Jesús López-Cobos
Conductor
Born
in Toro, Spain, Jesús López-Cobos graduated in philosophy at Madrid
University. He had received no formal musical training when he began conducting
the university choir, but his talent was obvious and in 1966 he began studying
conducting in Italy with Franco Ferrara and later in Vienna with Hans Swarowsky.
In 1968 he won first prize in the Besancon Competition and shortly after made
his professional conducting debuts in opera at La Fenice, Venice, and in concert
in Prague.
Jesús
López-Cobos has held a number of titles with orchestras over the years.
These include Music Director of the Teatro Real in Madrid from 2003 to
2010, Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony
Orchestra from 1986 to 2001 (he is now Music Director Emeritus), Music Director
and Principal Conductor of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra from 1990 until 2000,
General Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin from 1981 until 1990, Music
Director of the Spanish National Orchestra from 1984 until 1988, and Principal
Guest Conductor of the London Philharmonic from 1981 to 1986.
He is now Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia
in La Coruna, Spain.
He
has worked with many of the world's major orchestras, including the Berlin
Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Hamburg
NDR, Munich Philharmonic, Zurich Tonhalle, Israel Philharmonic, Cleveland,
Chicago, Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic and with all of the
London
Orchestras.
Jesús
López-Cobos has conducted new opera productions at La Scala, the Met, Covent
Garden and Vienna Opera. In 1987 with the Deutsche Oper he conducted the
complete Ring cycle in Japan - the first time this had been performed in that
country. In 1989 they performed the Ring in Washington DC.
His
extensive discography includes a cycle of Haydn Symphonies with the Lausanne
Chamber Orchestra for Denon, and a series of operas by Rossini for Teldec.
For Telarc his numerous recordings with the Cincinnati Symphony include
works by Falla, Ravel, Bizet, Franck, Mahler, Respighi, Villa-Lobos and
Shostakovich. His other recordings
include discs for Philips, Decca, EMI, Virgin, Keys, Cascavelle etc.
Jesus
Lopez-Cobos has been bestowed with several prestigious awards; the first ever
Prince of Asturias Award in 1981 (for the most outstanding contributor to the
Arts in Spain), and the Verdienstkreuzen 1 Klass, des Verdienstordesu des BRD
1989 (Cross of Merit, First Class, of the Federal Republic of Germany).
In 1996 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of
Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and in 2001 the Spanish government
gave him the Medalla de Oro de las Bellas Artes (the Gold Medal of the Fine
Arts). He also received an
award from the French government - the title Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et
des Lettres.