The Elizabeth M. Ross Music Director
DAVID DANZMAYR
“The performance was an unmitigated triumph.”- Michael Tumelty, The Herald
Described by The Herald as “extremely good, concise, clear, incisive and expressive,” David Danzmayr is widely regarded as one of the most talented and exciting European conductors of his generation.
Danzmayr is Chief Conductor of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, the first to hold this title in seven years. As leader of this orchestra he is following in the footsteps of famous conductors like Lovro von Matacic, Kazushi Ono and Dmitri Kitajenko. Performing regularly to sold out audiences in Zagreb´s Lisinski Hall and having been awarded the Zagreb City Award, Danzmayr and his orchestra also already toured to the Salzburger Festspielhaus, where they received standing ovations performing the prestigious New Year’s concert and to the Wiener Musikverein. In addition, David is Music Director of the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, an orchestra comprised of musicians from all over the USA. His contract has recently been extended.
Previously David Danzmayr served as Music Director of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra in Chicago, where he was lauded regularly by both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Classical Review for the performances. He was also the only conductor in the Chicago area, who programmed a piece of American music on every concert.
David has won prizes at some of the world´s most prestigious conducting competitions including a 2nd prize at the International Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition and prizes at the International Malko Conducting Competition. For his extraordinary success he has been awarded the Bernhard Paumgartner Medal by the Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum.
Propelled by these early successes into a far reaching international career, Danzmayr has quickly become a sought-after guest conductor for orchestras around the globe, having worked with the Symphonies of Oregon, Indianapolis, Detroit, North Carolina, San Diego, Colorado, Milwaukee and New Jersey, the Pacific Symphony, Chicago Civic Orchestra, and in Europe the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony, Sinfonieorchester Basel, Mozarteum Orchester, Essener Philharmoniker, Hamburger Symphoniker, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Salzburg Chamber Philharmonic, Bruckner Orchester Linz, and the Radio Symphony Orchestras of Vienna and Stuttgart to name a few.
Besides numerous re-invitations, future engagements will include concerts with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Grant Park Festival.
David frequently appears in the world´s major concert halls, such as the Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, Grosses Festspielhaus Salzburg, Usher Hall Edinburgh and the Symphony Hall in Chicago.
He has served as Assistant Conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, which he conducted in more than 70 concerts so far, performing in all the major Scottish concert halls and in the prestigious, Orkney based, St Magnus Festival.
David Danzmayr received his musical training at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg where, after initially studying piano, he went on to study conducting in the class of Dennis Russell Davies. He finished his studies with the highest honors.
Danzmayr was strongly influenced by Pierre Boulez and Claudio Abbado in his time as conducting stipendiate of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra and by Leif Segerstam during his additional studies in the conducting class of the Sibelius Academy. Subsequently he gained significant experience as assistant to Neeme Järvi, Stephane Deneve, Carlos Kalmar, Sir Andrew Davis and Pierre Boulez, who entrusted Danzmayr with the preparatory rehearsals for his own music.
“Clearly Danzmayr has what it takes.” – John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune
Creative Partner & Principal Guest Artist
VADIM GLUZMAN
Universally recognized among today’s top performing artists, Vadim Gluzman brings to life the glorious violinistic tradition of the 19th and 20th centuries. Gluzman’s wide repertoire embraces new music and his performances are heard around the world through live broadcasts and a striking catalogue of award-winning recordings exclusively for the BIS label.
The Israeli violinist has appeared with the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Israel Philharmonic, London Symphony Royal Concertgebouw and many others. He collaborates with leading conductors including Riccardo Chailly, Christoph von Dohnányi, Tugan Sokhiev, Sir Andrew Davis, Neeme Järvi, Michael Tilson Thomas, Semyon Bychkov and Hannu Lintu. Festival appearances include performances at Ravinia, Tanglewood, Verbier, and the North Shore Chamber Music Festival in Chicago, founded by Gluzman and pianist Angela Yoffe, his wife and recital partner.
Highlights of the current season include performances with the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Sydney and Melbourne Symphonies, Tokyo’s NHK Symphony Orchestra, and the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in Ohio, where he leads performances as its Creative Partner and Principal Guest Artist. He celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of violinist Henryk Szeryng with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Hamburg NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony and the Warsaw Philharmonic.
Gluzman serves as Distinguished Artist in Residence at the Peabody Conservatory and performs on the legendary 1690 ‘ex-Leopold Auer’ Stradivari, on extended loan to him through the generosity of the Stradivari Society of Chicago.