Dallas Symphony Orchestra's Maestro Jaap Van Zweden Honored
As Musical America Conductor Of The Year At New York Presentation
Source: Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Dallas | Decemvber 8, 2011
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Dallas Symphony Orchestra Music Director Jaap van Zweden was named Musical America Conductor of the Year 2012 at a ceremony Monday evening at Lincoln Center in New York City. Maestro van Zweden was honored for his musical achievements with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and as a top guest conductor with orchestras across America. [ENLARGE] |
Jaap van Zweden, Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s (DSO) brilliant Music Director, was presented with the prestigious Musical America Conductor of the Year Award 2012 last night in New York City. Maestro van Zweden received the award for his critically acclaimed work with the DSO and as guest conductor with some of the nation’s most esteemed orchestras. In past years, this honor has gone to such world renowned conductors as Wolfgang Sawallisch, Michael Tilson Thomas, Valery Gergiev, Sir Colin Davis, Osmo Vänskä and Marin Alsop.
“This is a first for Dallas and the DSO,” said Blaine L. Nelson, DSO Board Chairman. “Jaap is a singular talent. He has elevated our classical performances to a dazzling new level. Audiences are enchanted with his passion, spontaneity and musical vision, and DSO’s musicians are inspired by his direction.”
“It is a great honor for me to receive this prestigious award. This recognition comes at a thrilling stage in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s development,” said van Zweden. “I believe the Dallas Symphony has been re-energized and is playing at a world-class level. Commentators in the U.S. and beyond now recognize the quality of what we are doing, and this award gives us additional validation.”
The DSO and all of Dallas will celebrate Maestro van Zweden’s award during his January 26-29 concerts of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto and Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, The Great C Major. He will be presented with a proclamation from City of Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings.
“This is truly an extraordinary honor for Maestro van Zweden and the DSO,” said Mayor Rawlings. “Under Jaap’s magical direction Dallas is blessed to have one of the best symphonies in the country. His accomplishment brings us international attention and adds to our growing reputation as a cultural center.”
Jaap debuted with the DSO as a Guest Conductor in 2006 and began his tenure as its Music Director at the start of the 2008-2009 season. In addition to his position with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, he is chief conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra of Belgium, and has just completed service as chief conductor and artistic director of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestras.
He is a highly sought-after guest conductor, having worked with the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Philharmonic and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestras, Gothenburg Symphony, WDR Symphony Cologne, Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, Hong Kong Philharmonic and Tokyo Philharmonic, among others.
ABOUT JAAP van ZWEDEN
Jaap van Zweden is in his fourth season as music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and his commitment to the orchestra was recently extended. Under his direction, the orchestra is enhancing its programming and community outreach initiatives; continuing to champion and commission new composers; revitalizing its commitment to music education; and raising its national profile through such events as the annual residency in Vail, CO, and a 2011 appearance in the inaugural Spring for Music Festival at Carnegie Hall. Concurrently with his post in Dallas, van Zweden’s other titled positions include chief conductor and artistic director of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestras (2005-2012) and chief conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra of Belgium (2008-2012).
Van Zweden has become a highly sought-after guest conductor since his Dallas Symphony introduction to U.S. audiences in 2007. He has worked with the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Philharmonic and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestras, Gothenburg Symphony, WDR Symphony Cologne, Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, Hong Kong Philharmonic and Tokyo Philharmonic, among others. Future plans include debuts with the New York Philharmonic and Boston Symphony, and return visits to the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and London Philharmonic Orchestras, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Orchestre National de France, and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. In August 2011, van Zweden made his BBC Proms debut with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic.
Apart from an extensive symphonic repertoire, opera also plays an important part in van Zweden’s career. His opera repertoire includes La Traviata and Fidelio (National Reisopera in Holland), Madama Butterfly (Netherlands Opera), and concert performances of Otello, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Lohengrin, Parsifal and Vanessa.
A prolific recording artist, van Zweden has released three recordings with the Dallas Symphony on the DSO’s recording label DSOLive! – Beethoven’s Fifth and Seventh Symphonies; Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony and Capriccio italien; and Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony and Suite No. 4, Mozartiana. He has also recently recorded Mozart Piano Concertos with the Philharmonia Orchestra and David Fray for Virgin/EMI. Van Zweden has recorded the complete Beethoven symphonies with the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague for Philips; Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 with the Royal Flemish Philharmonic; Mahler Symphony No. 5 (recorded live at his London Philharmonic debut); and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. He has also recorded the Brahms symphonies with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, with whom he is currently recording a Bruckner cycle for Octavia, with symphonies 2, 4, 5, 7 and 9 already released to great critical acclaim.
Having joined the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as concertmaster at age 19, van Zweden spent the next sixteen years inspired and mentored by Solti, Haitink, Giulini, Harnoncourt and Bernstein. With Bernstein’s encouragement, the Juilliard-trained violinist began studying conducting in the Netherlands and performed as violinist and conductor with several orchestras between 1994 and 1997. In 1997, van Zweden made his decision to conduct full time, played his last concert as a violinist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and was named the chief conductor of the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, where he remained until 2003. In 2000, he added the music directorship of the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague to his credits, a post he held until 2005.
Originally from the Netherlands, van Zweden entered The Juilliard School in New York at age 16, as a student of Dorothy DeLay. Van Zweden is very committed to bringing awareness and acceptance to the cause of autism, and in the Netherlands he has established the Papageno Foundation devoted to bringing music therapy into the homes of autistic children.
ABOUT THE DALLAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of Music Director Jaap van Zweden, presents the finest in classical music at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, regarded as one of the world’s premiere concert halls. Maestro van Zweden was named Musical America’s Conductor of the Year 2012, reflecting his critically acclaimed work with the DSO and as guest conductor with some of the world’s most esteemed orchestras.
As the largest and oldest performing arts organization in the southwest, the Dallas Symphony is committed to inspiring the broadest possible audience. Each year, the orchestra reaches more than 240,000 adults and 60,000 children through performances, educational programs and community outreach initiatives. In the last 25 years, the orchestra has released more than 30 CD recordings; toured Europe four times; and performed in Asia, Mexico, Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center, and in New York at Carnegie Hall.
In his fourth year with the Dallas Symphony, Maestro van Zweden continues to deliver artistic excellence by bringing prominent and emerging guest soloists and conductors to Dallas, and by programming new works alongside beloved favorites. The DSO’s residency at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival as well as invitations to prominent events, such as the 2011 Spring for Music Festival at Carnegie Hall, are also elevating the orchestra to national and international prominence.
Founded in 1900, the Dallas Symphony is now a central figure in the Dallas Arts District, the largest of its kind in the nation. The 68-acre district in downtown Dallas is home to multiple museums, parks, and performing arts venues, including the Meyerson Symphony Center.
