David Robertson
American conductor David Robertson is a compelling and passionate communicator whose stimulating ideas and exhilarating music-making have captivated international audiences and musicians alike. Hailed by the press as a brilliant artist and master programmer, he is considered one of the most important conductors of today. His consummate musicianship, fresh stylistic instincts and extensive mastery of orchestral as well as operatic repertoire have secured strong relationships for him with major orchestras worldwide. In fall 2006, Mr. Robertson begins his second season as Music Director of the 127-year-old Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, while continuing as Principal Guest Conductor of London's BBC Symphony Orchestra, a post he assumed in October 2005.
In addition to leading the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in subscription weeks, outreach programs, and tours, David Robertson continues to guest conduct nationally and internationally throughout the 2006-07 season. He comes twice to New York in the fall to lead the New York Philharmonic in programs featuring music by Mozart and Stravinsky (October), and the U.S. premiere of Kaija Saariaho's Adriana Songs (a New York Philharmonic and Auftakt Festival co-commission), alongside works by Debussy and Sibelius (December). Additional guest engagements in the United States include performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and Boston Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Robertson's international guest engagements include appearances with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and the opening of the 70th anniversary season of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival featuring the world premiere of Ivan Fedele's Antigone and Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex, staged by director Luca Ronconi.
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. He has two teenage sons and is married to pianist Orli Shaham.
