Philharmonic Symphony Society of NY

With help from Beethoven and Brahms, the United States and Vietnam will engage in musical diplomacy this weekend when the New York Philharmonic debuts in the communist nation after a historic visit to Stalinist North Korea last year. The orchestra, one of the world's oldest, is to hold its first concerts in Vietnam Friday and Saturday at the Hanoi Opera House as part of an Asian tour which has taken it to Tokyo and Seoul. "I cannot see a downside to cultural diplomacy, particularly musical diplomacy of which the New York Philharmonic is the premier representative," US ambassador Michael Michalak told reporters. But he ... Read Full Story

Name: Rodolfo Fernandez, founder and conductor of the Nevada Chamber Symphony Age: 78 Education: BachelorÕs and masterÕs degrees in music performance, University of Santiago (Chile). Career: Born in Valdivia, Chile, Fernandez grew up listening to classical music on the radio and Victrola. He started playing cello at age 10 and knew by high school it would be his career. In 1961 he received an international grant and left Chile with a suitcase and his cello. He never returned, preferring instead to live in the United States, where he performed with the Atlanta Symphony, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Symphony, Miami Opera Company, Louisiana Symphony, and Tampa ... Read Full Story

The New York Philharmonic said Thursday it was indefinitely postponing concerts planned in the Cuban capital Havana because of the US embargo on the communist-ruled island. Concerts had been penciled in for October 30 to November 2. However, the plan was shelved "due to existing US government restrictions on travel to Cuba which would affect project funders and supporters, without whose financial support the trip is not possible," the orchestra said in a statement. "The New York Philharmonic extends its thanks to the people and government of Cuba for their invitation to perform in Havana," the statement read. "The New York Philharmonic intends to ... Read Full Story

As a youngster, Alan Gilbert had a unique view of the New York Philharmonic. His parents were violinists in the orchestra, and he and his sister would accompany them on international tours. He would stand backstage and watch, astonished at how drenched in sweat the conductor became. After studying at Harvard University, the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute, and spending eight years as music director with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Gilbert has come home. On Wednesday night, before a nationally televised PBS audience, he takes the baton as music director of the New York Philharmonic, stepping up to a podium once occupied by ... Read Full Story

Estonian-American conductor Neeme Jarvi is to take the helm of Estonia's National Symphony Orchestra three decades after fleeing Soviet rule in the Baltic state. "The Estonian national symphony orchestra is the flagship of Estonian music and culture and I am really moved to return in front of the orchestra where my career started," Jarvi told reporters Monday after signing a contract which begins in 2010. Jarvi, now 72, won renown after joining the orchestra in 1963, when Estonia was still a Soviet republic. He went to the United States with his family in 1980, with just 200 dollars to his name, but was immediately ... Read Full Story