Marin Alsop | |
|---|---|
_-_Marin_Alsop_(Music_Director%2c_Baltimore_Symphony_Orchestra)_(30235247261).jpg) Alsop, on the right, at a charity function inBaltimore in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1956-10-16)October 16, 1956 (age 69) New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupation | Conductor |
| Instrument | Violin |
Marin Alsop (/ˈmærɪnˈɔːlsəp/;[1][2] born October 16, 1956) is an Americanconductor. She is the first woman to win theKoussevitzky Prize for conducting and the first conductor to be awarded aMacArthur Fellowship. She is music director laureate of theBaltimore Symphony Orchestra, and chief conductor of theRavinia Festival and of thePolish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. She was elected a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2008[3] and to theAmerican Philosophical Society in 2020.[4]
Alsop was born inNew York City to Ruth E. (Condell) and Keith Lamar Alsop, both professional string players, and grew up on theUpper West Side ofManhattan.[5] She was educated at theMasters School and studied violin at theJuilliard School'sPre-College Division, graduating in 1972. She attendedYale University as a mathematics major, but transferred to Juilliard, where she earned a Bachelor of Music (1977) and a Master of Music (1978) inviolin.[6] While at Juilliard, Alsop played with orchestras such as theNew York Philharmonic and theNew York City Ballet.[7] Alsop was the commencement speaker at Juilliard's 116th Commencement Ceremony on June 18, 2021 inDamrosch Park, where she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music.[5][8]
After failing three times to win admission to Juilliard's conducting program, Alsop founded the New York String Ensemble in 1981, the female jazz ensemble String Fever, and in 1984 Concordia, a 50-piece orchestra specializing in twentieth-century American music.[5][9] In 1983 she was concertmaster in a recording session ofPhilip Glass's chamber operaThe Photographer.[10] In 1985, she played violin on the original Broadway cast recording of the musicalBig River. She won theKoussevitzky Prize as outstanding student conductor at theTanglewood Music Center in 1989, where she met her hero and future mentorLeonard Bernstein.[6] She was the first woman to win the prize.[6][11]In 2005, Alsop was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, commonly known as the "Genius Grant," in recognition of her contributions to orchestral leadership and contemporary classical music.[12]
Alsop was music director of theCabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music from 1992 to 2016. From 1993 to 2005, she was first principal conductor and then music director of theColorado Symphony; she was then named the orchestra's conductor laureate. Alsop also served as associate conductor of theRichmond Symphony inRichmond, Virginia, from 1988 to 1990, music director of theEugene Symphony inEugene, Oregon from 1989 to 1996, music director of theLong Island Philharmonic from 1990,[9] music director of theOregon Festival of American Music from 1992 to 1996,[11] and Creative Conductor Chair for theSt. Louis Symphony from 1994 to 1996. In 2002, she co-founded the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship, now the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship, for female conductors.[5][13] On September 20, 2005, Alsop became the first conductor ever to receive aMacArthur Fellowship.[14]
In September 2005, Alsop was appointed the 12th music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, having been named music director designate for the 2006–2007 concert season. She was the first woman appointed to lead a major American orchestra. The appointment generated some controversy among orchestra members, who felt they had not been sufficiently consulted. Alsop successfully addressed their concerns.[5][15][16] In June 2009, the orchestra announced the extension of her contract for another five years, through August 2015.[17]
In July 2013, the BSO announced a further extension of her contract as music director through the 2020–2021 season.[18][19] In February 2020, the orchestra announced that Alsop would conclude her music directorship of the orchestra at the close of the 2020–2021 season and take the title of music director laureate.[20] She conducted a series of three farewell concerts in summer 2021.[5]
Alsop's initiatives with the BSO have included theWebumentary Film Series, a free iTunes podcast titledClueless About Classical, and the OrchKids program, directed at underprivileged Baltimore children.[5] In August 2015, Alsop was appointed director of graduate conducting at thePeabody Institute of theJohns Hopkins University, succeeding one of her mentors,Gustav Meier.[21]
In 2020, theRavinia Festival announced the appointment of Alsop as its inaugural chief conductor.[22] In February 2022, the Ravinia Festival announced the extension of Alsop's contract through 2025.[23] In January 2024, ThePhiladelphia Orchestra announced the appointment of Alsop as its next principal guest conductor, effective with the 2024-2025 season, with an initial contract of 3 seasons.[24]
Alsop conducted theFort Worth Symphony Orchestra in the final round of theVan Cliburn International Piano Competition in2022 and2025.[25]
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In the UK, Alsop has served as principal guest conductor with theRoyal Scottish National Orchestra and with theCity of London Sinfonia.[26] She was Principal Conductor of theBournemouth Symphony Orchestra[5] from 2002 to 2008, the first female principal conductor in the orchestra's history.[27] She was votedGramophone magazine's Artist of the Year in 2003 and won theRoyal Philharmonic Society's conductor's award in the same season.[6]
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" that called for increasing the presence of classical music in the UK, including giving all British schoolchildren free entry to a classical music concert.[28] Alsop received an honorary degree of Doctor of Music fromBournemouth University on November 7, 2007. Alsop served as an Artist-in-Residence at theSouthbank Centre, London, for the 2011–2012 season.[29]
