Artistic Leadership
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
During the summer of 2010 Carlos Kalmar celebrates his 10th anniversary as Principal Conductor with the Grant Park Music Festival. With Carlos Kalmar’s leadership, the Festival’s reputation has grown immensely over the past decade, it moved to its new home in Millennium Park in 2004, the Grant Park Orchestra has released six recordings on the Cedille Records label, and the Festival deepened its commitment to presenting adventurous programming.
During the past year, Carlos Kalmar was invited to conduct subscription series concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra and was named Principal Conductor of the Orquestra Sinfónica de Radio Televisión Española in Madrid Spain, effective in 2011. Carlos Kalmar also serves as Music Director of the Oregon Symphony.
Mr. Kalmar was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, to Austrian parents. He studied conducting with Karl Österreicher at the College for Music in Vienna, and won First Prize at the Hans Swarowsky Conducting Competition in Vienna in June 1984. From 1987 to 1991 he was chief conductor of the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, and general music director and chief conductor of the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra between 1991 and 1995. From 1996 through 2000, Carlos Kalmar was the general music director of the Opera House and Philharmonic Orchestra in Dessau, Germany. Between 2000 and 2003, he was principal conductor and artistic director of the Tonkünstler Orchestra in Vienna. Equally in demand as a guest conductor, Kalmar travels the world appearing with all the world’s most important orchestras.
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Christopher Bell enters his ninth season as Chorus Director of the Grant Park Music Festival in 2010. He serves as Chorusmaster for the prestigious Edinburgh International Festival, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Junior Chorus and the Belfast Philharmonic Choir. He was largely responsible for the formation of the National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCoS) in 1996 and is its Artistic Director.
Born in Belfast, Christopher Bell was educated at Edinburgh University and held his first post as Associate Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra between 1989 and 1991. Since then he has worked with many of the major orchestras in the UK and Ireland, including the Royal Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National, BBC Scottish Symphony, Ulster, Scottish Chamber, City of London Sinfonia and London Concert.
Christopher Bell was Chorusmaster of the Royal Scottish NationalOrchestra between 1989 and 2002 and was the first Artistic Director of the Edinburgh Royal Choral Union. Christopher Bell enjoys working with young people. For six years he directed the TOT AL Aberdeen Youth Choir, undertaking touring and recordings as well as many concerts in the North East of Scotland. He was the first Artistic Director of the Ulster Youth Choir between 1999 and 2004, a group which he developed into a critically acclaimed ensemble. Through his leadership, the National Youth Choir of Scotland has performed at the London Proms and the Edinburgh International Festival, made numerous broadcasts on BBC radio, and made a number of recordings.
For his work with singers, and particularly his encouragement of young singers in Scotland, Christopher Bell was awarded a Scotsman of the Year 2001 award for Creative Talent. In 2003, he was awarded the Charles Groves Prize for his contribution to cultural life in Scotland and the rest of the UK. In 2009 he was awarded an honorary Master of the University from the Open University for services to choral music.
