JoAnn Falletta
Encyclopedia
JoAnn Falletta is an American
classical
musician
and orchestra
l conductor.
Falletta was educated at the Mannes College of Music
and The Juilliard School in New York City
. She began her musical career as a virtuoso guitar and mandolin player, and as a teenager often was called to perform with the Metropolitan Opera
and New York Philharmonic
when a work called for a mandolin or guitar obligato. She entered Mannes in 1971 as a guitar student, but began conducting the student orchestra in her freshman year, immediately precipitating her desire for a career as a conductor. While the Mannes administration at that time expressed doubts about the ability of any woman to gain a music directorship, it consented to an official transfer of emphasis for Falletta. After graduation, she pursued further study at Queens College (M.A. in orchestral conducting) and the Juilliard School of Music (M.M., D.M.A. in orchestral conducting). Falletta studied conducting with Jorge Mester
, Semyon Bychkov
, and others, including master classes under Leonard Bernstein
.
In 1991, Falletta was appointed the eleventh music director of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra
. In May 2011, she signed the most recent extension of her Virginia contract through the 2015-2016 season. She has also served as music director of the Long Beach Symphony and of The Women's Philharmonic Orchestra
(San Francisco). In May 1998, Falletta was named music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
, and she formally took up the post with the 1999-2000 season. During her tenure in Buffalo, the orchestra has made recordings for Naxos and returned to Carnegie Hall
after a twenty-year absence. Currently the longest-serving music director in the history of the orchestra, her present contract with the organization runs through the 2015-2016 season.
Falletta has won a number of prestigious conducting awards, including the Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductors Award in 2002, the Stokowski Competition, the Toscanini Award, Ditson Award and Bruno Walter Award for conducting. She has also has received ten awards from ASCAP for creative programming, as well as the American Symphony Orchestra League’s John S. Edwards Award. Falletta has championed the work of several contemporary American composers throughout her career, with an extensive repertoire of new works and dozens of world premieres to her credit.
Outside of the USA, Falletta first guest-conducted the Ulster Orchestra
in August 2010, and returned for further concerts in January 2011. In May 2011, Falletta was named the 12th principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra, effective with the 2011-2012 season, with an initial contract of 3 years. She is the first American and the first female conductor to be appointed the orchestra's principal conductor.
Falletta's discography now extends to more than forty releases for such labels as Naxos, featuring works of Classical composers including Brahms, Barber, and Schubert, and women composers such as Clara Schumann and Lili Boulanger, in addition to numerous contemporary compositions. In the 1987 documentary A Woman Is a Risky Bet: Six Orchestra Conductors
, directed by Christina Olofson, JoAnn Falletta is seen conducting the Queens Philharmonic in Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring
.
Falletta married Robert Alemany, a semi-professional clarinetist in the New York area, in 1986. Mr. Alemany is a full-time systems engineer for AT&T.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l conductor.
Falletta was educated at the Mannes College of Music
Mannes College of Music
Mannes College The New School for Music is The New School university's music conservatory. While the university's main campus is located in Greenwich Village, New York City, Mannes maintains its main academic building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan....
and The Juilliard School in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She began her musical career as a virtuoso guitar and mandolin player, and as a teenager often was called to perform with 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...
and New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
when a work called for a mandolin or guitar obligato. She entered Mannes in 1971 as a guitar student, but began conducting the student orchestra in her freshman year, immediately precipitating her desire for a career as a conductor. While the Mannes administration at that time expressed doubts about the ability of any woman to gain a music directorship, it consented to an official transfer of emphasis for Falletta. After graduation, she pursued further study at Queens College (M.A. in orchestral conducting) and the Juilliard School of Music (M.M., D.M.A. in orchestral conducting). Falletta studied conducting with Jorge Mester
Jorge Mester
Jorge Mester is a Mexican conductor of Hungarian ancestry.-Biography:He studied conducting with Jean Morel at the Juilliard School in New York, and worked with Leonard Bernstein at the Berkshire Music Center and with Albert Wolff...
, Semyon Bychkov
Semyon Bychkov
Semyon Mayevich Bychkov is a Russian-Born conductor.-Childhood and studies in Russia:Born in Leningrad to Jewish parents, Bychkov studied at the Glinka Choir School for ten years and later at the Leningrad Conservatory with Ilya Musin...
, and others, including master classes under Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
.
In 1991, Falletta was appointed the eleventh music director of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra
Virginia Symphony Orchestra
The Virginia Symphony Orchestra is an American regional orchestra in the Hampton Roads metro area. The orchestra performs at several venues in Virginia, including Chrysler Hall in Norfolk and the Ferguson Center for the Arts in Newport News....
. In May 2011, she signed the most recent extension of her Virginia contract through the 2015-2016 season. She has also served as music director of the Long Beach Symphony and of The Women's Philharmonic Orchestra
The Women's Philharmonic
The Women's Philharmonic was a San Francisco-based, professional orchestra founded by Miriam Abrams, Elizabeth Seja Min and Nan Washburn in 1981 and disbanded in 2004.-History:...
(San Francisco). In May 1998, Falletta was named music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Its regular concert season features gala concerts, classics programming of core repertoire, Pops...
, and she formally took up the post with the 1999-2000 season. During her tenure in Buffalo, the orchestra has made recordings for Naxos and returned to Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
after a twenty-year absence. Currently the longest-serving music director in the history of the orchestra, her present contract with the organization runs through the 2015-2016 season.
Falletta has won a number of prestigious conducting awards, including the Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductors Award in 2002, the Stokowski Competition, the Toscanini Award, Ditson Award and Bruno Walter Award for conducting. She has also has received ten awards from ASCAP for creative programming, as well as the American Symphony Orchestra League’s John S. Edwards Award. Falletta has championed the work of several contemporary American composers throughout her career, with an extensive repertoire of new works and dozens of world premieres to her credit.
Outside of the USA, Falletta first guest-conducted the Ulster Orchestra
Ulster Orchestra
The Ulster Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Belfast, the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall...
in August 2010, and returned for further concerts in January 2011. In May 2011, Falletta was named the 12th principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra, effective with the 2011-2012 season, with an initial contract of 3 years. She is the first American and the first female conductor to be appointed the orchestra's principal conductor.
Falletta's discography now extends to more than forty releases for such labels as Naxos, featuring works of Classical composers including Brahms, Barber, and Schubert, and women composers such as Clara Schumann and Lili Boulanger, in addition to numerous contemporary compositions. In the 1987 documentary A Woman Is a Risky Bet: Six Orchestra Conductors
A Woman Is a Risky Bet: Six Orchestra Conductors
A Woman Is a Risky Bet: Six Orchestra Conductors is a 1987 Swedish documentary film about women orchestra conductors directed by Christina Olofson.-Description:...
, directed by Christina Olofson, JoAnn Falletta is seen conducting the Queens Philharmonic in Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring
The Rite of Spring, original French title Le sacre du printemps , is a ballet with music by Igor Stravinsky; choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky; and concept, set design and costumes by Nicholas Roerich...
.
Falletta married Robert Alemany, a semi-professional clarinetist in the New York area, in 1986. Mr. Alemany is a full-time systems engineer for AT&T.
External links
- JoAnn Falletta website
- Columbia Artists Management agency page on Falletta
- Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra page on Falletta
- Virginia Symphony Orchestra page on Falletta
- Old Dominion University page on Virginia Symphony Orchestra
Interviews
- Interview by Bruce Duffie, September 23, 1996
- Classical Archives Interview