal Guest Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra

 

Marin Alsop Photo: Nancy Horowitz

 

2022년 6월 반 클라이번 피아노 콩쿠르 결선에서 '라흐마니노프 피아노 협주곡 3번'을 연주하는 임윤찬을 지휘했던 마린 알솝(Marin Alsop, 67)이 필라델피아 오케스트라의 수석 객원지휘자(principal guest conductor)로 임명됐다. 알솝의 임기는 2024-25 시즌부터 3년간 지속된다.  

 

1956년 맨해튼 어퍼웨스트사이드에서 현악기 연주자 부부 사이에 태어난 마린 알솝은 예일대 수학과 중퇴 후 줄리아드음대로 편입했다. 줄리아드에서 바이올린을 전공해 석사학위를 취득한 후 2021년 명예박사학위를 받았다. 마린 알솝은 줄리아드 지휘과에 응모했다가 세번 낙방한 후 1981년 뉴욕스트링앙상블, 여성 재즈 앙상블 스트링 피버, 1984년엔 50인조 오케스트라 콩코디아(Concordia)를 창립했다. 1983년엔 필립 글래스 작곡 체임버 오페라 '사진가(The Photographer)'의 레코딩에서 악장으로 연주했다. 

 

1089년 보스턴 탱글우드음악센터에서 학생 지휘자로 수상하면서 멘토 레오나드 번스타인을 만났다. 1993년 콜로라도 심포니, 리치몬드심포니, 유진심포니, 롱아일랜드필하모닉, 세인트루이스심포니의 음악감독/크리에이티브 지휘자-의장을 역임했다. 2007년 볼티모어심포니의 음악감독으로 지명되며 미 주요 오케스트라 사상 최초의 여성 지휘자가 됐다.     

 

현재 폴란드국립라디오심포니오케스트라의 음악감독, 볼티모어심포니오케스트라의 명예 음악감독이자 비엔나라디오심포니오케스트라, 라비니아 페스티벌의 수석 지휘자를 맡고 있다. 2002년엔 여성 지휘자를 발굴하는 장학 프로그램 Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship을 창립했다. 

 

동성애자로 파트너는 1990년 콜로라도 오케스트라에서 만난 호른 연주자 크리스틴 주크슈이트(Kristin Jurkscheit)다. 필라델피아오케스트라의 음악감독 야닉 네제 세갱(Yannick Nézet-Séguin)도 동성연애자다. 

 

1900년 창단된 필라델피아 오케스트라(Philadelphia Orchestra)는 뉴욕필하모닉(1842년 창단), 보스턴심포니오케스트라(1881), 시카고심포니오케스트라(1891), 그리고 클리블랜드오케스트라(1918)와 함께 미국의 ‘빅 파이브(Big Five)’ 오케스트라로 통한다. 필라오케스트라엔 데이빗 김(David Kim) 악장, 줄리엣 강 부악장(Juliette Kang, first associate concertmaster), 크리스틴 림 조악장(Christine Lim, associate concertmaster)을 비롯해 장충진(Choong-Jin Chang, 비올라 수석), 마빈 문(Marvin Moon, 비올라), 안나 마리아 안 피터슨(Anna Marie Ahn Petersen, 비올라), 다니엘 한(Daniel Han, 바이올린), 그리고 김정인(Jeoung-Yin Kim, 바이올린)씨 등 8인이 연주하고 있다.  https://www.philorch.org  

 

 

 

 

Marin Alsop Appointed Principal Guest Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra

Three-year term begins in 2024–25 season

 

(Philadelphia, January 9, 2024)—Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra are thrilled to announce the appointment of the trailblazing Marin Alsop as principal guest conductor. The three-year term will begin in the 2024–25 season. In this role, Alsop will lead the Orchestra in multiple subscription concerts, special events, annual summer residencies, and national and international tours, beginning with the Orchestra’s upcoming 2024 tour of China.  

 

“Marin Alsop is a renowned and revolutionary figure in the world of classical music, and one of the foremost conductors of our time,” said Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. “A torchbearer, she inspires generations of young conductors to pursue their dreams. She has always had a clear and insightful vision of the role of orchestras in our society, and I know she will be a tremendous partner as we continue to forge a bold and inclusive future for The Philadelphia Orchestra. I look forward to experiencing her innovative and inspiring approach with this legendary ensemble of musicians.”

