Alan Gilbert
On the morning of Wednesday, July 18, 2007, the New York Philharmonic held a press conference to announce the appointment of the Orchestra's next and 25th Music Director: 40-year-old American Alan Gilbert, who will be the first native New Yorker to hold the post.
Beginning with the 2009-10 season, Mr. Gilbert will conduct the New York Philharmonic for 12 weeks each year, will lead the Orchestra on national and international tours, and will have responsibility for the evolution of the artistic profile of the Orchestra. "We are thrilled at the choice," stated Philharmonic Chairman Paul B. Guenther. "He is a highly respected member of the Philharmonic family, and a great New Yorker. We all look forward to a very bright future."
Philharmonic Family
Alan Gilbert is "Philharmonic family" both by experience and by birth. The violinist-turned-conductor — who has been chief conductor and artistic advisor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra since 2000 and principal guest conductor of Hamburg's NDR Symphony Orchestra since 2004 — made his Philharmonic debut in 2001. Since that acclaimed event he has returned to the Orchestra almost every year, and the coming season will be the second in a three-year agreement for him to lead the Philharmonic multiple weeks each year.
Alan Gilbert
At the New York Philharmonic, Mr. Gilbert has shown the depth and range of his repertoire. He has conducted Beethoven and Berg, Copland and Ives, Handel's Messiah, Songs from Mahler's Kindertotenlieder. Just last February he led the U.S. premiere of Daniel Daniel Börtz's Parodos; in the 2007–08 season he is scheduled to conduct the world premiere of a Philharmonic commission, Marc Neikrug's Quintessence: Symphony No. 2. "I was present at Alan Gilbert's New York Philharmonic debut, and have attended every one of his concerts here since," said Philharmonic President and Executive Director Zarin Mehta. "Each concert has given me an extraordinary sense of the inevitability of his destiny with the Orchestra. In the decision-making process, I kept coming back to the choice of Alan Gilbert, his remarkable gifts as a conductor and communicator, and the poetic quality of his music-making."
Mr. Gilbert's ties to the Orchestra go beyond musical challenges and explorations: they go back to his childhood. The son of Michael Gilbert and Yoko Takebe, he grew up as the child of two Philharmonic violinists (the elder Mr. Gilbert has since retired), and was a familiar face to every musician in the Orchestra. "I've known Alan since he was a young man, and have followed his progress with interest," said Fiona Simon, Chairperson of the Orchestra Committee. "He is always exciting to work with. He has developed into an outstanding musician, and we are delighted to welcome him as our next Music Director."
The Road to International Acclaim
Mr. Gilbert studied at Harvard, The Curtis Institute, and The Juilliard School, and was a substitute violinist with The Philadelphia Orchestra for two seasons. He was the recipient of the 1997 Seaver / National Endowment for the Arts Conductors Award, and was named a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. His hard-earned prominence has led not only to his leading conducting posts, but to podium appearances with the world's leading ensembles. In the 2007-08 season alone he will conduct at the Vienna Staatsoper and Zurich Opera house, will lead orchestras from Philadelphia and San Francisco to Paris and Zurich, and will conclude his tenure at the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in Sweden's capital leading Mahler's Ninth Symphony.
"Much More Than a Dream Come True"
As for Alan Gilbert, he looks at his appointment as a fantasy. "Being appointed Music Director of the New York Philharmonic is much more than a dream come true - it is the realization of something I did not even dare to dream," he said. "This is the orchestra I feel closest to in the world, these are the musicians for whom I have the highest regard in the world. To be given this vote of confidence is more than thrilling. I look forward to continuing to work with this greatest of orchestras, and to meeting and developing a close rapport with New York City's music-loving public."
