James Conlon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Conlon
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Conlon in 2004
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| Born | March 18, 1950 New York City, United States
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| Occupation | Conductor |
James Conlon, born on March 18, 1950, is a famous American conductor. He leads the music at the Los Angeles Opera and is also the main conductor for the RAI National Symphony Orchestra.
Contents
Becoming a Conductor
Early Life and Musical Dreams
James Conlon grew up in Douglaston, Queens, New York City, in a family of five children. His parents and siblings were not very interested in music. But when James was eleven, he saw an opera called La traviata. This show made him want to learn music.
He started taking music lessons and sang as a boy soprano in an opera group in Queens. At first, he wanted to be a singer, like a tenor or a baritone. He even thought about singing the role of Carmen! But then he realized that the best way to be involved in all parts of opera was to become a conductor.
Learning at Music Schools
When James was fifteen, he went to the High School of Music & Art. At eighteen, he was accepted into a conducting program at the Aspen Music Festival and School. In September 1968, he started studying at the Juilliard School of music.
In 1970, the Juilliard Orchestra went on a trip to Europe. The next year, James was invited to the Spoleto Festival in Italy. There, he helped with rehearsals and led the chorus. During this time, he conducted one performance of Boris Godunov. He had always loved this opera and dreamed of it being the first one he would conduct.
A Big Opportunity at Juilliard
In 1972, a conductor suddenly left a Juilliard show of La bohème. Maria Callas, a very famous opera singer, was teaching at Juilliard. She heard Conlon rehearsing and suggested that he should conduct the show. This was a huge chance for him!
Leading Orchestras and Operas
Starting His Professional Career
James Conlon won an award from the American National Orchestral Association. In 1974, he became the youngest conductor ever to lead a series of concerts for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
He made his first appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in 1976. That same year, he also debuted in Britain with the Scottish Opera. In 1979, he conducted for the first time at Covent Garden in London. He also became the director of the Cincinnati May Festival in 1979, a role he kept for many years until 2016.
Working in Europe
After working with the Paris Opéra and other groups, Conlon became the chief conductor of the Cologne Opera in Germany in 1989. In 1996, he was named the music director of the Opéra National de Paris.
He has led almost every major orchestra in North America and Europe. He has also worked with many of the world's top opera companies, including Teatro alla Scala in Milan and the Royal Opera in London. He spent nearly 30 years with the Metropolitan Opera, conducting over 250 performances of many different types of operas.
Conlon held important positions in Europe for a long time. He was the main conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic from 1983 to 1991. He was also the music director for the City of Cologne, Germany, from 1989 to 2002. In 2015, he was named the main conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Italy.
Work in the United States
Since the 2006–2007 season, Conlon has been the music director of the Los Angeles Opera. There, he started a special project called "Recovered Voices." This project focused on performing operas by composers whose lives and music were affected by the Third Reich. He conducted seven of Wagner's operas with the Los Angeles Opera, including the first-ever performances of Der Ring des Nibelungen in Los Angeles in 2008–2009.
In September 2021, the Los Angeles Opera announced that Conlon would continue as their music director until the 2024–2025 season. In March 2024, they announced that he would finish his time as music director at the end of the 2025-2026 season. After that, he will become a "conductor laureate," which means he will still be connected to the company.
Conlon was also the music director of the Cincinnati May Festival from 1979 to 2016, which was the longest time anyone held that position. He was also the music director of the Ravinia Festival from 2005 to 2015. In November 2020, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra chose Conlon as their artistic advisor for three seasons. He conducted his first concert with them in October 2021.
Bringing Back Forgotten Music
James Conlon has worked hard to make people aware of music by composers whose lives and works were affected by the Holocaust. He has performed their music often in North America and Europe. These composers include Alexander von Zemlinsky, Viktor Ullmann, Pavel Haas, Kurt Weill, and others.
Besides his "Recovered Voices" series at the Los Angeles Opera, he also featured a different composer from this group each summer at the Ravinia Festival. He has highlighted works by Viktor Ullmann, Erwin Schulhoff, and Alexander von Zemlinsky. A special production of Ullman's Der Kaiser von Atlantis, which Conlon helped create, has been performed in many places since it first showed in New York.
In 2021, Conlon gave a TED Talk called "Resurrecting Forbidden Music," where he spoke about this important work.
Recordings and Media
Music Recordings
Conlon has made many recordings for different music labels. He recorded the first-ever performance of Franz Liszt's St. Stanislaus oratorio. He is a big supporter of Alexander Zemlinsky's music and has made nine recordings of his operas and orchestral works. Many of these recordings have won international awards.
He has also started a new series of 20th-century works, including music by Erwin Schulhoff and Viktor Ullmann. His recordings also feature works by Karl Amadeus Hartmann and Dmitri Shostakovich. His most recent recording is a CD of works by Bohuslav Martinů with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Television and Film
In 2006, PBS aired a series of six shows called Encore, hosted by Conlon. These shows were about his work with the finalists of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He also hosted another PBS series called Concerto.
Conlon conducted the orchestra for Kenneth Branagh's 2006 film The Magic Flute. This movie was an English version of Mozart's opera, set during World War I. He also adapted and conducted the music for the 1995 film Madame Butterfly.
Awards and Honors
James Conlon has received many awards for his contributions to music:
- He won the Grand Prix du Disque in France in 1997 for his recording of Zemlinsky's The Dwarf.
- In 1999, he received the Zemlinsky Prize for bringing the composer's music to worldwide attention.
- He has received honorary doctorates from the Juilliard School (2004), Chapman University (2009), and Brandeis University (2009).
- In 2005, he received an Opera News Award for his important work in opera.
- The New York Public Library honored him as a "Library Lion" for his contributions.
- The French Government named him an Officier de L'Ordre des Arts et et des Lettres in 1996 and promoted him to Commander in 2004. In 2002, he received France's highest honor, the Légion d'Honneur.
- The Anti-Defamation League honored him in 2007 for his work supporting composers silenced by the Third Reich.
- He received the Medal of the American Liszt Society for his performances of Liszt's works.
- In 2008, he received Italy's Premio Galileo 2000 Award for his work in music, art, and peace.
- His recording of Kurt Weill's Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny won a 2009 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording.
- In 2009, Conlon was added to the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.
- He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Los Angeles in 2011.
- In 2016, he was awarded the Commendatore dell'Ordine Al merito della Repubblica Italiana by the President of Italy.
- His recording of John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles won two Grammy Awards in 2017.
- In 2023, he received Austria's Cross of Honor for Science and Art.
Personal Life
James Conlon married Jennifer Ringo, a soprano singer and vocal coach, on January 9, 1987. They have two daughters, Luisa and Emma. Luisa was named after the Verdi opera Luisa Miller. She is now a documentary filmmaker and journalist. Emma is a performer and works as a humanitarian activist.
Selected Recordings
- Berlioz: Béatrice et Bénédict
- John Corigliano - The Ghosts of Versailles
- Liszt: Faust Symphony
- Mendelssohn: Elijah
- Puccini: La Bohème
- Puccini: Tosca
- Shostakovich: Violin Concerto no. 1
- Stravinsky: Le Rossignol
- Zemlinsky: Eine florentinische Tragödie
- Zemlinsky: The Dwarf
- Zemlinsky: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2
- A Salute to American Music
See also
In Spanish: James Conlon para niños