 

“Working with the incredible musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra has always been a musical highlight for me,” said Marin Alsop. “Having the opportunity now to build on that relationship, and to join the spectacular artistic team headed by visionary conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, is a dream come true. The Philadelphia Orchestra is committed to changing the future of classical music. I am proud to join this exceptional organization.” 

 

“We are fervent believers in the transformative power of music to bring joy, create community, and effect change—sentiments shared and exemplified by Marin Alsop throughout her career,” said President and CEO Matías Tarnopolsky. “I am delighted to see these possibilities unfold as she partners with the extraordinary musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra.”

 

The Philadelphia Orchestra has a long history with Alsop, beginning with her first appearance in 1990, and spanning 32 concerts since then. In addition to subscription concerts at the Academy of Music and in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, she has also joined the Orchestra in all of its summer homes—at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, the Bravo! Vail Music Festival in Vail, CO, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her versatility has been demonstrated in the diverse range of works performed with the Orchestra, from masterpieces such as Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, and Brahms’s First Symphony to 20th- and 21st-century works by Jennifer Higdon, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, John Adams, John Corigliano, and Missy Mazzoli. Her Philadelphia Orchestra performances have featured some of the biggest names in classical music, including Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Audra McDonald, Joshua Bell, Gil Shaham, and Angel Blue.  

 

Alsop has led the Orchestra in several major events in recent years. In the 2022–23 season, she stepped in for Nézet-Séguin at the last minute to lead “viscerally thrilling” (Financial Times) performances of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring in Philadelphia and in New York at Carnegie Hall, a feat that was made possible through her special connection with the musicians of the Orchestra and her adaptability as a conductor. In addition, she led the Orchestra’s second annual Pride Concert on June 3, 2023, a celebratory event featuring works by LGBTQ+ composers and allies. In 2020, she conducted acclaimed performances of highlights from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess that were recorded for Pentatone Records. In 2019, she joined Itzhak Perlman in a celebratory concert featuring the iconic scores of John Williams and additional film music from Casablanca, Out of Africa, Cinema Paradiso, and more.  

 

Convinced that music has the power to change lives, Alsop is internationally recognized for her innovative approach to programming and audience development, her deep commitment to education, and her championing of music’s importance in the world. The first woman to serve as the head of a major orchestra in the United States, South America, Austria, and Britain, she is now in her fifth season as chief conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, her first as artistic director and chief conductor of the Polish National Radio Symphony, and her first as principal guest conductor of London’s Philharmonia Orchestra. She also holds positions as chief conductor, Chicago Symphony Orchestra residency, of the Ravinia Festival, where she curates and conducts the CSO’s annual summer residency; as the first music director of the University of Maryland’s National Orchestral Institute + Festival (NOI+F); and as music director laureate and OrchKids founder of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, which she continues to conduct each season after an outstanding 14-year tenure as its music director.

 

The first and only conductor to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, Alsop has also been honored with the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award, and she made history as the first female conductor of the BBC’s Last Night of the Proms. To promote and nurture the careers of her fellow female conductors, she founded the program now named the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship in 2002. The Conductor, a documentary about her life, debuted at New York’s 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and has subsequently been broadcast on PBS television, screened at festivals and theaters nationwide, and recognized with the Naples International Film Festival’s 2021 Focus on the Arts Award. 

 

Before beginning her Philadelphia appointment, Alsop will make her company debut at the Metropolitan Opera, leading John Adams’s El Niño (A Nativity Oratorio) in a fully staged new production starring soprano Julia Bullock and bass-baritone Davóne Tines. Other 2024 highlights include a new production of Bernstein’s Candide with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony, further performances with Polish National Radio Symphony and Philharmonia Orchestra, and guest conducting returns to the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Hamburg’s NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, and Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. 

 

Yannick Nézet-Séguin holds the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Chair.

Marin Alsop holds the Ralph and Beth Johnston Muller Chair (beginning in September 2024).