CONDUCTOR PAUL MAUFFRAY

La mer, Firebird, & Vixen in Ostrava & Zlin 2011

2011-12-01T17:47:00.000-06:00

It was a great pleasure to be invited for return engagements with both the Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava and the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic in Zlin.

We performed Igor Stravinsky's Firebird, Leos Janacek's The Cunning Little Vixen, & Claude Debussy's La mer in educational concerts entitled "Colors of the Orchestra".

Our concerts also included images from Russian paintings of the Firebird story, the original drawings which inspired Rudolf Tesnohlidek in creating the tale of the Cunning Little Vixen, and a film with images of the sea!

The film of the sea was created by Gilda Tabarez, and every image was planned to match the mood of Debussy's music. It was a true thrill and adventure to synchronize the orchestra with the film, and I was extremely satisfied with both the musicians and the talented work of Gilda! You may view her film here: http://www.youtube.com/paulmauffray#p/u/13/xbsX74pFr9I

Slovak Sinfonietta in Zilina & Tomas Vinklat in Hainburg

2011-05-24T21:30:00.015-05:00

I am very fortunate to be able to conduct in Slovakia and I am thankful that the Slovaks are so understanding of my limitations in regard to their language. To Czechs, Slovak may be very easy to understand, but although I understand Czech, Slovak is still often a very foreign language for me. So it is always a relief when the Slovaks seem to not mind that I am speaking Czech to them.

I had previously only conducted once in Bratislava with the Slovak Philharmonic and once before in Zilina with the Slovak Sinfonietta. Now in May of 2011, I was invited for a return engagemnet in Zilina, and we took the orchestra to Austria where I conducted once more for the Haydn Gesellschaft of Hainburg. Our concert in Zilina featured young soloists: soprano Zlata Krautová in Mozart's concert aria Bella mia fiamma, and Barbora Gálová in Mozart's Flute Concerto in D-major. More photos are available here.

The concert began with the sparkling overture to Il signor Bruschino by Rossini and later featured rich romantic colors in Wagner's Siegfried Idyll. The four principal string players of the Slovak Sinfonietta were also featured prominently in the virtuosic Introduction and Allegro for String Orchestra by Edward Elgar.

Our concert was repeated in Hainburg, but this time with violin soloist Tomas Vinklat who has been a member of the Vienna Philharmonic for 13 years and performs on a rare 1723 Gofriller violin. He performed the Haydn Violin Concerto in G-major as well as the Rachmaninoff Vocalise in the premier of my own arrangement for violin solo and string orchestra.

It was a wonderful honor to accompany a member of the Vienna Philharmonic and to perform Haydn's music in a city where he lived!

Mussorgsky's "Pictures from an Exhibition" with paintings!

2009-09-15T18:26:00.007-05:00

I always enjoy returning to conduct in places I have been before and especially to work with musicians who I met long ago. It was in 1994 that I first conducted in Ostrava with a student orchestra, and at least five of those same musicians are still in the Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava today!

Together, we performed Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures from an Exhibition" in educational concerts which featured some of the original paintings by Viktor Hartmann which inspired the creation of this music!

We also showed the audience how to read and follow a full orchestra score, and we presented pages of the music (with colorful highlighted hints) synchronized with the orchestra's performance.

The concerts were such a success, that the orchestra has invited me back for five performances of the same concert in March of 2013!

Introduction

2009-02-22T00:00:00.000-06:00

Hi, I am a conductor from the New Orleans area who has been working in Europe, and when I recently came back to visit Louisiana, it was suggested that I should upload my photos onto the internet in case the originals are destroyed in the next hurricane!

So I will use this space for storing photos and chronicles of some of my conducting experiences and travels. I hope this will also be a way to get back in touch with the many friends I have met around the world. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

best wishes,

Paul

If you would like to read my resume and bio, please click here.

Salonen masterclass in Singapore

2008-11-18T04:56:00.001-06:00

I have just recently returned from a most rewarding conducting journey. I was one of three conductors invited to a masterclass with maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen in Singapore! The orchestra which we conducted was a combination of orchestras from three different countries with musicians from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore, the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, and the Guildhall School of Music in London.

After, maestro Salonen worked on Debussy's La Mer with us and this international student orchestra, as part of the Singapore Sun Festival we were then able to watch him conducting La Mer with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

The orchestra was fantastic and the people were very friendly. I especially enjoyed making friends with the locals from Singapore and sampling their wide variety of Asian cuisine. But to top it all, right after conducting, I was on a beautiful beach at the southernmost point of continental Asia.! Paradise :-)

If only the world were full of places with beautiful weather all year round, sunny beaches, and first-class orchestras. Anyone have any suggestions? ...

