Michael Christie MUSIC DIRECTOR
THE 2008-09 SEASON marks Michael Christie's fourth year as the Virginia G. Piper Music Director of The Phoenix Symphony. 2008 also marks his ninth season as Music Director of the annual Colorado Music Festival, presented each summer in Boulder, where Festival attendance has reached all-time highs. Since September 2005, he has also served as Music Director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic, bringing his artistry and innovative programming to New York City and beyond. From 2001-04, he served as Chief Conductor of the Queensland Orchestra in Australia, and since that time has returned as the ensemble's Principal Guest Conductor.
In addition to his permanent posts, Mr. Christie appears as a guest conductor across North America and Europe. In North America, his guest conducting appearances have included performances with the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Oregon and St. Louis. Recent and upcoming engagements include his debuts with the New York Philharmonic and the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC. Overseas, his engagements have included Berlin's Deutsches Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, NDR Hannover Orchestra, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Luxembourg Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Stockholm Royal Philharmonic and Swedish Radio Symphony. His ties to orchestras in Scandinavia have been particularly strong with engagements in all five countries. In addition, he has worked with all the major Finnish orchestras and, from 1996-98, was Associate Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic.
Michael Christie has also established a strong reputation as an opera conductor. He conducted both opera and ballet performances at the Zurich Opera, where he was Assistant Conductor to Franz Welser-Möst for the 1997-98 season. He has also worked with the Finnish National Opera and with the Queensland Opera. In June 2009, Mr. Christie will make his North American debut conducting staged opera with a new production of Corigliano's "The Ghosts of Versailles" with the Opera Theater of St. Louis.
Mr. Christie first came to international attention in 1995 when he was awarded a special prize at the First International Sibelius Conductor's Competition in Helsinki at age 21. He subsequently became an apprentice conductor with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and then worked with Daniel Barenboim, conducting both in Chicago and at the Berlin State Opera. Michael Christie graduated from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music with a bachelor's degree in trumpet performance.
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Colorado Music Festival Click here to visit the website of the Colorado Music Festival, where Michael is Music Director each summer.
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For additional information, please contact The Phoenix Symphony at 602-495-1117, ext. 314.