Noseda fills last spot in PSO conductor trio
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Like the three beats of waltz time, this week the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has added two conductors to complement music director Manfred Honeck.
On the heels of extending the contract of Leonard Slatkin on Tuesday, the orchestra will announce today it will increase the role of Gianandrea Noseda. The Italian conductor has been named the Victor de Sabata Guest Conductor Chair, a four-year appointment starting with the upcoming 2010-11 season.
"To make music with the artists of the Pittsburgh Symphony has been a joy since the very first moment, so I am very much looking forward to begin this new challenging experience," said Mr. Noseda (No-SAY-da).
"His previous visits have made him a Heinz Hall favorite and we are fortunate to have someone with his dedication and passion," said Mr. Honeck.
Mr. Noseda had an auspicious Heinz Hall debut in November 2005. That concert of works by Tchaikovsky, Liszt and Respighi was an eye-opener to many and also put the energetic conductor in the hunt for the next music directorship of the PSO.
That prize eventually went to Mr. Honeck, but the PSO asked Mr. Noseda to return every year since 2007. This season he will lead part of the orchestra's Tchaikovsky Festival in February. His new contract calls on him to conduct two subscription concert weeks a season, as well as special projects. He remains chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic.
The appointment means the PSO will not renew the contract of Marek Janowski, who was hired in 2005 as part of the original trio of conductors during the orchestra's most recent stint without a music director. Mr. Janowski "is always welcome," said PSO President Lawrence Tamburri. "Increased European commitments ...made future visits to the PSO impossible to schedule for the next several years."
Mr. Tamburri said having three conductors is crucial to the PSO: "It stabilizes the organization artistically to know who will be on the podium for the majority of the next few seasons. It demonstrates an artistic vision and plan for the future, which clearly helps make a case for funding and image-building."
"It enables us to program a wide range of repertoire and perform it at an extremely high level with conductors who are experts in their areas," added the PSO's VP of Artistic Planning Robert Moir. "This gives the artistic profile of the Pittsburgh Symphony greater breadth and depth."
First Published September 9, 2010 12:00 am
