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Christoph Campestrini, conductor

b i o g r a p h y...........back to roster....up November 2011 Recognized widely as a young conductor of enormous musical talent and deep introspection, Austrian native Christoph Campestrini has been lauded by critics for his "youthful energy and nice sense of phrasing" (The New York Times) and "vibrant eloquence" (Le Soleil). Appraising his interpretation of Schubert's Ninth Symphony, the Denver Post observed that "he brought a sense of immediacy and drama to this music, conveying the architectural scope of the massive piece while highlighting its inner dialogues and dynamic contrasts." Such accolades have given rise to a career that brought him together with over ninety orchestras on five continents, among them the London Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Deutsche Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Stuttgart Philharmonic, Moscow Radio Symphony, Prague Philharmonia, Vienna Radio Symphony, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Queensland Philharmonic, Israel Sinfonietta and many others. He has also nurtured close collaborations with such soloists as Gidon Kremer, Julian Rachlin, Rudolf Buchbinder, Sharon Kam, Julia Fischer and Emmanuel Pahud. A graduate of Juilliard and Columbia University, Campestrini got his initial break when he was chosen as the only European artist to the founding class of the Yale University Affiliate Artists Conducting Program, at the time the preeminent program of its kind. While at Yale, he received important artistic impulses by the likes of Lorin Maazel, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Kurt Sanderling. Although at home in a wide range of repertoire, and championing the music of contemporary composers, he feels a particular affinity with the music of his compatriots Schubert, Bruckner and Mahler. Campestrini is equally in demand as an accomplished opera conductor. He has served as principal conductor of the Essen Aalto Musiktheater and the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra, where he conducted more than 15 different operas in over 100 performances. Other opera credits over time have included the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf (Die Zauberflöte), Opera Lyra Ottawa (Le nozze di Figaro), Austin Lyric Opera (Don Giovanni), Cremona Opera, and Zagreb National Opera. During the 2011/12 season, Campestrini augments this list with a production of Massenet’s Werther in the pit of the Minnesota Opera. Noteworthy orchestral engagements include a Beethoven Gala with the Indianapolis Symphony and Lang Lang as soloist, his debut with the Rochester Philharmonic, and concerts with the Württembergische Philharmonie in Germany. Among last season’s North American highlights figured engagements with the Vancouver Symphony, Toledo Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, and Quebec Symphony, in addition to an appearance at the Round Top Festival. He also appeared for a New Year’s concert at the Teatro Regio in Torino, and led the Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal, the Nürnberg Symphony and L'Orchestre philharmonique Royal de Liège, the latter at Vienna’s Musikverein. His opening concert of the Carinthian Summer Festival rounded out the calendar. Recent seasons saw him conduct the Sakai City Opera with Massenet's Cendrillon and Dvorak’s Rusalka, the Orquesta Sinfonica de Navarra (Spain), Hungarian Radio Symphony Budapest and Calgary Philharmonic. In addition, he was re-engaged to the symphonies of San Antonio, Colorado, Oregon and Huntsville. In Europe, he maintains a permanent relationship with the Czech State Philharmonic Brno, which he conducts in several programs each season as well as on tour. He also regularly works with the Camerata Salzburg, Bruckner Orchestra Linz and the Slovak Philharmonic. Christoph Campestrini was born in Linz, Austria, and received his musical education at the Juilliard School while simultaneously majoring in philosophy and languages at Columbia University. In addition to German and English, he speaks Italian, French, Russian and Spanish. b i o......r e v i e w s.....w e b s i t e back to roster...up . . . .

