Artistic Leadership
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
Carlos Kalmar, Principal Conductor
Carlos Kalmar is the Principal Conductor of the Grant Park Music Festival and 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.
Last year Cedille Records released its fifth and sixth recordings with Carlos Kalmar and the Grant Park Orchestra: Royal Mezzo: Jennifer Larmore featuring works by Barber, Berlioz, Ravel, and Britten; and Symphony in Waves: Music of Aaron Jay Kernis. His recordings for other labels include CDs with the Jeunesse Musicales World Orchestra (Alban Gerhardt, cello soloist) and Vienna’s Tonkünstler Orchestra for Austrian National Radio.
Kalmar fondly remembers his first appearance at the Grant Park Music Festival in 1998. “I was asked to conduct Samuel Barber’s Piano Concerto with John Browning, the man for whom the work was written. I was a little awestruck working with this famous artist whose signature work is a modern masterpiece, but the Orchestra so impressed me with its incredible work ethic and flexibility. I was taken aback at the speed and commitment with which they worked.”
As he celebrates his tenth season as the principal conductor of the Grant Park Music Festival, Carlos Kalmar is still breaking ground with his world class Orchestra and Chorus. Ever curious about newer and American works, Kalmar seems to balance that passion with a real commitment to timeless interpretations of the core standard repertory. “Grant Park is the most special place I know of. We have traveled artistically very far together and I can recall so many amazing musical experiences with these fantastic musicians.”
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Christopher Bell, Chorus Director
Christopher Bell enters his seventh season as Chorus Director of the Grant Park Music Festival in 2008. He also serves as Chorusmaster of the prestigious Edinburgh International Festival, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) 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, London Concert, RTE National Symphony, RTE Concert and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras.
Christopher Bell was Chorusmaster of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra between 1989 and 2002 and was the first Artistic Director of the Edinburgh Royal Choral Union. His professional chorus work has included appearances with the Netherlands Radio Choir and the Opera Australia Melbourne Chorus. Mr. Bell works regularly with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Ulster and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras and recently has made debuts in Namibia and Scandinavia.
Christopher Bell enjoys working with young people. Before his current posts with the RSNO and NYCoS, for six years he directed the TOTAL 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.
Christopher Bell cherishes his annual residency in Chicago and looks forward to it each year. “I work all over the world, and each year upon returning remind myself how rich the choral life in Chicago really is. The quality of voices here and the symphonic choral training in Chicago is second to none. Each year this super Chorus just gets better and better. I am proud of the work we have accomplished together.”
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.