à travers la mer, pour 'La Mer'

2008-10-15T07:23:00.000-05:00

It is with great anticipation that I am now preparing to depart for my first time to conduct in Asia. I have been selected as one of three conductors to participate in a masterclass with maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen in Singapore! I have always been a big fan of his style and programming, and you can find many videos of him on youtube.com

The masterclass repertoire includes Brahms - Symphony #2 and Stravinsky's Firebird, but the main work is Debussy's La Mer. You may find some quotes by Debussy on my page of favorite quotations along with two excerpts from the La Mer autograph. The wave image which I have included here is a copy from wikipedia of "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" which inspired Debussy when composing La Mer. There is also a beautiful video of a sunrise on the Gulf of Mexico (where I grew up) set to the opening of La Mer on youtube.

Educational concerts in Zlin, Spring & Fall of 2008

2008-10-15T07:01:00.000-05:00

I have just finished conducting some exciting educational concerts for students aged 15 to 17 with the Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic in Zlin. In the Spring, we performed a program of Folksong in the Symphony, similar to the concerts I previously conducted in Hradec Kralove including Brahms, Mahler, and Tchaikovsky. But this time, we also added Leos Janacek's Lachian Dances. Each of the dances was performed first in its original version by the Moravian folk ensemble Cimbalova Muzika Struna (in the photo), and then the orchestra played the corresponding dance as arranged by Janacek!

The Spring concerts were such a success, that I was invited back now in the Fall, and this time I suggested a more challenging program: Britten - Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Bach - Toccata & Fugue in d minor as arranged by Leopold Stokowski (!), and Wagner - Prelude to Die Meistersinger. Some people were doubtful if the Wagner might not be too difficult for the 15 year-olds, but the students seemed very enthusiastic with their applause always coming right during the final chord! It was also a well prepared logical ending to the concert which first introduced the instruments of the orchestra and presented them in Britten's fugue, then the Bach offered a further opportunity to explain the concept of counterpoint and fugue to the students. Finally, I was able to take apart the Meistersinger climax to show them the brilliant counterpoint of all three main themes coming together at the same time.

I'm glad that this concert took place in a hall with such a nice organ. It was a thrill to be able to play the opening of the Bach Toccata on the organ and then immediately conduct it., and I was particularly impressed with how well the orchestra handled this extremely virtuosic program!

Beethoven's Vienna & conducting in Admont Austria

2008-09-30T15:42:00.000-05:00

This summer I had the opportunity to work with conductors Achim Holub and Toby Purser in Austria at the International Summer Academy Admont. The main repertoire was Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and Beethoven's Eroica, thus I took the opportunity to visit Beethoven's home in Heiligenstadt and the Eroicahaus in Vienna.

I was fortunate to visit these locations in Vienna during the most beautiful weather. I especially enjoyed the quiet walk along the Eroicagasse in Heiligenstadt which leads off into the woods, streams, and fields where Beethoven must have often collected his thoughts.

Viewing the first page of the Eroica manuscript, with Napoleon's name scratched out and ripped through to the opening chords was a perfect inspiration. In Admont, I was also a finalist in the conducting competition and conducted Vivaldi's Four Seasons with the Grazer Kammerphilharmonie.

home in New Orleans

2007-12-27T13:34:00.000-06:00

I am just visiting New Orleans now for Christmas, and then soon I will be in Vienna to work as Assistant Conductor / Studienleiter on Janacek's "Kata Kabanova" at Theater an der Wien.

Here's the latest news: http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-16/1198705226120950.xml&coll=1

Conducting excerpts available on www.youtube.com

2007-08-15T19:31:00.000-05:00

I am now in the process of making my conducting videos available on-line at www.youtube.com

Already I have found a few of my friends' and colleagues' conducting videos there, such as Steve Ellery, David Rahbee, Scott Jackson Wiley, Noam Zur & soprano Jessica Tivens.

