Daniel Harding

This article refers to the British conductor Daniel Harding. For the Ipswich Town footballer, please see Dan Harding.

Daniel Harding (2011)

Daniel Harding (born 31 August 1975 in Oxford) is a British conductor.

Harding studied trumpet at Chetham's School of Music and was a member of the National Youth Orchestra at age 13.^[1] At age 17, Harding assembled a group of musicians to perform Pierrot Lunaire of Arnold Schoenberg, and sent a tape of the performance to Simon Rattle in Birmingham. After listening to this tape, Rattle hired Harding as an assistant to him at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for a year, from 1993-1994. Harding then attended the University of Cambridge, but after his first year at university, Abbado named him his assistant with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.^[2] Harding first conducted the Berlin Philharmonic at age 21. At the time of his first conducting appearance at The Proms in 1996, he was then the youngest-ever conductor to appear there.^[3] Harding has stated that he has never had formal conducting lessons.^[4]

Harding has been music director of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra (1997–2000), the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (1999–2003) and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra (since 2003). He conducted the 2005 opening night at La Scala, Milan in Idomeneo, as a substitute after the resignation of Riccardo Muti earlier in 2005.^[5] He conducted Così fan tutte at the Aix Festival in 2005 and appeared at the festival again in 2006.

In 2004, Harding was appointed principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), as of 2006. One of his new projects with the LSO involves the 'Sound Adventures' program for new compositions.^[6] With the LSO, he has conducted a commercial recording of the opera Billy Budd for EMI Classics.^[7] He became the Principal Conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2007. In September 2009, he extended his contract as the orchestra's principal conductor through 2012.^[8] With the orchestra, he has recorded commercially for the Sony Classical label.^[9]

Harding has two children, Adele and George, from his marriage to Béatrice Muthelet, a violist. As of February 2011, the couple have separated and are in the process of divorce.^[4] Harding is a particular fan of the football club Manchester United.

References

1. ^ Robert Hanks (2005-12-10). "Daniel Harding: Lightning conductor". The Independent. http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article332160.ece. Retrieved 2007-08-31. 
2. ^ Michael Henderson (2006-07-30). "Daniel Harding: Conducting his life with brio". The Observer. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2006/jul/30/classicalmusicandopera2. Retrieved 2007-01-06. 
3. ^ Stephen Moss (2004-10-19). "Prodigy on the podium". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2004/oct/19/classicalmusicandopera. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Michael White (2011-02-27). "Prodigy Ages Into a Merely Young Conductor". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/arts/music/27harding.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
5. ^ Barbara McMahon (2005-12-08). "Milan's opera world divided as British conductor takes on La Scala". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/dec/08/arts.italy. Retrieved 2007-01-06. 
6. ^ Edward Seckerson (2007-03-22). "Daniel Harding: LSO's boy wonder". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/daniel-harding-lsos-boy-wonder-440808.html. Retrieved 2007-03-23. 
7. ^ Andrew Clements (2008-09-19). "Classical review: Britten: Billy Budd, Gunn/Bostridge/Saks/LSO & Chorus/Harding". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/sep/19/classicalmusicandopera1. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
8. ^ Bo Löfvendahl (17 September 2009). "SR förlänger med dirigent". Svenska Dagbladet. http://www.svd.se/kulturnoje/nyheter/artikel_3533569.svd. Retrieved 2009-10-31. 
9. ^ Tim Ashley (2010-11-11). "Strauss: Oboe Concerto; Serenade in E Flat; Suite in B Flat – review". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/nov/11/strauss-oboe-concerto-serenade-review. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 

External links

• Daniel Harding official website
• Columbia Artists Management agency page on Harding
• Askonas Holt agency page on Harding

Preceded by Thomas Hengelbrock	Music Director, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Bremen 1999-2003	Succeeded by Paavo Järvi
Preceded by Manfred Honeck	Principal Conductor, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra 2007-present	Succeeded by incumbent

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Name	Harding, Daniel
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Date of birth	31 August 1975
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