| Music Director of the Asian Youth Orchestra for eight seasons,
Sergiu Comissiona is internationally recognized as one of the most
dynamic, sensitive, and experienced conductors of our time. A familiar figure in more than
25 countries, Maestro Comissiona has led virtually all of the world's major symphony
orchestras in performances acclaimed for their interpretative fire, musical and orchestral
discipline. Critics around the world are unanimous in
praising Maestro Comissiona's ability to lead players to new artistic heights and inspire
them to exalted levels of performance. He has been hailed as "the man responsible for
bringing the Vancouver Symphony back to musical health," and the man who transformed
the Baltimore Symphony into a truly professional ensemble during his 17 seasons as Music
Director.
A highly popular figure in Baltimore to this day, Maestro
Comissiona is also Conductor Laureate of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He has also
served as Music Director and Chief Conductor of Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Music
Director of Vancouver Symphony and Chief Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfonica de R.T.V.E.,
Madrid. Previous music directorships include the Houston Symphony, Gothenberg
Orchestra of Goteborg and the American Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to appearances at many of the world's most
prestigious festivals, including Tanglewood, Aspen, Saratoga and Wolf Trap, Sergiu
Comissiona has conducted frequently at the New York City Opera, both as guest conductor
and Music Director. He has also conducted many acclaimed recordings for Deutsche
Grammophon, Philips, London and the Pro Arte labels with the London Symphony, l'Orchestra
de la Suisse Romande, the Houston Symphony and the Israel Chamber Orchestra, which he
founded.
Born in Bucharest, Maestro Comissiona began violin studies
at the age of five, was hired as a violinist by the Romanian State Ensemble while still in
his teens, and made his conducting debut at the age of 17. While in his twenties, Maestro
Comissiona was named Principal Conductor of the Romanian State Opera.
Maestro Comissiona was honored as a Knight in the Order of
Arts and Letters by the French government, and was awarded an honorary doctorate at
Boston's New England Conservatory. A strong proponent of music education, he is an
honorary member of the Swedish Academy of Music and founder of the Baltimore's Symphony
Orchestra's national competition for young American conductors.
Sergiu Comissiona and his wife Robinne, also born in
Romania, became American citizens on July 4, 1976, at a special Bicentennial ceremony at
Fort McHenry on the Baltimore harbor.
|
![arrow15[1].gif (1338 bytes)](images/arrow15[1].gif){kind=small}