Jonathan Yates

Conductor

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Grieg Holberg Suite

Jonathan Yates has earned high praise as a conductor, solo pianist, and collaborative artist for his musicianship, intellect and the remarkable variety of his musical endeavors. He made his professional orchestral conducting debut at 23, leading the National Symphony Orchestra in a Millennium Stages Concert. The following year he made his Carnegie Hall debut as a pianist in the Isaac Stern Chamber Music Concerts. A graduate of The Juilliard School’s conducting program, he has conducted on several occasions at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. He currently serves as Music Director of the Camerata Notturna, one of New York City’s most exciting young chamber orchestras, and as conductor of the Sarah Lawrence College Orchestra, an ensemble of with a long history of distinguished music making.
He has also been heard as a chamber musician at many major New York City venues, including t Carnegie Hall, the 92nd Street Y, Miller Theater, Bargemusic and Merkin Hall, as well as at the Caramoor Festival and on the Ravinia Festival Rising Stars Series. He has performed as a concerto soloist with orchestras in North America, Europe and Asia, and has given solo recitals for the La Jolla Music Society, at the National Museum of American History (on fortepiano), and on the University of Chicago Concert Series. As a past and founding member of the Amelia Piano Trio, he was presented by Isaac Stern at the Harvard Club of New York City, the University of Michigan, and was a finalist for the Walter F. Naumburg Chamber Music Prize.
His conducting career began when he served for two years as Music Director of the Harvard University Bach Society Orchestra, followed by two years as Apprentice Conductor of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras. He is also becoming increasingly sought after for his operatic work. This past season he conducted the world premiere of Michael Webster's Hell at Performance Space 122, and Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice and Paride ed Elena at the California Music Festival. He led the world premiere of the first act of Adam Silverman's Korczak's Orphans at the Austrian Cultural Forum, and worked as an accompanist at the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists. As an ardent devotee of new music, he has been involved in the premieres of such composers as Chen Yi, Augusta Read Thomas and Joan Tower, was the recipient of an ASCAP award for adventurous programming, and participated as a pianist and conductor in Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble Tanglewood Workshops. He can be heard in chamber music of Hindemith on Cedille Records.
Yates received his Graduate Diploma in conducting from the Juilliard School, where he studied with James DePreist and Otto-Werner Mueller, as the holder of the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship. He received a Masters’ of Music in piano performance from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he worked with Gilbert Kalish. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University, magna cum laude, where he studied with Robert Levin and was the recipient of the John Knowles Paine Fellowship.
6/6/07