Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra names new music director
June 21, 2012 5:29PM
David Danzmayr has been named the new music director of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra.
Updated: July 23, 2012 7:54AM
David Danzmayr has been named music director of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and will lead the orchestra’s upcoming 35th concert season.
Maestro Danzmayr, guest conductor for several leading European orchestras, will become the first new music director of the IPO in more than 25 years.
The 32-year-old Austrian succeeds Carmon DeLeone, who retired at the end of the 2010-11 season and is now conductor laureate for the IPO, which is based in Park Forest.
The selection of Danzmayr, who will assume his role at the IPO’s opening concert on Nov. 10, culminates an extensive international search that began in 2010.
One of seven finalists, Danzmayr conducted the IPO in January in an all-Felix Mendelssohn subscription program.
“I am tremendously excited to be the new music director for the wonderful Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra,” Danzmayr said.
“The concert we had together in January was a big success. I liked the professional and friendly atmosphere in the rehearsals, as well as the enthusiastic and energetic performance.
“This orchestra plays on a very high level. I am looking forward to the coming season as we will have a lot of interesting and inspiring repertoire for our audiences.
“We will enjoy many special moments of making music together.”
Danzmayr has worked as a guest conductor with leading orchestras including the City of Birmingham (England) Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, the Haydn Orchester, and the Sinfonieorchester Basel.
Earlier in June, Danzmayr was appointed music director of the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, of Columbus, Ohio, beginning with the 2013-14 season.
Danzmayr recently served as assistant conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for three years and is a regular guest conductor and tutor for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Australian International Symphony Orchestra Institute.
“We are indeed fortunate and very proud to introduce David Danzmayr as the new music director of our fine orchestra. Maestro Danzmayr is an extremely talented and energetic young conductor with a dynamic personality,” IPO president Richard Moutvic said.
“He conducted a vibrant and exciting concert of music by Mendelssohn, which was highly acclaimed by both the audience and the musicians.
“What’s more, he is keenly interested in engaging with the community and broadening our music education programs.”
In 2011, Danzmayr was one of four finalists in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s First International Sir Georg Solti Conducting Competition.
In May, he was a prize winner in the prestigious international Malko Competition for conductors in Copenhagen, Denmark.
A native of Salzburg, Austria, Danzmayr was a student of the Sibelius Academy and the University Mozarteum in Salzburg where he studied the piano and completed his conducting studies with highest honors.
He received a conducting scholarship for the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra with Pierre Boulez and Claudio Abbado, and Danzmayr was awarded the Bernhard Paumgartner Medal by the Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum.
He was chosen as IPO music director from a field of more than 160 conductors from the United States and around the world.
The seven finalists each conducted a subscription concert with the IPO in a program of their own choosing.
Henry Fogel, dean of the Chicago College of Performing Arts and past president of both the CSO and League of American Orchestras, assisted in the search as artistic consultant.
“In David Danzmayr, the Illinois Philharmonic has definitely found, in my view, a young conductor at the beginning of an important international career,” Fogel said.
“His appointment heralds an immensely exciting period for the IPO.”
To introduce Danzmayr to the community and celebrate the start of his tenure, the IPO will conduct an open house at its performing venue, Lincoln-Way North Performing Arts Center, 19900 S. Harlem Ave., Frankfort.
The event will take place on Aug. 26.
A complete biography of David Danzmayr is available at danzmayr.eu.
