Anna Handler
Anna Handler | |
---|---|
Born | 16 April 1996 | (age 28)
Genres | Classical Music |
Occupation(s) | Conductor and Concert Pianist |
Website | annahandler.com |
Anna Isabella Handler (born 16 April 1996 in
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Anna_Handler_Wildgrube.jpg/350px-Anna_Handler_Wildgrube.jpg)
(Photo: Fabian Wildgrube)
Education
Anna Handler was born to a German father and a Colombian mother in Cagnes-sur-Mer, where her parents worked as engineers. She grew up in Munich, Germany, together with her younger sister, with whom she initially formed a singing duo. She studied piano and conducting with
Handler graduated from the Juilliard School in May 2023 where she received mentorship from David Robertson and was the proud recipient of the Juilliard Kovner Fellowship for outstanding students of classical music. She was the first conductor ever to receive this.[1]
Professional career
Following her debut at the
The 2022/2023 season saw her debut with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Sinfonieorchester Liechtenstein,[6] OFUNAM Orchestra Filarmónica de la UNAM in Mexico,[5] and Mecklenburgische Staatskapelle in Schwerin.[7]
Handler has assisted distinguished conductors such as
As founder and director of the ensemble Enigma Classica, Handler has collaborated with notable soloists including Arabella Steinbacher, Daniel Müller-Schott, Sabine Meyer and her sister, violinist Laura Handler, with whom she forms a successful instrumental duo.[1] Together with her team at Enigma Classica, Handler presented an interdisciplinary project on music education, featuring real-time generative video animation at the Young Artist Festival Bayreuth in August 2022. She was awarded the "Maria Ladenburger Förderpreis" in cooperation with WDR, the "Cusanuswerk Foundation", and Deutsche Grammophon. She has also received the "Rising Star Award" from the European Cultural Foundation Europamusicale.[5]
Video Recordings
- YouTube(13:42 min)
- Giuseppe Verdi: La forza del destino, Overture. Allegra Festival & Academy, conducted by Anna Handler, Bulgaria Hall, Sofia, July 22, 2022. Video on YouTube (9:00 min)
- Edvard Grieg: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45. Anna Handler (piano), Laura Handler (violin). Siemensvilla, Berlin, 2021. Video on YouTube (15:53 min)
- Antonín Dvořák: Silent Woods for cello and orchestra, Op. 68/5. Enigma Classica ensemble, Anna Handler (piano), Laura Moinian (cello). München, 2021. Video on YouTube (6:01 min)
- Johannes Brahms: Variations on a Theme of Schumann, Op. 9. Anna Handler (piano). Siemensvilla Berlin, 2021. Video on YouTube (19:09 min)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23, KV 488, 1st movement (allegro). Enigma Classica ensemble, Anna Handler (piano). München, 2019. Video on YouTube (11:17 min)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23, KV 488, 2nd movement (adagio). Enigma Classica ensemble, Anna Handler (piano). München, 2019. Video on YouTube (5:52 min)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23, KV 488, 3rd movement (allegro). Enigma Classica ensemble, Anna Handler (piano). München, 2019. Video on YouTube (8:14 min)
Awards
- 2023: Juilliard Kovner Fellowship for outstanding students of classical music[8]
- 2020: Maria-Ladenburger-Förderpreis[5]
- 2019: "Rising Star Award" from the European Cultural Foundation Europamusicale[5]
- 2018: Prizewinner of the International Hans von Bülow Competition in the discipline "Conducting from the piano"[1]
Reception
What is most captivating is the expressiveness of her playing and her impressive presence, which makes her always the center of the action; she lives "her" music. "Her" is intentionally chosen because she makes the music entirely her own. She never just delivers it, but brings it to life. Stylistically she has absolute confidence; her personal cadenza in the Mozart concerto and her sovereign conducting from the piano clearly prove that.
— Valérie Groß, Jury's verdict on the occasion of the awarding of the Maria-Ladenburger-Förderpreis 2020, Deutsche Grammophon
If you would like to see what is possible in terms of direct communication between an orchestra and its conductor, you must listen the Ensemble Enigma Classica under its founder Anna Handler. Every encouraging smile, every sharp look, every stimulating gesture leads to immediately audible consequences from the excellent young musicians, who pay attention to their boss as if hypnotised. The conductor who grew up in Munich, not yet in her mid-twenties, is infinitely more than a motivational coach: her conducting technique is impeccable.
— Michael Bastian Weiß[9], Abendzeitung München
External links
- Official Website of Anna Handler
- Anna Handler at Operabase
- Anna Handler: Appreciation on YouTube, TV UNAM, Mexico, June 2023 (Interview; Spanish with English subtitles)
- Anna Handler: Conversando on YouTube, Amigos OFUNAM, 2022 (Interview; Spanish)
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Anna Handler. Biography". Salzburg Festival. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ "Boston Symphony appoints Anna Handler as Assistant Conductor". Pizzicato. 2024-02-09. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ "Anna Handler alla Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO)". Accademia Pianistica di Imola. 2024-02-09. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ "Anna Handler, piano". lvivmozart.com. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g Chloe Rabinowitz (2024-02-08). "Boston Symphony Orchestra Appoints Anna Handler as New Assistant Conductor". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ "Anna Handler. Conductress". kulmag.live. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ "Anna Handler debuts with the BBC Philharmonic". KD Schmid Artists Agency. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
- ^ About the Program. Kovner Fellowship Alumni. Juilliard School.
- ^ Michael Bastian Weiß (2020-10-21). ""Enigma Classica" in der Reithalle: Super scharf!". Abendzeitung München. Retrieved 2024-02-21.