I hope you will enjoy the videos and post comments or video responses. My youtube address is:
http://www.youtube.com/paulmauffray

IL TROVATORE in Austria

2007-07-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

This summer, I am working in Austria as an assistant on Verdi's Il Trovatore in Gars am Kamp. Many of the roles here are triple-cast, so this is a great opportunity to learn the opera from many different perspectives. We are performing outside in the ruins of an old castle. One of the most magical moments was while I was playing piano for a solo coaching with Azucena inside the castle: during the act 4 duet, one of our tenors in a nearby room joined in, and by chance while we were in a G-major section, the church bells from the village below began ringing a perfectly tuned G. Similarly, we have often had dramatically stormy weather to accompany the act 4 "miserere".since I didn't have any photos from Gars, I'm including this one from a nearby festival I visited in Jaromerice.

The Barber of Zilina & Botticelli

2007-06-13T16:22:00.000-05:00

After winning a prize last week in the Bartok Opera Conducting Competition, I am now in Zilina, Slovakia, to conduct a concert with the Slovak Sinfonietta. On our program are concerti by Handel and Mozart as well as the Trittico Botticelliano by Respighi, and Rossini's Overture to the Barber of Seville. By the way, how many of you remember the Bugs Bunny cartoon that went to that overture? I have tried to put a link to it here, but it is often moved from youtube.com because of copyright issues.

The pictures here do not have copyright problems and are by Alessandro Botticelli (downloaded from wikipedia). These are two of the paintings on which Ottorino Respighi based his Trittico Botticelliano. The first movement is an allegory of spring "La Primavera" which also uses a quotation of an ancient Italian song "ben venga Maggio".

The last movement is the birth of Venus or "la nascita di Venere". I was fortunate enough to see the real paintings during a visit to the Ufizzi in Firenza when I conducted this piece for the first time in Trento in 1997.

PRIZE WINNER of Bartok Opera Conducting Competition

2007-06-08T12:31:00.000-05:00

it has been an exciting week for me in Romania where I just conducted Bela Bartok's opera "Bluebeard's Castle" as a finalist in the Bartok Opera Conducting Competition. Out of 36 conductors, I was awarded 2nd prize! You may find more info and photos at:
www.operaconducting.ro

On sunday, June 10, I will be conducting the 2nd act of Verdi's "La Traviata" in the gala concert.

FINALIST in 2007 Bartok Opera Competition

2007-06-07T03:23:00.000-05:00

This past week, I have conducted La Traviata, Samson et Dalila, I Pagliacci, and Tosca in the Bartok Opera Conducting Competition in Romania, and once again (as in 2005), I have reached the final round! I will be conducting a rehearsal and complete performance of Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle on Friday June 8 at 12:00 (11:00 Prague time zone).

My performance of Tosca was supposed to be shown LIVE on the opera's web-site, but due to technical difficulties, it was not viewable. This problem should be corrected now, and I hope you will be able to watch. Please see the previous blog for more info.

LIVE web-cast: Conducting JUNE 6

2007-06-04T10:26:00.000-05:00

I am currently participating in the 2nd edition of the Bartok Opera Conducting Competition where two years ago I was one the top finalists. You can watch me conducting via a LIVE web-broadcast by visiting the competition website: http://www.operaconducting.ro/live.php

I will be performing Puccini's TOSCA on Wednesday June 6 at 6pm. Romanian time zone (Thus 17:00 in Prague, and 10am. in New Orleans).

Haydn's Hainburg, concert in Austria

2007-04-30T08:37:00.000-05:00

In April, I conducted a concert with the Czech Virtuosi orchestra from Brno. We performed in Hainburg, Austria. This is a city near Vienna where Josef Haydn lived.

Quoting from wikipedia: "Haydn's parents noticed that their son was musically talented and knew that in Rohrau he would have no chance to obtain any serious musical training. It was for this reason that they accepted a proposal from their relative Johann Matthias Franck, the schoolmaster and choirmaster in Hainburg, that Haydn be apprenticed to Franck in his home to train as a musician. Haydn therefore went off with Franck to Hainburg (seven miles away) and never again lived with his parents. He was six years old."

We performed works by Purcell, Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and a concerto for Basset Horn by J.G. Heinrich Backofen (as opposed to Offenbach).

Cesky Krumlov 2006

2006-07-18T17:55:00.000-05:00

In May of 2006, I had the great honor of conducting a concert to celebrate the anniversary of the end of World War II. This concert was especially rewarding for many reasons:

we performed in the beautiful castle of Cesky Krumlov,
the program was filled with extremely exciting music (Smetana - Overture to the Bartered Bride, Dvorak - Cello Concerto, Tchaikovsky - Symphony #5),
the soloist Jiri Barta was one of the best on the entire planet for this piece (!),
and most of all the South Bohemian Chamber Orchestra played on a world class level not only in the concert but also with care and intensity during the rehearsals!

