Christian Badea
Encyclopedia
Christian Badea is a Romanian opera and symphonic conductor
.
A native of Bucharest
, Romania
, Badea's early training was as a classical violinist. He later studied conducting at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. He has performed as a conductor of both the opera and symphonic repertoires. His opera career has included performances with The Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera
in London, and at the Spoleto Festival USA
in Charleston, South Carolina.
As an orchestral conductor, Badea began his career as the music director of the Savannah Symphony then later served as the director of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra
from 1983 to 1991. He has since performed in concert halls and opera houses throughout Europe, North America, and Asia.
Badea received a Grammy Award
in 1985 for his recording of Samuel Barber
's opera Antony and Cleopatra
at the American Spoleto Festival.
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...
.
A native of Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Badea's early training was as a classical violinist. He later studied conducting at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. He has performed as a conductor of both the opera and symphonic repertoires. His opera career has included performances with The Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in London, and at the Spoleto Festival USA
Spoleto Festival USA
Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the world's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy...
in Charleston, South Carolina.
As an orchestral conductor, Badea began his career as the music director of the Savannah Symphony then later served as the director of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Columbus Symphony Orchestra
The Columbus Symphony is an American symphony orchestra based in Columbus, Ohio. The oldest performing arts organization in the city, its home is the Ohio Theatre. The orchestra's current President and Chief Creative Officer is Roland Valliere...
from 1983 to 1991. He has since performed in concert halls and opera houses throughout Europe, North America, and Asia.
Badea received a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in 1985 for his recording of Samuel Barber
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
's opera Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
at the American Spoleto Festival.