Biography
Conductor
David Robertson
David Robertson—conductor, artist, composer, thinker, American musical visionary—occupies the most prominent podiums in orchestral music, new music, and opera. He is a champion of contemporary composers and an adventurous programmer. He has served in numerous artistic leadership positions, including chief conductor and artistic director of the Sydney Symphony; a transformative 13-year tenure as music director of the St. Louis Symphony; music director of the Orchestre National de Lyon; principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra; and, as a protégé of Pierre Boulez, music director of the Ensemble InterContemporain.
This season, Robertson celebrates the Boulez centennial with the New York Philharmonic, Juilliard Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, and Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra. He also conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie, and Bavarian Radio Orcehstra. He leads European tours with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Australian Youth Orchestra, and continues his three-year project as the inaugural creative partner of the Utah Symphony and Opera, where his guitar ensemble, Another Night on Earth, made its US debut. In previous seasons, he has appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, and many other major ensembles and festivals on five continents. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in January 1997.
Since his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1996, Robertson has conducted the 2019–20 season opening premiere production of Porgy and Bess, for which he shared a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. In 2022, he conducted the Met revival of the production, in addition to making his Rome Opera debut conducting Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová. Robertson is the director of conducting studies at the Juilliard School and serves on the Tianjin Juilliard Advisory Council. He is a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France, and is the recipient of numerous artistic awards.
This season, Robertson celebrates the Boulez centennial with the New York Philharmonic, Juilliard Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, and Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra. He also conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie, and Bavarian Radio Orcehstra. He leads European tours with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Australian Youth Orchestra, and continues his three-year project as the inaugural creative partner of the Utah Symphony and Opera, where his guitar ensemble, Another Night on Earth, made its US debut. In previous seasons, he has appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, and many other major ensembles and festivals on five continents. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in January 1997.
Since his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1996, Robertson has conducted the 2019–20 season opening premiere production of Porgy and Bess, for which he shared a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. In 2022, he conducted the Met revival of the production, in addition to making his Rome Opera debut conducting Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová. Robertson is the director of conducting studies at the Juilliard School and serves on the Tianjin Juilliard Advisory Council. He is a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France, and is the recipient of numerous artistic awards.
