Emil de Cou, Conductor

Emil de Cou is an American conductor

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

 who became associate conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra (John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...

) in September 2003 and has been an active participant in a wide range of NSO performances and events since his debut at Wolf Trap

Wolf Trap

Wolf Trap may refer to:* Wolf Trap, Virginia* Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Wolf Trap, VA* Wolftrap anglerfish , a family of anglerfish* A microbiology experiment of Wolf Vishniac...

 in 2000. He has led the orchestra on residency tours in five states, in subscription concerts at the Kennedy Center and on the West Lawn of the United States Capitol Building. In 2005 de Cou was named NSO at Wolf Trap Festival Conductor. He has most recently been named the music director of the Pacific Northwest Ballet

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Pacific Northwest Ballet is a ballet company based in Seattle, Washington in the United States. Founded in 1972 as part of the Seattle Opera and named the Pacific Northwest Dance Association, it broke away from the Opera in 1977 and took its current name in 1978. It is said to have the highest per...

 starting with the 2011-2012 season. He also is the conductor of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet

Suzanne Farrell Ballet

The Suzanne Farrell Ballet is a ballet company housed at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., and founded in 2000 by Suzanne Farrell, one of George Balanchine's most celebrated ballerinas, and a former New York City Ballet principal dancer. Today, the ballet is a full-fledged company produced by...

 at the Kennedy Center.

In 2007 de Cou conducted a concert with the NSO @ Wolf Trap in collaboration with NASA. It was a program titled "Fantastic Planet - a symphonic video spectacular" and incorporated the first ever in-time downloadable podcast (available on iTunes) to accompany a symphony orchestra concert. NASA's images spanned from the creation of the Earth and deep space to videos of life underwater, glaciers crashing into frozen seas, western deserts and canyons, volcanos and hurricanes which were projected overhead with music performed by the NSO and the Soldier's Chorus of the United States Army Field Band. The Washington Post wrote in an article in the Technology section; "De Cou was conducting another of his multimedia experiments aimed at supercharging the classical concert experience and drawing in new listeners. As the NSO's Wolf Trap conductor, he has mounted two wildly successful concerts of video-game music in the past year, and last summer performed the music to The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)

The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...

as the film played on a huge screen above the orchestra. The shows drew thousands of new listeners".

In June 2003, Great Performances (PBS) aired the ballet Othello

Othello

The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...

 with the San Francisco Ballet

San Francisco Ballet

The San Francisco Ballet is a ballet company, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, under the direction of Helgi Tomasson. SFB is the first professional ballet company in the United States...

 led by de Cou. The music to Othello by Elliot Goldenthal

Elliot Goldenthal

Elliot Goldenthal is an American composer of contemporary classical music. He was a student of Aaron Copland and John Corigliano, and is best known for his distinctive style and ability to blend various musical styles and techniques in original and inventive ways...

, was recorded by de Cou for Varèse Sarabande

Varèse Sarabande

Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract...

. Also recorded by de Cou is Debussy Rediscovered for Arabesque, which includes the world premiere recording of de Cou’s reconstruction of the original 1887 version of Printemps-Suite Symphonique, for wordless chorus and orchestra. In July 2003 de Cou conducted the National Symphony in the world premiere performance of the same work at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 A champion of American music, Mr. de Cou has edited and performed several unpublished works by Charles T. Griffes including the world premiere recording of The Kairn of Koridwen, issued by Koch International.

Emil de Cou also acts as musical advisor to NASA as the nation's space agency celebrates the 50th anniversary of their founding and the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. This has led to De Cou being nicknamed the "Principle Air & Space Conductor" by a critic at Classical WETA

WETA (FM)

WETA is a non-commercial, public radio station in Washington, DC broadcasting a classical music radio format on 90.9 FM. Its studios are located in...

. De Cou is a resident of San Francisco where he was Principal Pops Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony

San Francisco Symphony

The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...

 and acting music director of the San Francisco Ballet

San Francisco Ballet

The San Francisco Ballet is a ballet company, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, under the direction of Helgi Tomasson. SFB is the first professional ballet company in the United States...

 Orchestra.

Sources

• Laurson, Jens F. "July in Music", Classical WETA 90.9 FM
  WETA (FM)
  WETA is a non-commercial, public radio station in Washington, DC broadcasting a classical music radio format on 90.9 FM. Its studios are located in...
  
  website, Wednesday, 16 June 2010, accessed 26 July 2010

External links

• Emil de Cou (a coming soon link)
• picture
• Washington Post