Andreas Delfs is a German conductor. He is the conductor laureate of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its primary performing venue is the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts...

 and principal conductor of the Honolulu Symphony

Honolulu Symphony

The Honolulu Symphony, also known as the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, was founded in 1900. The Honolulu Symphony is the oldest symphony orchestra in the USA west of the Rocky Mountains. Originally housed in a clubhouse on the slopes of Punchbowl, the Honolulu Symphony now plays from the Neal S...

.

Biography

Delfs was born in Flensburg

Flensburg

Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. He began studying piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

 and music theory

Music theory

Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...

 at age five, and by age twenty was named Music Director of the Hamburg University Orchestra. ^{http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Delfs-Andreas.htm} Delfs graduated from Hamburg Conservatory in 1981, and earned his master's at Juilliard School of Music in 1984. At Hamburg, Delfs studied under Aldo Ceccato

Aldo Ceccato

Aldo Ceccato is an Italian conductor. He has worked as assistant to Sergiu Celibidache and was music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 1973 until 1977. He was music director of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra from 1985 until 1990...

 and Christoph von Dohnanyi

Christoph von Dohnányi

Christoph von Dohnányi is a German conductor of Hungarian ancestry.- Youth and World War II :Dohnányi was born in Berlin, Germany to jurist Hans von Dohnányi and Christine Bonhoeffer. His uncle on his mother's side was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor and theologian/ethicist...

. After receiving his Master's, he accepted the post of Assistant Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District.-History:...

, then under the music directorship of Lorin Maazel

Lorin Maazel

Lorin Varencove Maazel is an American conductor, violinist and composer.- Early life :Maazel was born to Jewish-American parents in Neuilly-sur-Seine in France and brought up in the United States, primarily at his parents' home in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood. His father, Lincoln Maazel , was...

. From 1984 to 1995 he also held the position of chief conductor of the Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra (SYSO).

Delfs was appointed Music Director and conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 1996. In 1999, he led the Orchestra on a tour of Cuba, the first by an American orchestra in more than 37 years. In December 2006, the orchestra announced that Delfs would relinquish the music directorship of the Milwaukee Symphony after the 2008-2009 season (the Orchestra's fiftieth season), and become its Conductor Laureate.

Delfs held the post of Music Director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra from 2001 to 2004, and the position of General Music Director of Hannover from 1996 to 2000. In March 2007, Delfs was named Principal Conductor of the Honolulu Symphony, with an initial contract of 3 years. His tenure with the Honolulu Symphony ended when it went bankrupt and filed for liquidation in December 2010.

Discography

• Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 3 & 4 (John O'Conor, piano; London Symphony Orchestra) http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/5553874?rk=home&rsk=hitlist
• Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 (John O'Conor, London Symphony Orchestra) http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/lang/en/currency/EUR/hnum/9758438/rk/home/rsk/hitlist
• Sacred Songs (Renée Fleming, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AM6OXK
• Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel (Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006FGH2E
• Mozart/Süssmayr: Requiems (St. Paul Chamber Orchestra) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009YA47G
• Concertos Alla Jazz (Ervín Schulhoff) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000427F
• Schoeck: Violin Concerto op. 21, Penthesilea-Suite (Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra) http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/6345996?rk=home&rsk=hitlist
• Roberto Sierra: Missa Latina "Pro Pace" (Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano; Nathaniel Webster, baritone; Milwaukee Symphony Chorus and Orchestra) http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559624

External links

• Andreas Delfs in conversation with Robert Levine