In 2012, Alsop became principal conductor of theSão Paulo State Symphony Orchestra (OSESP),[30][31][32] 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.[33] Alsop led the orchestra on a European tour, including its first appearance atthe Proms in August 2012,[34] the first Proms appearance by any Brazilian orchestra. They returned to Europe in October 2013, with concerts in Berlin, London, Paris, Salzburg and Vienna[35] and to the Proms in August 2016. Alsop concluded her OSESP tenure in December 2019 and subsequently took the title of honorary conductor with the orchestra.[36]
In 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2016, Alsop conducted theBelgian National Orchestra at theQueen Elisabeth Competition. On 7 September 2013, Alsop became the first female conductor of the Last Night of The Proms, and returned to conduct the Last Night on 12 September 2015.[37] On 4 September 2014, at the Proms, she was awarded Honorary Membership of the Royal Philharmonic Society.[38] Alsop returned to conduct the Last Night of the Proms in 2023.[39]
In 2014, Alsop first guest-conducted theVienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO Wien). In September 2019, she became chief conductor of the RSO Wien, the first female chief conductor in the orchestra's history.[5][40] Alsop was a recipient of one of the 25th AnnualCrystal Awards for 2019 at theWorld Economic Forum Annual Meeting inDavos,Switzerland.[41] Since 2020, she has been artist in residence at theUniversity of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.[42] Alsop concluded her RSO Wien tenure at the close of the 2024–2025 season,[43] after which the orchestra named her itsEhrendirigentin (honorary conductor).[44]
In June 2023, thePolish National Radio Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Alsop as its next artistic director and chief conductor, the first female conductor named to the posts, effective with the 2023–2024 season.[45]
In April 2023 the players of thePhilharmonia Orchestra appointed Alsop as Principal Guest Conductor from the 2023/24 season for three seasons, "in recognition of her exceptional musicianship, her commitment to diversity and education, and the breadth of her repertoire".[46]
Since 1990, Kristin Jurkscheit, ahorn player, has been Alsop'spartner; they have a son.[47][48][49] While Alsop was conducting the Colorado Symphony, of which her partner was a member, their relationship provoked controversy; Alsop responded that the relationship predated her appointment to lead the orchestra and had no bearing on her job performance.[16]
Alsop conducted her first recording in 2000 with theRoyal Scottish National Orchestra in a selection of works bySamuel Barber, which was released as part of theAmerican Classics Series onNaxos Records.[50] This disc was followed by four more released between 2001 and 2004 dedicated to the works of Samuel Barber. In 2003, she released her first disc of Leonardo , recorded with the Bournemouth SO and Chorus. Following this, in 2005, Alsop's fully staged production of Bernstein'sCandide with theNew York Philharmonic Orchestra was nominated for an Emmy Award (DVD: PBS Great Performances/Image Entertainment).
In June 2006, Alsop conducted the BSO and violinistJoshua Bell inJohn Corigliano's violin concertoThe Red Violin, recorded bySony Classics and released in September 2007.[51] She and the BSO made their first-ever live recording release foriTunes ofIgor Stravinsky’sThe Rite of Spring.[52] Following her advent to the Baltimore post, one of her first projects as music director was a series of recordings ofDvořák for Naxos. The first disc in the series, featuringSymphony No. 9,From the New World, andSymphonic Variations, was released in February 2008,[53] and was nominated forBBC Music Magazine’s 2008 Album of the Year.
Other recordings by Alsop with Naxos include aJohannes Brahms symphony cycle with theLondon Philharmonic Orchestra (the first commercially recorded Brahms symphony cycle by a female conductor), and a continuing series of Bournemouth SO recordings, which include Bartók'sThe Miraculous Mandarin, Bernstein'sChichester Psalms and the symphonies ofKurt Weill.[54]
In 2009, Alsop released a recording of Leonard Bernstein'sMass with the BSO that earned a Grammy nomination forBest Classical Album.[55] In 2010, her recording ofJennifer Higdon’sPercussion Concerto with theLondon Philharmonic Orchestra and soloistColin Currie won aGrammy Award forBest Classical Contemporary Composition.[56][57]
Other recent releases include Dvořák symphoniesNo. 7 &No. 8 with the BSO,[58]Nixon in China,[59] and works byRoy Harris,Aaron Copland, and Barber, all on the Naxos label. In 2012, Alsop and the BSO released a recording ofGustav Mahler'sSymphony No. 1, also on Naxos.[60]
Yunchan Lim's recording ofRachmaninoff's 3rd Concerto for Piano and Orchestra made during theVan Cliburn International Piano Competition, conducted by Alsop, was released byDecca Records on May 16, 2025.[61]
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra) | Barber:Violin Concerto, Op. 14, A Scene From Shelley, etc. | Nominated | [62] |
| 2005 | Best Spoken Word Album for Children | The Story of Classical Music | Nominated | [63] |
| 2008 | Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra) | Daugherty:UFO | Nominated | [64] |
| 2010 | Best Classical Album | Bernstein:Mass | Nominated | |
| 2024 | Best Orchestral Performance | Adams: City Noir, Fearful Symmetries & Lola Montez Does the Spider Dance | Nominated | [65] |
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Outstanding Special Class Program | Leonard Bernstein's "Candide" in Concert (Great Performances) | Nominated | [66] |
| Year | Award | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Induction,American Classical Music Hall of Fame | [67] |
| Cultural offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Music Director, Colorado Symphony (Denver Symphony) 1993–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Principal Conductor, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra 2002–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Principal Conductor, São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra 2012–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Conductor, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra 2019–2025 | Succeeded by Markus Poschner (designate, effective 2026) |
| Preceded by | Chief Conductor, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra 2023-present | Succeeded by incumbent |
