OVERTURE FOR THE MAESTROS

Overture for the Maestros was compiled by overlaying various video clips from famous conductors onto my OVERTURE FOR ORCHESTRA. The four maestros (Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti and Gustavo Dudamel) share in common a flamboyant podium style that makes them particulary fun to watch.

Daniel Parker, Conductor/Composer

Biography

Mr. Parker's conducting foundation was built on early studies in violin, viola, piano and voice. Advanced studies at Hartt College of Music, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, the Aspen Music Festival and private study with Maestro Laszlo Halasz, coalesced his musical talents into an insightful conductor and opera singer.

His singing career includes performances in Peer Gynt, La Boheme, Ariadne auf Naxos, Tales of Hoffmann, Macbeth, La Traviata, La Vida Breve, Faust, Amahl and the Night Visitors and Aida. He has performed with Hartt Opera Productions, Connecticut Opera, Long Island Opera Company and the Aspen Music festival. His opera interests ultimately gave way to his passion for conducting.

Mr. Parker is at home conducting opera, symphonic works and ballet. He founded the Hartford Chamber Orchestra in 1970 and was its Music Director for 15 years. Under Mr. Parker's leadership the HCO became the third largest chamber orchestra in the U.S. heralded for its unique programming and high caliber music making.

In 1977 Mr. Parker was appointed as Conductor of the Hartford Ballet. During his 7- year tenure Mr. Parker conducted many works in the standard ballet repertoire highlighted by critically acclaimed performances of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. His successes with the Hartford Ballet Company brought him to the American Dance Festival where he conducted world premieres for the Paul Taylor Dance Company and the Dance Theater of Harlem.

Mr. Parker has accompanied some of the world's greatest performing artists: Jean Pierre Rampal, Misha Dichter, Ruggiero Ricci, Paul Doktor, Gary Karr, Yvar Mishashoff and many more. His guest conducting appearances have placed him on the podiums of the Atlanta Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Connecticut Opera, Florida Symphony, Hartt Symphony, Hartford Choral, Hartford Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic and Tulsa Symphony.

The Tulsa World called his "performance [of Mussorgsky's Picture at an Exhibition] stunning." "Parker's sensitive molding of the 'quiet' Beethoven [fourth Piano Concerto with Misha Dichter] showed him as an equally able accompanist..."

The Hartford Courant said about the Hartford Chamber Orchestra: "...Parker and his players know what to program and how to play it. In a phrase, they turn music into art." "...the pride of Hartford's musical life." "...music making ne plus ultra!"

Category:

Music

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