- Erich Kunzel
Erich Kunzel, Jr. (b.
March 21 1935 ,New York City ) is an American conductor.A
timpanist and music arranger at his high school inGreenwich, Connecticut , he received his first music degree fromDartmouth College . He also studied atHarvard andBrown University . From 1960 to 1965 he conducted the Rhode Island Philharmonic. From 1965 to 1977 he was associate conductor of theCincinnati Symphony Orchestra .His popular recordings of classical music on the
Telarc label have mostly been made as director of theCincinnati Pops Orchestra since 1977. During this time he was leader of the 8 o'clock popular concert series. He also made groundbreaking jazz recordings withDave Brubeck andDuke Ellington . Kunzel also conducts theNational Symphony Orchestra in televised concerts everyMemorial Day and everyFourth of July .When the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra board of trustees created The
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra in 1977, Kunzel was named conductor.Since then Erich Kunzel's efforts have made the "Pops" into an internationally known ensemble with half a dozen best-selling recordings a year and almost weekly subscription concerts. Once a major contender to succeed Arthur Fiedler at the
Boston Pops , his popular recordings of classical music, Broadway musicals, movie scores, etc., have topped worldwide crossover charts more than any other conductor or orchestra in the world. The Cincinnati Pops are particularly popular in Asia, where they have toured several times over the years.Kunzel and the CPO made history by becoming the first American pops orchestra to perform in China in October 2005. In 2006, Kunzel was awarded the
National Medal of Arts .On June 20/21 2008, Kunzel conducted The Toronto Symphony Orchestra's performance of at
Toronto Ontario 'sRoy Thomson Hall .Links
* [http://erichkunzel.com] website
* "Erich Kunzel," in Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 17. Gale Research, 1996.
* Thierstein: 'Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed Feb 4, 2006), http://www.grovemusic.com
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