Brno - Rite of Spring & Requiem 2005

2006-07-18T17:50:00.001-05:00

Perhaps the biggest surprise in my career came one sunday morning in March of 2005. At 9 am, I received a phone call inviting me to replace a conductor on short notice in Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" with the Brno Philharmonic!

I had already been visiting Brno frequently to study Janacek's manuscripts, but I had never expected to receive such a challenging opportunity with this prestigious orchestra. Our program included Dvorak's "Wild Dove" and the "Variations on a Theme of Haydn" by Brahms.

Not only did the orchestra offer me a future concert, but they were also kind enough to offer their services with me in a benefit concert for victims of hurricanes Katrina & Rita. In November 2005, we performed Albinoni's Adagio and Mozart's Requiem with the Czech Philharmonic Chorus of Brno. All proceeds went to the Gulf Coast Orchestra Relief fund which aided musicians affected by the hurricanes.

Romania - Bartok, Italy - Verdi 2005

2006-07-18T17:45:00.000-05:00

In the summer of 2005, I was one of the top 6 finalists out of more than 40 candidates in the Béla Bartók International Opera Conducting Competition in Romania.

Of all the competitions I have seen in the world, this one allowed the candidates the most amount of time for rehearsing!

In the first round, we were already given 40 minutes each to prepare scenes from Bizet’s Carmen and Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana with the entire cast and orchestra!

Even more time was given to us in the semi-finals with separate rehearsals for chorus, orchestra, sitz-probe, and then performance of one act from Puccini’s La Boheme and Verdi’s Rigoletto.

As a finalist, I rehearsed and conducted an entire performance of Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard's Castle. (This alone was a dream fulfilled for me!)

Later that year, I also conducted Verdi's La Traviata in a competition in Italy.

This is one of my favorite places in Venice, where there is a bust of Wagner (on the left) near a bust of Verdi (on the right).

Lausanne Switzerland 2005

2006-07-18T17:30:00.000-05:00

In January 2004, I participated in a workshop with the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne in Switzerland.

The repertoire included Beethoven's Egmont, Ravel's Tombeau de Couperin, and Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks.

For the concert, Maestro Jorma Panula selected me to conduct a performance of Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun".

This last photo is with guitarist Benjamin Bunch comparing batons.

Cadaques, Spain 2004 (&1998)

2006-07-18T16:29:00.000-05:00

In 1998 and in 2004 I participated in the international conducting competitions in Cadaques and Girona, Spain (near Barcelona). It was the perfect combination of great beaches, seafood, and fantastic 20th century repertoire!

In 2000, I conducted Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, and in 1998 I was a semi-finalist and conducted Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite and Soldier's Tale (among other pieces).

Salvador Dali lived in Cadaques, so there some great museums there with his works (also nearby in Figueras). The cliffs and scenery of the area clearly inspired his surealistic landscapes.

Spring 2004 San Diego & New Orleans

2006-07-18T15:30:00.000-05:00

In the spring of 2004, I conducted the Rapides Symphony in Alexandria, Louisiana (no photos). During this time, I also visited San Diego where I saw a beautiful sunset on the rocky beach.

That month, I also accompanied soprano Pam Jones, in the French Quarter in New Orleans at my dear friend Marda Burton's place. We had worked together previously on Janacek's Osud in NYC.

Brno, Janacek festival 2004

2006-07-18T15:07:00.000-05:00

January & February of 2004 was my first extended stay in Brno. It was the 150th anniversary of the birth of Leos Janacek, and there was an enormous festival which included performances of all nine Janacek operas.

Sir Charles Mackerras conducted "The Excursions of Mr. Broucek" and the "Glagolitic Mass". Here is a photo of him after the performance together with soloists Eva Garajova, Petr Straka, and Helena Kaupova.

NOCCA Alumni Concert 2004

2006-07-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

In 2004, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts celebrated its 30th anniversary. In honor of this occasion, we organized an Alumni Concert which included both jazz and classical musicians who studied at NOCCA over the past 30 years. We found players young and old from all around the country to come back and join us in performing a chamber orchestra concert. Our program included classical music with jazz influences by Stravinksy, Hindemith, and Milhaud.

I am proud to be a NOCCA graduate, and I consider my studies there with Dr. Bert Braud to have been the greatest influence on my life!

The patron party for our alumni concert was held nearby at the residence of my dear friend Margarita Bergen. She writes about cultural and social events at BayouBuzz.com. We are pictured here with Marda Burton and one of my favorite local jazz singers Julia LaShae.

