David Robertson Biography
American conductor David Robertson is highly acclaimed worldwide for his impeccable musicianship, exhilarating presence and innovative programming, which continue to inspire and enthrall audiences and fellow musicians alike. Equally at home in both orchestral and operatic realms, Robertson’s combination of passion and intellect have established him as a leading interpreter of both the standard classical repertoire as well as less traditional works of our time. Fall 2008 finds Mr. Robertson embarking on his fourth season as Music Director of the 129-year-old Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, while continuing as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, a post to which he was appointed in 2005.
In addition to his commitments with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Robertson continues to guest conduct nationally and internationally throughout the 2008-09 season. Highlights of the season include several world premieres of works by composers such as Sofia Gubaidulina with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; Miroslav Srnka with the Ensemble Intercontemporain; Sam Hayden with the BBC Symphony; and Ivan Fedele with the Filarmonica della Scala, as well as U.S. premieres of works by HK Gruber, Steven Mackey, Kaija Saariaho and Mark-Anthony Turnage, all with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in St. Louis. In April 2009, David Robertson brings his orchestra to New York’s Carnegie Hall for two consecutive concerts featuring works by HK Gruber, Stravinsky, Wagner and Sibelius, as well as the New York premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s award-winning Mirage, featuring soloists Karita Mattila, soprano, and Anssi Karttunen, cellist. Prior to his Carnegie Hall concerts with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Robertson comes to New York to conduct The Juilliard Orchestra in Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite as part of the inaugural concert of the much-anticipated Alice Tully Hall Opening Nights Festival on February 22, followed by a second concert on February 25 that features Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles. Additional guest appearances in the U.S. include performances with the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco and Seattle Symphony Orchestras, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Internationally, Mr. Robertson appears with the Sydney Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Ensemble Intercontemporain, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
David Robertson also returns to Milan’s legendary Teatro alla Scala in April, 2009, for performances of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, produced and directed by Robert Lepage, and subscription concerts with the Filarmonica della Scala.
A recognized expert in 20th and 21st-century music with extensive international conducting credits, Mr. Robertson has held several posts abroad. Prior to his Saint Louis Symphony and BBC Symphony Orchestra appointments, Mr. Robertson was the first artist ever to simultaneously hold
the posts of Music Director of the Orchestre National de Lyon and Artistic Director of that city’s
Auditorium, posts he held from 2000–2004. From 1992–2000, he was Music Director of the
Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris, of which Pierre Boulez is Honorary President, and from 1985-1987, he was Resident Conductor of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Additional
international conducting credits include the London Symphony Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra,
Orchestre de Paris, NHK Symphony, Dresdner Philharmonie, Bayerisches Staatsorchester in Munich, Staatskapelle Berlin, Santa Cecilia Orchestra of Rome and the Rotterdam Philharmonic, among others. A popular guest conductor in North America as well, Mr. Robertson regularly guest conducts the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony. Equally successful on the operatic scene with over 45 operas in his repertoire, Mr. Robertson’s opera house credits include the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Opéra de Lyon, Bayerische Staatsoper, Théâtre du Châtelet, Hamburg State Opera and San Francisco Opera.
David Robertson has made numerous recordings for the Sony Classical, Naive, EMI/Virgin Classics, Deutsche Grammophon, Atlantic/Erato, Nuema, Adès, Valois and Naxos labels. His recordings include works by such composers as Adams, Bartók, Boulez, Carter, Dusapin, Dvořák, Ginastera, Lalo, Milhaud, Reich, Saint-Saëns, and Silvestrov.
Hailed “a natural teacher” by The New York Times, David Robertson has devoted time throughout his career to working with students and young artists. He is credited with creating and leading many outreach programs with the Ensemble Intercontemporain and the Orchestre National de Lyon, and has worked with students at the Paris Conservatory, The Juilliard School, Tanglewood, the National Orchestral Institute in Maryland, the Aspen Music Festival and as part of Carnegie Hall’s Perspectives series.
Born in Santa Monica, California, Mr. Robertson was educated at London’s Royal Academy of Music, where he studied French horn and composition before turning to orchestral conducting. David Robertson is the recipient of Columbia University’s 2006 Ditson Conductor’s Award, and he and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra received the ASCAP Morton Gould Award for Innovative Programming for the 2005-06 season from the American Symphony Orchestra League. Musical America named him Conductor of the Year for 2000. In 1997, Mr. Robertson received the Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductors Award, the premier prize of its kind, given to exceptionally gifted American conductors. In May 2007, he was granted an honorary doctorate from Maryville University. David Robertson and his wife, pianist Orli Shaham, have recently become parents of twin boys. Mr. Robertson also has two teenage sons.
Management: David V. Foster, President & CEO, and Jason Bagdade, Vice President, Opus 3 Artists
Public Relations: M.L. FALCONE, Public Relations