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Dennis Russell Davies

Country of origin: United States of America
Birthday: April 16, 1944

About Dennis Russell Davies

Dennis Russell Davies was born in Toledo (Ohio) and studied piano and conducting at the Juilliard School, New York. His activities as an opera and concert conductor, and as a pianist and chamber musician are characterized by an extensive repertoire stretching from the Baroque to the latest music of our time.

Widely considered to be one of the most innovative and adventurous conductors in the classical music world, Dennis Russell Davies has successfully challenged and inspired audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. He is noted for his exciting and well-structured concert programmes and for close working relationships with many composers, among them Luciano Berio, William Bolcom, John Cage, Manfred Trojahn, Philip Glass, Heinz Winbeck, Laurie Anderson, Philippe Manoury, Aaron Copland, Hans Werner Henze, Michael Nyman and Kurt Schwertsik.

After first appointments as Music Director of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Chief Conductor of the American Composers Orchestra in New York, Davies moved to Europe. He was GMD at the Staatsoper Stuttgart and in Bonn, chief conductor of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and RSO Wien, as well as Professor at the University Mozarteum Salzburg.

His debut at the Bayreuth Festival 1978–1980 was followed by guest performances in a versatile opera repertoire at the Salzburg Festival, the Lincoln Center Festival New York, the Houston Grand Opera as well as the Hamburg, Bavarian and Vienna State Operas.

On the concert podium, he conducted such renowned orchestras as those in Cleveland, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston and the New York Philharmonic, as well as Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Accademia di Santa Cecilia di Roma, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala di Milano, Orquesta Nacional de España, the Munich and Berlin Philharmonic orchestras, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and the Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam.

Since 2002, Davies has been Chief Conductor of the Bruckner Orchestra Linz as well as Opera Director at the Landestheater Linz. In April 2013, the new Linz Opera House was inaugurated under his baton, in 2014, Dennis Russell Davies was given the title GMD. In addition, he was Chief Conductor of the Basel Symphony Orchestra, Switzerland from 2009 to July 2016.
In December 2014, the title “Commandeur des Arts et Lettres” was bestowed on Dennis Russel Davies by the french government.

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