NYC, Bard Music Festival 2003

2006-07-15T02:30:00.000-05:00

In the summer of 2003, I was an assistant conductor on the American premiere of Janacek's Osud (Fate) at the Bard Music Festival. This was the 7th Janacek opera I had worked on in 8 years.

I had visited New York before, but this was an opportunity to really get to know the Big Apple over a few months. The best part of course was working in a festival dedicated entirely to the music of Janacek. We performed Taras Bulba, Sinfonietta, Ballad of Blanik, The Fiddlers Child, and I worked especially closely with the chorus on the preparation of Rikadla, Na Solani Cartak, and the Glagolitic Mass.

On one of my days off, I biked across the Brooklyn bridge all the way to Coney Island.

Janacek and Luhacovice 2003

2006-07-15T01:55:00.000-05:00

In prearation for the Bard Music Festival, I studied Janacek's original manuscript of Osud at the archives in Brno. I also spent a weekend in Luhacovice where Janacek was first inspired to write this opera.

The photos here are from the Janacek archives, a statue of Janacek in Luhacovice, and a Moravian folk ensemble that was playing in a restaurant near Janacek's summer home in Luhacovice.

The experience that May in Brno and Luhacovice was so enchanting that it will leave a lasting impression on my memories of Osud. This was also one of the reasons I later decided to move to Brno, and now I have an apartment just down the street from the archives where Janacek's manuscripts are stored! :-)

In regard to these manuscripts, this is what Sir Charles Mackerras has said: "Janacek would go through the neatly-copied score, cross, rub and scratch things out, insert new things and generally revise it. But he often failed to notice mistakes made by his copyists, which is a major headache for every Janacek scholar. Sometimes the original autograph provides the answer by proving that it was the copyist who had got it wrong in the first place. Not surprising when you consider the atrociously badly-written originals."

Aspen, Colorado 2002

2006-07-15T01:20:00.000-05:00

In the summer of 2002, I participated in the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen in Colorado.

I conducted in masterclasses with David Zinman (Wagner - Tristan & Isolde, Mahler - Symphony #2, Weill - Threepenny Opera), David Robertson (Bartok - Music for Strings Percussion & Celesta), and pictured here: James Conlon (Berlioz - Symphonie fantastique).

Inspired by Sir Charles Mackerras, I also conducted Janacek's 1st String Quartet in an arrangement for string orchestra.

It is always a pleasure to speak with the audience about the music, and as a part of David Zinman's conducting class, I helped script and perform a "Family Concert".

Hungary - Bartok 2002

2006-07-15T00:55:00.000-05:00

In May of 2002, I participated in the Hungarian Television International Conducting Competition in Budapest. The first round, however, was held in Miskolc, and out of about 50 candidates they happened to draw my name out of the hat to go first!

I conducted Bela Bartok's "Dance Suite", and this was the perfect orchestra for that piece. In our hotel restaurant, every night there was a virtuosic ensemble of Hungarian folk musicians who played for us!

Texas "Faust": deal with the devil ;-)

2006-07-15T00:33:00.000-05:00

After just conducting in Flensburg, Germany, in February of 2002 I was assistant conductor to maestro Raymond Harvey at the El Paso Opera on Gounod's "Faust".

The opera company took such great care of us all, and every day we had free meals at the best restaurants in town: Tex/Mex ... mmmmmmm! Everyone must have put at least 5 pounds in the first week! We even made a day-trip across the border into Juarez for the best Mexican meal I ever had.

Here is a photo of me shaking hands with baritone Mark Schnaible who played Mephistopheles. Wouldn't you like to know what the deal was that I made with that devil? ;-)

Jazz in the Symphony 2002

2006-07-15T00:15:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite programs that I ever created was "Jazz in the Symphony" with the Hradec Kralove Philharmonic in 2002. The highlight of our concert was a performance of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" with pianist Lukas Vondracek, but first we introduced the audience to works of other composers which also used Jazz influences even before the Rhapsody in Blue was written in 1923: Stravinsky - Soldier's Tale (Ragtime), Hindemith - Kammermusik Nr.1, & Milhaud - La creation du monde.

We started the program with Ravel's "Alborada del grazioso", and we also gave the Czech premier of "A Night in the Tropics" (written in 1859) by New Orleanian composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk.

