Andreas Delfs

Andreas Delfs
Born (1959-08-30) August 30, 1959 (age 65)
Flensburg, West Germany
OccupationConductor
Instrument(s)Piano, music theory

Andreas Delfs (born 30 August 1959) is a German conductor. He is the music director of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor laureate of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Biography

Delfs was born in Flensburg, West Germany. He began studying piano and music theory at age ten, and by age twenty was named music director of the Hamburg University Orchestra. [1][1] Delfs graduated from Hamburg Conservatory in 1981, and earned his Master's at Juilliard School of Music in 1984. At Hamburg, Delfs studied under Aldo Ceccato and Christoph von Dohnanyi. After receiving his Master's, he accepted the post of Assistant Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, then under the music directorship of Lorin Maazel. From 1984 to 1995 he also held the position of chief conductor of the Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra (SYSO).

Delfs was appointed music director and conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 1997.[2] In 1999, he led the Orchestra on a tour of Cuba, the first by an American orchestra in more than 37 years. In December 2006, the orchestra announced that Delfs would relinquish the music directorship of the Milwaukee Symphony after the 2008–2009 season (the Orchestra's fiftieth season), and become its Conductor Laureate.[3]

Delfs held the post of music director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra from 2001 to 2004, and the position of Generalmusikdirektor of the Staatsoper Hannover from 1996 to 2000. In March 2007, Delfs was named Principal Conductor of the Honolulu Symphony,[4] with an initial contract of 3 years.[5] His tenure with the Honolulu Symphony ended when it went bankrupt and filed for liquidation in December 2010.

In June 2015, Delfs was appointed music director of the Temple University Symphony Orchestra at the Boyer College of Music and Dance,[6] replacing the retired Luis Biava.[7] In addition, he is also to serve as a professor under the school's Department of Instrumental Studies.

Delfs first guest-conducted the Rochester Philharmonic in 1994. In January 2021, the Rochester Philharmonic named Delfs its next music director.[8][9]

Discography

  • Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 3 & 4 (John O'Conor, piano; London Symphony Orchestra) [2]
  • Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 (John O'Conor, London Symphony Orchestra)
  • Sacred Songs (Renée Fleming, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)
  • Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel (Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra)
  • Mozart/Süssmayr: Requiems (St. Paul Chamber Orchestra)
  • Ervín Schulhoff: 'Concertos Alla Jazz'
  • Schoeck: Violin Concerto op. 21, Penthesilea-Suite (Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra)
  • Roberto Sierra: Missa Latina "Pro Pace" (Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano; Nathaniel Webster, baritone; Milwaukee Symphony Chorus and Orchestra)

References

  1. ^ Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Lineage of Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Music Directors. Retrieved 2019-3-5.
  2. ^ Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. "A New Generation Archived 2017-03-06 at the Wayback Machine". A Brief History of the MSO. Retrieved 2019-3-5.
  3. ^ Matthew Westphal (2006-12-06). "Andreas Delfs to Step Down as Milwaukee Symphony Music Director". Playbill Arts. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  4. ^ Matthew Westphal (2007-03-06). "Andreas Delfs Named Principal Conductor of Honolulu Symphony". Playbill Arts. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  5. ^ "Internationally Renowned Conductor Appointed to Honolulu Symphony Andreas Delfs Named New Principal Conductor" (Press release). Honolulu Symphony. 6 March 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  6. ^ "Renowned conductor named to Temple University Symphony Orchestra". Temple News Center. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  7. ^ Dobrin, Peter (6 June 2015). "Conductor Andreas Delfs to be professor of music at Temple". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  8. ^ Daniel J. Kushner (2021-01-26). "RPO taps veteran maestro Andreas Delfs as music director". Rochester City Paper. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  9. ^ Kent Gardner (2021-01-26). "Delfs named new RPO music director". Rochester Beacon. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
Cultural offices
Preceded by
 Musikalischer Oberleiter, Bern Theatre
1990-1994 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Generalmusikdirektor, Staatsoper Hannover
1996-2000 		Succeeded by
Hans Urbanek
Preceded by Music Director, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
1997-2009 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Music Director, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
2001-2004 		Succeeded by
(no successor)
Preceded by
Samuel Wong
 Principal Conductor, Honolulu Symphony Orchestra
2007-2010 		Succeeded by
JoAnn Falletta (music advisor)