JOEL REVZEN, CONDUCTOR
Maestro Joel Revzen is an award-winning conductor who leads symphony and opera performances throughout North America and Europe. His active recording career includes two releases with the London Symphony Orchestra, as well as critically acclaimed versions of Haydn’s Die Schöpfung and Die Jahreszeiten with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Grammy-award winning The Art of Arleen Auger on which he was both pianist and conductor. Other recordings include the Mendelssohn Double Concerto with the Moscow Symphony, and an all Libby Larsen recording with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and soprano Benita Valente.
As Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Lake Tahoe SummerFest, Maestro Revzen is pleased to conduct symphonic and chamber music concerts with musicians individually invited from the great orchestras of the United States and beyond: the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver and Dallas Symphonies, among others. 2012 concerts featured internationally acclaimed soloists Jaime Laredo, Joseph Kalichstein, Sharon Robinson and Kate Lindsey. In 2013, soloists will include Frederica von Stade, Jennifer Koh, Benjamin Hochman and Chris Brubeck.
Revzen's 2013 -14 season includes Arizona Opera productions of Tosca, Il Trovatore, Le Nozze di Figaro, and La Boheme. In addition, he returns for the 3rd consecutive season with the Orlando Philharmonic to lead a production of Il Barbieri di Siviglia as well as a symphonic program of Mendelssohn, Shostakovich and Brahms with violin soloist Cio Lang Lin.
In 2011-2012 Maestro Revzen led a production of Carmen for Theatre Erfurt in Germany, and made his conducting debut with the Russian National Orchestra at the Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow. In addition he led productions of Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, Faust, and Orfeo ed Euridice for Arizona Opera, Rigoletto with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and made his debut leading a program of Verdi, Mahler and Mendelssohn with the Phoenix Symphony.
In the Symphonic world, Maestro Revzen served as Assistant Conductor of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra from 1984-1989 - by appointment of Conductor/Violinist Pinchas Zuckerman - and was a faculty member of the Aspen Music Festival from 1982 – 1991. As Guest Conductor, he has appeared with the Prague Symphony, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Janacek Philharmonic, Orchestra National de Lyon, Orchestra Capital de Toulouse, Philharmonique de Radio France (leading the world premiere of Barbara Kolb’s Voyants), the National Symphony Orchestra, Kennedy Center Chamber Players, Seattle Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Florida Philharmonic, National Arts Center Orchestra (Canada), and the Chamber Orchestra of San Remo (Italy), among others.
In the world of opera, Maestro Revzen was appointed in 2003 as Artistic Director/Principal Conductor of the Arizona Opera, leading three productions each season for the company. During his tenure he has led 30 opera productions with over 150 performances of a vast variety of operatic repertoire that has featured such renowned artists as Stephanie Blythe, Dolora Zajick, Christine Brewer, Greer Grimsley, Nancy Gustafson, and Gordon Hawkins.
Revzen has conducted opera productions with the National Theatre of Mannheim (Germany), the Washington Opera (Kennedy Center), Theatre Erfurt, (Germany), Norwegian Opera (Oslo), Minnesota Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, and the Orlando Philharmonic, among others. At the invitation of Maestro Valery Gergiev, he conducted performances of Berlioz’ La Damnation du Faust, Romeo et Juliette, Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Rossini’s Il Barbieri di Siviglia, and most recently, a program of the music of Leonard Bernstein at the prestigious Mariinsky Theater for the White Nights Festival (St. Petersburg, Russia). In addition, Revzen was invited to join the conducting staff of the Metropolitan Opera in 1999 where he remained involved for eight seasons, helping to prepare wide-ranging repertoire including Prokofiev’s War and Peace, Dvorak’s Rusalka, and Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier.
During his 14 year tenure as Artistic Director/Conductor of the Berkshire Opera, highlights included commissioning and leading the world premiere of Steve Paulus’ opera Summer, serving as conductor for the critically acclaimed recording of Menotti’s The Consul, and leading concert performances of Carmen with Denyce Graves at Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood.
From 1974 to 1984, Revzen served as Dean of the St. Louis Conservatory of Music, where he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate.
To learn more about Maestro Joel Revzen visit joelrevzen.com.