Flensburg, Germany 2001-02

2006-07-14T21:31:00.000-05:00

In December of 2001, I was a finalist for the position of 1.Kapellmeister at the Schleswig-Holsteinisches Landestheater in Flensburg, Germany. I was invited to return and guest conduct a performance of Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte" in 2002.

Flensburg is a charming city near Denmark, and I especially enjoyed being there around Christmas for the mulled wine in the outside markets.

Salzburg, Jenufa 2001

2006-07-14T05:32:00.000-05:00

By far, the most demanding job of 2001 was working as assistant conductor to Sir John Eliot Gardiner on Janacek's "Jenufa" at the Salzburg Music Festival. I had already worked on "Jenufa" at the Prague National Theater, but this time we were performing the new critical edition of the Brno version from 1908 (edited by Sir Charles Mackerras and John Tyrrell).

It was a very memorable experience which included comparing autograph manuscripts in Brno, coaching singers from the piano (some who had never sung in Czech before such as Hildegard Behrens), and most exciting of all was leading full company rehearsals in the Felsenreitschule (with the offstage musicians entering from what seemed like a mile away). It was heaven to be able to connect with such fabulous artists as Karita Mattila and Jerry Hadley!

Bob and Mary Ann Butler from California had just seen me conducting the ballet there. They visited me in Salzburg, and now they are starting to set a record for seeing me in the most corners of the globe. Besides joining my family at the opera in New Orleans, they recently met me in Bratislava too.

California "Werther", 2000

2006-07-14T04:58:00.000-05:00

In the summer of 2000, I worked as an assistant conductor to Michael Morgan at the Festival Opera in Walnut Creek, California. We performed Massenet's "Werther", and as you can see from the photos, it was a truly joyful experience to work with the children's chorus ("noel, noel, noel ...").

Later that year, I came back to share conducting duties on "The Nutcracker" with the Oakland East Bay Symphony and the Oakland Ballet.

While in California, I had two more nice Christmas surprises. First, maestro Michael Tilson Thomas invited me to be one of a select few participants in his upcoming masterclass with the New World Symphony in Miami (where I conducted Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra"), and then I was offered the job of assistant conductor at the 2001 Salzburg Music Festival.

Hradec Kralove, Boni Pueri 2000, & Pirates of Penzance

2006-07-14T04:46:00.000-05:00

In February of 2000, I returned again to conduct the Hradec Kralove Philharmonic in a concert which included the "Fantasy on a Theme of Thomas Tallis" by Ralph Vaughan Williams. I spoke with the audience about this piece (which had never been played in Hradec Kralove), and we first performed the original hymn by Tallis with the boys choir Boni Pueri. The choir was definitely a major element in the success of this performance (a very rewarding experience)!

Our concert in Hradec also included Mahler's 1st Symphony, and a week later I returned to New Orleans to conduct "The Pirates of Penzance" :

Prague and Carlsbad 1998-99

2006-07-14T04:31:00.000-05:00

In 1998 I conducted the Prague Philharmonia in the closing concert of the Young Prague Festival. Amoung the soloists on this concert were flutist Jan Ostry, Tomas Djupsjöbacka, and pianist Takahiro Hoshino.

During that season, I also conducted the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Hradec Kralove Philharmonic, and after a vacation in Thailand I conducted the Carlsbad Symphony Orchestra with soloist Vaclav Hudecek.

Prague Spring 1995 & 2000

2006-07-14T04:01:00.000-05:00

These photos were taken while I was living in Prague and working at the National Theater. In 1995, I conducted Janacek's "Taras Bulba" and Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" in the Prague Spring conducting competition, and I was awarded Honorary Mention.

I was a semi-finalist again in the Prague Spring competition in 2000 conducting "Taras Bulba" again as well as Mahler's 1st Symphony. It was such an honor to be able to conduct in the beautiful Rudolfinum and especially to work with the Czech Radio Orchestra.

The photo by the piano was taken in the conductor's dressing room of the Rudolfinum, and in the background you can see a photo of Sir Charles Mackerras on the wall.

Home on the bayou

2006-07-13T15:06:00.000-05:00

Even though I conduct primarily in Europe, I always enjoy coming home to Louisiana ... a real cajun can't survive too long without crawfish, oyster po-boys, gumbo, and redbeans-and-rice :-)

The picture on the boat is from a bayou tour where we actually got to feed the alligators with pieces of chicken on the end of a pole!

Paul's Paris 1999-01

2006-07-13T14:53:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned Paris in a few other posts. Although I didn't spend as much time there as it might look from these blogs, there were just too many good pics and memorable events ...

