Akira Endo (conductor)

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Maestro
Akira Endo
遠藤 明
Born(1938-11-16)November 16, 1938
Shido, Japan
DiedApril 3, 2014(2014-04-03) (aged 75)
Occupation(s)Conductor, music educator
Instrument(s)Violin

Akira Endo (遠藤 明, Endō Akira) (16 November 1938 – 3 April 2014)

San Antonio Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
.

Biography

Endo was born to Hikataro and Reiko Endo on November 16, 1938 in Shido, Japan.[3] His family moved to the United States in 1954.[3] After finishing high school, he studied music at the University of Southern California. He was a concertmaster from 1960 to 1962 and graduated Cum Laude.[3] He took a Master's degree in violin performance in the same university.

Music educator

After school, he worked as music professor at Long Beach City College.

Utah Symphony Orchestra, as well as orchestras in Central and South America
.

As a devoted music educator, he also appeared as guest conductor for the

University of Colorado at Boulder as well as the Conductor of the Colorado Ballet
until his retirement. Prior to his post at Colorado, he served as the Director of Orchestral Activities and as Chairman of the Department of Instrumental Performance at the University of Miami.

Conductor

Maestro Endo twice received prizes from the

ASCAP for adventuresome programming with the Louisville Orchestra.[5] The awards launched his national prominence as they drew the attention of Leonard Bernstein, who recommended him to the conductor position at the American Ballet Theatre (ABT).[3] Maestro Endo assumed directorship of ABT Orchestra in March 1969. He enjoyed an illustrious career with the American Ballet Theatre, remaining for ten years,[3] during which time he worked with many major dancers from around the world, most notably Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. He also led the western debut performances of both Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova
. In 1990 Patricia Wilde invited Akiro to Become the Music Director at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre where he onducted for ten years. In 2000 he moved to Boulder Colorado to teach and conduct.

In

Edinburgh Festival with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
.

Endo conducted one of the first

FM stereo on NPR, and because it was televised live, complete with three twenty-minute intermissions, was quite possibly the longest ballet telecast ever shown in the United States up to that time (three and a half hours counting the intermissions). Although it was initially released commercially in both the VHS and laser disc formats, it is currently unavailable. Endo earned a Grammy nomination for his recording of the 20th Double-Reed Music for Crystal Records with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.[3]

References

  1. ^ AKIRA ENDO Obituary
  2. S2CID 221039509
    .
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Maestro Akira Endo, 1938-2014". University of Colorado Boulder. 2014-04-15. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  4. ^ "Disney's SILLY SYMPHONY In Concert Announced At The Soraya". BroadwayWorld.com. February 26, 2019. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  5. JSTOR 742110
    .

External links
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