. r e v i e w s...........back to roster....up INDIANAPOLIS SYMPHONY It also helps when all the instrumental choirs are in sync, when the louds and the softs are clearly audible and when the balance is perfect throughout. Campestrini not only did all the preceding, but gave the third movement, an Adagio cantabile, its proper slowness. His conducting was as good as we've heard so far this season. nuvo.net, 11/21/11 QUEBEC SYMPHONY Polyglot Campestrini masters the language of music with vibrant eloquence. He built the crescendos to the heady fortissimos with unparalleled effectiveness, and his phrasing of the musical line was so natural it would make a bel canto singer blush. Le Soleil, 1/20/11 GREEN BAY SYMPHONY Cohen's preciseness was matched by guest conductor Christoph Campestrini, whose leadership was robust and clear all concert. […] Campestrini instead took that time to prepare an encore – how did he know? — Antonin Dvorak's "Slavonic Dance No. 5." Dynamic and explosive, it was like tossing a firecracker into the crowd. People left all abuzz. Green Bay Press-Gazette, 10/12/09 TOLEDO SYMPHONY Again, Campestrini, whose conducting verges on balletic, elucidated the distinct qualities of each work, capturing the musical essence of Richard Wagner in its great variety. Toledo Blade, 3/28/09 HOUSTON SYMPHONY Showing a more dramatic dash here, Campestrini's conducting brought out the sprightliness and vigor of the opening movement, the forces nicely balanced. The orchestra's smoothly flowing work conveyed the more subtle appeal of the two interior movements. Yet it was the dynamic rendering of the Saltarello finale that made it the work's triumph, a whirlwind of sound that maintained precision despite the dizzying pace. Houston Chronicle, 3/16/08 MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY Campestrini measured that power and released it judiciously, to the best possible effect. He drew big drama from quiet moments, too. I'm particularly thinking of the last movement, when an explosive recollection of the fanfare from the very start of the symphony subsides to a low sustained tone in the basses and cellos. Campestrini let that tone hover for a long, long time before letting it drop to resolution. The delicious suspense of that pause was its own reward, but it also gave us a moment to ponder all the sonic wonders that had led us to that point. Tchaikovsky is notorious for his out-sized emotions, and Campestrini got the emotional charge in the music. But this music also contains the antidote to overdoing it. Campestrini heard the hint of "Swan Lake" in the Fourth Symphony and drew it out. The emotion was hot but never raw or overbearing and always informed by the elegance of ballet. The Fourth Symphony was Tchaikovsky's idea of heroic pathos. The Second Symphony was Beethoven's idea of fun, and Campestrini and the MSO played it with just the antic playfulness it needs. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10/19/07 COLORADO SYMPHONY After showing himself to be a capable accompanist on the first half, Campestrini got his chance in the spotlight, and he made the most of it. He led a stirring performance of a substitute selection, Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944, "The Great." He brought a sense of immediacy and drama to this music, conveying the architectural scope of the massive piece while highlighting its inner dialogues and dynamic contrasts. Denver Post, 3/25/07 HOUSTON CHRONICLE Guest conductor Christoph Campestrini, subbing for the ill Jeffrey Kahane, indicated he had thought some about the matter in his exquisitely chiseled opening theme. Its lightness, clarity, clean shape and hushed energy promised a vibrant performance -- if those qualities dominated the following half hour of music. Houston Chronicle 10/19/06 CZECH STATE PHILHARMONIC OF BRNO – Bruckner, Te Deum “Christoph Campestrini … fully engulfing himself in this mighty score [Bruckner Te Deum] … achieved a reading that was dramatically sweeping, clearly articulated and powerful in intensity and expression while proceeding through the profound evocation of its liturgical words. Together with the four soloists [he] delivered an ideal realization of the score.” Oberösterreichische Nachrichten (Germany) “In a festive Anniversary Gala at the Linz Bruckner Hall Christoph Campestrini conducted a quartet of soloists as well as a huge chorus and orchestra in the Te Deum by Anton Bruckner with great dignity and affection.” Volksblatt (Germany) JOHANN STRAUSS ENSEMBLE – Brucknerhaus (Linz) “Christoph Campestrini with his rhythmically precise and caring conducting up-lifted the beautiful melodies by Donizetti, Verdi, Mascagni and Johann Strauss into high spirits.” Neues Volksblatt MOZARTEUM ORCHESTRA (Salzburg) “…Campestrini’s way of conducting, freshly and with a fine sense of humor, was surely a challenge for the musicians.” Salzburger Nachrichten FRANZ SCHUBERT ORCHESTRA NEW YORK – Salieri, D-Major Mass “… Salieri’s D-Major Mass – as performed by men singers of the Westminster Choir, 50 choristers from the American Boychoir School and the Franz Schubert Orchestra New York, all conducted by Christoph Campestrini – was one of the most beautiful settings of the mass that this listener has heard. The men’s voices blended with those of the boys in an ear-caressing manner, and the singing was effectively enhanced by the velvety playing by the Schubert orchestra. The young-looking Campestrini conducted with youthful energy and a nice sense of phrasing.” The New York Times b i o......r e v i e w s.....w e b s i t e back to roster...up

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