One of the truly spontaneos moments of joy was when we found a cafe named "Paul's"! Not only were the croissants and pastries some of the best looking in the world, but each one had MY name on it :-)

Augsburg, Germany 2001

2006-07-13T02:51:00.000-05:00

After conducting in Lyon at the beginning of March, 2001, I was in Paris on my way back to America. Just before confirming my flight, however, I received an unexpected last minute invitation to replace a conductor in an upcoming concert with the Augsburg Philharmonic in Germany. Thus, I stayed a bit longer in Paris to prepare the program which included works of Werner Egk and Maurice Ravel with mezzo soprano Lorraine DiSimone. Here is a photo of the opera house where we rehearsed in Augsburg.

My good friend Debra Fernandes attended this concert, and a few years later we recorded a CD together in Prague.

Lyon, France 2000-01

2006-07-13T02:40:00.000-05:00

In April of 2000, I was invited on last minute notice to audition for the position of Resident Conductor with the Orchestre National de Lyon. When I say last-minute, I mean it really was very "last minute"! They phoned me in the afternoon to say that a candidate had cancelled and that I should be in Lyon at 9 am the next morning to conduct: Mendelssohn - Italian Symphony, Berlioz - Roman Carnival Overture, Webern - Passacaglia, and Stravinsky - Firebird Suite! Luckily, I was able to get there quickly, since I happened to be in Besancon, France at the time!

Although I did not get selected for the full-time position, the Music Director David Robertson invited me back to conduct a subscription concert in March 2001. It was wonderful to get to conduct in beautiful Lyon two years in a row. We performed the "African Suite"by Abdullah Ibrahim. This is a piece which mixes a jazz trio with an interesting orchestral accompaniment (click here to read the reviews).

Before my second trip to Lyon, I spent a week nearby in Geneva, Switzerland attending rehearsals of Janacek's opera "Jenufa".

Besancon, France 1999-2001

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I first visited Besancon, France in March of 1995 to conduct Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" as part of their international conducting competition. I participated in this competition three times, and each time out of over 200 candidates I was among the 20 to be accepted past the preliminary rounds.

Some of the other repertoire I conducted in the Besancon competition was: Bartok -Dance Suite, Divertimento, & Concerto for Orchestra, Copland - Appalachian Spring, Kodaly - Dances of Galantea, Milhaud - Le boef sur le toit, Roussel - The Spider's Feast, & Stravinsky - Petroushka.

Since I was already in Europe, I even participated in the competition there a few days after September 11, 2001. This was a very difficult task for me as I was the only American accepted that year, and I was very concerned about the recent attacks on our country. At least the reviewer wrote that I should have made it into a further round (click here).

Hradec Kralove 1999

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The first time I conducted the Hradec Kralove Philharmonic was Janacek's Suite from The Cumnning Little Vixen in 1994. These photos are from a concert in Hradec in 1999 which included Albinoni - Adagio, Poulenc - Concerto for Two Pianos, Ravel - Mother Goose Suite, & Stravinsky - Firebird Suite.

Sweden 1999

2006-07-13T01:58:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos from when I conducted in Sweden. I had previously worked with the Vänersborg youth orchestra in Prague in 1998, and in the summer of 1999 we did a concert in Vargön which is on the lake Vänern near Trolhätten.

These were some of the nicest and most well-behaved kids I have met in the whole world, and they were a real joy to work with! We rode bicycles everywhere in town, got to play tennis together in our spare time, and we even saw a wild moose in the forest one morning.

Two of the other pictures I'm including are from a boat I slept on in Stockholm and our visit to the unique town of Smögen on the west coast of Sweden. The highlight of my trip to Stockholm was attending rehearsals of Myun-Whun Chung conducting Nielsen's 5th symphony!

It was an unforgettable surprise when the youth orchestra invited me to a crawfish dinner! This is about the best thing you can do for someone from Louisiana :-)

Paris is for the birds

2006-07-13T01:45:00.000-05:00

During my trips to Paris (after conducting in Besancon in 1999, summer of 2000, and after conducting in Lyon in 2001) I always enjoyed feeding the birds in the Jardin de Luxembourg. When I lived nearby for two weeks, I went there every day to study Ravel's "Sheherazade" which I was preparing to conduct in Augsburg ...

Prague recital 1998

2006-07-13T01:34:00.000-05:00

In the fall of 1998, my good friend Cari Votava was leaving Prague and moving to America. She organized a farewell recital which I played for her along with mezzo soprano Galia Ibragimova and harpist Katerina Englichova. All of us are in this picture taken after the recital in Prague. The next year, I accompanied Galia in another recital at the World Bank in Washington D.C.

