James Conlon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Conlon
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| Born | March 18, 1950 New York City, United States
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| Occupation | Conductor |
James Conlon (born March 18, 1950) is a famous American conductor. He leads orchestras and opera companies around the world. Currently, he is the music director of the Los Angeles Opera. He is also the main conductor for the RAI National Symphony Orchestra.
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Becoming a Conductor
James Conlon grew up in New York City with his four siblings. His parents had interesting jobs, but they weren't musicians. When James was eleven, he saw an opera called La traviata. This show made him fall in love with music.
He started taking music lessons and sang in a children's chorus. At first, he wanted to be a singer in operas. He dreamed of singing many different roles. But then he realized that to do everything he wanted in opera, he needed to become a conductor.
His Music Education
At age fifteen, James Conlon went to the High School of Music & Art. This school is famous for helping young artists. When he was eighteen, he was accepted into a special conducting program. This program was at the Aspen Music Festival and School.
In 1968, he started studying at the Juilliard School of music. This is a very well-known music school. In 1970, the Juilliard Orchestra went on a tour in Europe. The next year, James was invited to the Spoleto Festival. There, he helped with rehearsals and conducted one performance of the opera Boris Godunov. He had always dreamed of conducting this opera first!
A Big Break at Juilliard
In 1972, a conductor suddenly left a Juilliard production of La bohème. A famous opera singer named Maria Callas was teaching at Juilliard at the time. She heard James Conlon rehearsing. She told the school's president that James should conduct the opera. This was a huge opportunity for him!
Leading Orchestras and Operas
James Conlon quickly became a respected conductor. In 1974, he was the youngest conductor ever to lead a series of concerts for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1976, he made his first appearance at the famous Metropolitan Opera. He also debuted in Britain with the Scottish Opera. In 1979, he conducted for the first time at Covent Garden in London.
He was the director of the Cincinnati May Festival for a very long time, from 1979 until 2016. He also worked with many other major opera companies and orchestras. These included the Opéra National de Paris, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Chicago Lyric Opera. From 1989 to 2002, he was the main music director for the Cologne Opera in Germany.
Working in the United States
Since 2006, James Conlon has been the music director of the Los Angeles Opera. He has done some very special work there. He started a project called "Recovered Voices." This project brings back operas by composers whose lives and music were affected by the the Holocaust. He has conducted many of these important works.
He also led the first-ever performances in Los Angeles of Der Ring des Nibelungen. This is a very long and famous opera series by Wagner. In 2024, the Los Angeles Opera announced that he will finish his time as music director in 2026. After that, he will become a "conductor laureate," which means he will still be connected to the company.
James Conlon was also the music director for the Ravinia Festival from 2005 to 2015. In 2020, he became an artistic advisor for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. This was special because he hadn't conducted them before!
Bringing Back Lost Music
James Conlon is very passionate about sharing the music of composers who were affected by the Holocaust. He wants people to know about these important works. He has programmed music by composers like Alexander von Zemlinsky, Viktor Ullmann, and Kurt Weill.
At the Ravinia Festival, he would feature a different composer from this group each summer. He also helped create a traveling production of Ullmann's opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis. This show has been performed in many places, including New York, Italy, and Chicago. In 2021, he gave a TED (conference) Talk about "Resurrecting Forbidden Music."
Recordings and TV Appearances
James Conlon has made many recordings of his performances. He has recorded for labels like EMI, Erato, and Sony Classical. He is known for his recordings of Alexander Zemlinsky's music. His recordings of Zemlinsky's operas and orchestral works have won awards.
He has also appeared on television. In 2006, PBS aired a show called Encore that he hosted. He also hosted another show called Concerto.
Film Work
James Conlon has also worked on films. He conducted the orchestra for Kenneth Branagh's 2006 film version of Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute. This movie was 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 amazing work in music:
- He won the Grand Prix du Disque (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 the world.
- He has received honorary degrees from several universities, including the Juilliard School.
- In 2005, he won an Opera News Award for his contributions to opera.
- The New York Public Library honored him as a "Library Lion."
- The French Government has given him high honors, including the Légion d'Honneur in 2002.
- The Anti-Defamation League honored him in 2007 for his work with composers silenced by the Third Reich.
- His recording of Kurt Weill's Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording in 2009.
- He was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
- In 2017, his recording of John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles won two Grammy Awards.
- In 2023, he received Austria's Cross of Honor for Science and Art.
Personal Life
James Conlon married Jennifer Ringo in 1987. She is a soprano singer and a vocal coach. They have two daughters named Luisa and Emma. Luisa was named after a Verdi opera. 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
Images for kids
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James Conlon, conductor
See also
In Spanish: James Conlon para niños
