MARIN ALSOP is an American conductor and violinist born on this date. She is currently music director laureate of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, as well as, chief conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Ravinia Festival. In 2020 she was elected to the American Philosophical Society.
Alsop was born in New York City to professional musician parents, and was educated at the Masters School and studied violin at Juilliard's Pre-College Division ('72). She attended Yale University but later transferred to The Juilliard School, where she earned BM and MM degrees in violin. While studying at Juilliard, Alsop played with orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and the New York City Ballet. She founded the string ensemble String Fever in 1981. Alsop was also concertmaster in a Philip Glass recording session of The Photographer chamber opera in 1983. In 1984, Alsop founded Concordia, a 50-piece orchestra specializing in 20th-century American music. She won the Koussevitzky Prize as outstanding student conductor at the Tanglewood Music Center in 1989, where she met her hero and future mentor Leonard Bernstein.
In September 2007, Alsop was appointed the 12th music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO), having been named Music Director Designate for the 2006–2007 concert season. Selecting her was noteworthy because although Alsop is not the first woman to hold this position in an American orchestra (Antonia Brico, for example, was the conductor of several American orchestras), Alsop was one of the first women to hold the position with an American orchestra. The initial controversy surrounding the announcement that she would be the BSO's next Music Director stemmed from significant resistance from the orchestra's players, who insisted they had not had enough voice in the search process. The orchestra and Alsop met after the announcement and apparently smoothed over some of their differences. In June 2009, the orchestra announced the extension of her contract for another five years, through August 2015. In July 2013, the BSO announced a further extension of her contract as music director through the 2020–2021 season. In February 2020, the Baltimore Symphony announced that Alsop is to conclude her music directorship of the orchestra at the close of the 2020–2021 season, and to take the title of Music Director Laureate.
In the UK, Alsop has served as principal guest conductor with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and with the City of London Sinfonia. Alsop was Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (Bournemouth SO) from 2002 to 2008, the first female principal conductor in the orchestra's history. She was voted Gramophone magazine's Artist of the Year in 2003 and won the Royal Philharmonic Society's conductor's award in the same season. In April 2007, Alsop was one of eight conductors of British orchestras to endorse the 10-year classical music outreach manifesto, "Building on Excellence: Orchestras for the 21st Century", to increase the presence of classical music in the UK, including giving free entry to all British schoolchildren to a classical music concert. Alsop received an honorary degree of Doctor of Music from Bournemouth University in November 2007. Alsop served as an Artist-in-Residence at the Southbank Centre, London, for the 2011–2012 season.
In 2012, Alsop became principal conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP), the first female principal conductor of OSESP. In July 2013, OSESP granted her the title of Music Director and in April 2015 extended her contract to the end of 2019. Alsop led the orchestra on a European tour, including its first appearance at the Proms in August 2012, the first Proms appearance by any Brazilian orchestra. They returned to Europe in October 2013, with concerts in Berlin, London, Paris, Salzburg and Vienna and to the Proms in August 2016. In December 2017, OSESP announced that Alsop would stand down as its music director in December 2019, and subsequently to take the title of honorary conductor.
In 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2016, Alsop conducted the Belgian National Orchestra at the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
In September 2013, Alsop became the first female conductor of the Last Night of The Proms, and returned to conduct the Last Night in September 2015. In September 2014, at the Proms, she was awarded Honorary Membership of the Royal Philharmonic Society.
In 2014, Alsop first guest-conducted the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (Vienna RSO). In January 2018, the Vienna RSO announced the appointment of Alsop as its next chief conductor, effective September 2019, with an initial contract of three years. She is the first female conductor to be named chief conductor of the Vienna RSO. Alsop is to hold the title of chief conductor designate with immediate effect, through the 2018–2019 season.
Alsop was a recipient of one of the 25th Annual Crystal Awards for 2019 at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Since 2020 she is Artist in Residence at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
Alsop's spouse is Kristin Jurkscheit, a horn player. They have a son, and Alsop has spoken publicly about her family. While Alsop was conducting the Colorado Symphony, of which her partner was a member, their relationship provoked controversy, though Alsop responded that the relationship predated her appointment to lead the orchestra and had no bearing on her job performance.
There is a documentary about Alsop streaming on PBS called The Conductor.
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