Italy 1997-98

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In the summer of 1997, I studied conducting at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy. That year and in 1998, my girlfriend and I travelled quite a bit throughout Italy, and I also participated in conducting competitions in Parma and Trento.

Some of my favorite experiences included conducting Respighi's "Trittico Boticelliano" and seeing the original three paintings which inspired this work in Firenza. I also had the unique experience of a personal guided tour of Respighi's "Fountains of Rome" by maestro Gian Luigi Zampieri. (Isn't it great how you can find almost anyone on the internet these days?)

Assistant to Sir Charles Mackerras 1997-98

2006-07-13T00:55:00.000-05:00

The focus of my conducting career has been on Czech operas and in particular those of Leos Janacek. I was first inspired by the world's foremost Janacek conductor Sir Charles Mackerras. It was encouraging to see how an Australian could learn the Czech language, study in Prague, and then go on to a successful life of conducting all of Janacek's operas.

Thus, Sir Charles was my major role model, and I was fortunate to be able to follow in his footsteps when I was engaged as an assistant conductor at the Prague National Theater (1995-97). I worked there as assistant to Bohumil Gregor and Jiri Belohlavek on Janacek's operas: Jenufa, Kata Kabanova, & The Cunning Little Vixen.
In 1996, I first met Sir Charles during his work on the Glagolitic Mass with the Czech Philharmonic. To my complete surprise, he engaged me to be his assistant in 1997 on a recording of Kata Kabanova with Gabriela Benackova (photo), and again in 1998 I worked with him as assistant on Dvorak's Rusalka with Renee Fleming & Ben Heppner.

Haldensleben, Germany 1996

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In the summer of 1996, I conducted an orchestra made up of students from 13 different countries. We performed not only at a beautiful castle in Hundisburg (former East Germany), but we also made a tour through five other cities such as Wolfsburg.

I accompanied some of the selections from the harpsichord, and my favorite piece on the program was "Orawa" by Wojciech Kilar.

Prague,Jenufa Lappalainen 1996

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While working at the Prague National Theater, I had the privilege of coaching soprano Eilana Lappalainen on the role of Jenufa.

We are pictured here together with pilot Paul Borgatti and Andrea Slunska (my Bystrouska).

Prague Spring 1995

2006-07-13T00:39:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more photos from the Prague Spring Conducting Competition.

These are from 1995 conducting Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" and Janacek's "Taras Bulba".

Florida 1995, Paul's Shrimp

2006-07-13T00:37:00.000-05:00

ok, this entry doesn't have anything to do with conducting, but it was such a memorable vacation pic that I just had to include it.

Earlier I mentioned how much I love New Orleans cooking and seafood ... well, in 1995, we were on vacation in Florida and found this wonderful restaurant :-)

New Orleans Civic Symphony 1994

2006-07-13T00:34:00.000-05:00

After my momentous first trip to the Czech Republic, I returned to Louisiana to conduct the New Orleans Civic Symphony in October of 1994.

Here is a picture from the dress rehearsal and one from after the concert with my dear friend Kathleen Melville.

Opava & Vienna 1994

2006-07-13T00:30:00.000-05:00

During my first trip to the Czech Republic, one of my first concerts there included opera excerpts performed in a church near Opava (pictured here with soprano Rena Panush).

I also spent a few days in Vienna where I visited Beethoven's house in Heiligenstadt. Here is a photo of me at his piano.

First Czech trip 1994

2006-07-13T00:26:00.000-05:00

In 1994 I made my first trip to the Czech Republic. Upon arrival, I learned that there was an opportunity to fill in for another conductor on short notice with the Hradec Kralove Philharmonic. On June 30th (my name day) we performed the orchestral suite from "The Cunning Little Vixen" by Leos Janacek.

Then I participated in an opera workshop, and within a month I organized a concert with a youth orchestra in Zlin. This was the Beethoven Chamber Orchestra from Ostrava, and on our way to Zlin our bus broke down in the woods! At least we weren't stopped for long, and we made it on time for the concert. Our program of 20th century American music culminated with Copland's "Appalachian Spring".

I stayed in Zlin for over a week and spent a great deal of time with the local folk-dance ensemble. I had met them during their previous visit to New Orleans in March of 1994, and this was a perfect initiation into the folk music and dances of Moravia.
... "wine, women, and song" ;-)

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