Giuseppe Bamboschek - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Giuseppe Maria Bamboschek (1890 – 1969) was an Italian-American opera conductor, pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

, organist

Organist

An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...

, music director

Music director

A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...

and film director

Film director

A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...

. During his expansive career, Bamboschek conducted performances including famed singers Enrico Caruso, Rosa Ponselle

Rosa Ponselle

Rosa Ponselle , was an American operatic soprano with a large, opulent voice. She sang mainly at the New York Metropolitan Opera and is generally considered by music critics to have been one of the greatest sopranos of the past 100 years.-Early life:She was born Rosa Ponzillo on January 22, 1897,...

, Giovanni Martinelli

Giovanni Martinelli

Giovanni Martinelli was a celebrated Italian operatic tenor. He was particularly associated with the Italian lyric-dramatic repertory, although he performed French operatic roles to great acclaim as well...

, Giuseppe De Luca

Giuseppe de Luca

Giuseppe De Luca , was a famous Italian baritone who achieved his greatest triumphs at the New York Metropolitan Opera...

, and many more.

History

Born in Trieste, Italy in 1890, Bamboschek studied at the Trieste Conservatory. At age 13 he held a position as an organist. When he was 18 years old, he conducted orchestral concerts in Trieste

Trieste

Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...

. Later, moving to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, he became a conductor for the Metropolitan Opera

Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...

in New York from 1913 to 1929. He made his conductor/soloist debut with the Berlin Philharmonic on 21 June 1924.

Bamboschek also became a mentor and teacher to numerous classical singers of the time, among them included Beverly Sills

Beverly Sills

Beverly Sills was an American operatic soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s. In her prime she was the only real rival to Joan Sutherland as the leading bel canto stylist...

, Franco Alfano

Franco Alfano

Franco Alfano was an Italian composer and pianist. Best known today for his opera Risurrezione and above all for having completed Puccini's opera Turandot in 1926. He had considerable success with several of his own works during his lifetime.- Biography :He was born in Posillipo, Naples...

, Aroldo Lindi

Aroldo Lindi

Aroldo Lindi, born Gustav Harald Lindau, was a Swedish operatic tenor who enjoyed an international career, appearing at La Scala and at Covent Garden from 1925...

, and Jeanette MacDonald

Jeanette MacDonald

Jeanette MacDonald was an American singer and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier and Nelson Eddy...

. He gave the young Beverly Sills her big break in 1947.
He then became General Manager of the Philadelphia Civic Grand Opera Company

Philadelphia Civic Grand Opera Company

The Philadelphia Civic Grand Opera Company was an American opera company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was actively performing at the Academy of Music between 1950 and 1955. Fausta Cleva served as the company's first General Director and conductor...

(PCGOC) in 1950. When the PCGOC merged with the Philadelphia La Scala Opera Company

Philadelphia La Scala Opera Company

The Philadelphia La Scala Opera Company was an American opera company located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was actively performing at the Academy of Music between 1925 and 1954...

to form the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company

Philadelphia Grand Opera Company

The Philadelphia Grand Opera Company was the name of four different American opera companies active at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the twentieth century. The last and most well known of the four was founded in November 1954 with the merger of the Philadelphia Civic...

(PGOC) in 1955, Bamboschek stepped down as director but stayed with the company as their primary conductor. After the PGOC went through two General Directors in two seasons, Bamboschek was appointed General Director of the PGOC in March 1957.

He moved into new creative territory around this time, with a directorial credit to 1955's "Opera Cameos", a television series of operatic highlights including Verdi's La traviata.

History

Further reading