Charles Ansbacher
Charles Ansbacher | |
---|---|
Born | Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. | October 5, 1942
Died | September 12, 2010 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. | (aged 67)
Alma mater | Brown University University of Cincinnati |
Occupation | Conductor |
Organization(s) | Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra Boston Landmarks Orchestra |
Spouse | |
Children | 3 |
Parent |
|
Charles Ansbacher (October 5, 1942 – September 12, 2010) was an American
Biography
Early life and education
Charles Ansbacher was born on October 5, 1942, in
He majored in physics at Brown University but switched to music after creating a successful chamber orchestra with his classmates. He earned his master's degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Cincinnati in 1968, followed by his D.M.A. in 1979.
Career
As a young man, Charles Ansbacher devoted almost twenty years to building the Colorado Springs Symphony, which named him Conductor Laureate when he stepped down in 1989. He was known throughout the
Ansbacher held titled positions with orchestras in
In the mid-nineties, while residing in Vienna, Ansbacher led multiple performances of renowned Austrian ensembles, including the Vienna State Opera, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and the Innsbruck Philharmonic. He also conducted the Sarajevo Philharmonic in performances throughout Austria, including at the famed Salzburg Grosse Festspielhaus, and Vienna's City Hall. He conducted major orchestras in Canada, Colombia, Israel, Ecuador, Italy, Lithuania, South Africa, South Korea, Vietnam, and of course the United States; however, his main thrust as an orchestra leader had been to perform in nations undergoing political transition, such as Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Ansbacher organized cross-cultural exchanges, such as bringing the Sarajevo Philharmonic to Italy and Austria; leading members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in their famed Symphony Hall featuring Croatian pianist, Ivo Pogorelich, to celebrate the opening of the Croatian consulate; conducting the world premiere of the Mandela Portrait in Johannesburg, South Africa, then bringing the piece to the United States in 2004; and conducting the Jerusalem Symphony with a Palestinian soloist, Saleem Abboud-Ashkar in December 2005. Honoring his efforts to bridge international communities, President Bill Clinton once called Ansbacher “the unofficial ambassador of America’s music.”
Building upon multiple concerts with the
Other ventures
Beyond music, Charles Ansbacher applied art to public policy-making when, as a
Personal life
In 1985, he married Swanee Hunt (the US ambassador in Vienna from 1993 to 1997). He brought his teenage son and later Oscar- and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Henry into the marriage, she Lillian, born in 1982. Together, they had another son, Theodore Ansbacher-Hunt, and three grandchildren (by Henry).
He died on September 12, 2010, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Honors and awards
In 2009, Ansbacher was honored by the City of Cambridge, MA, and the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon for his civic and artistic contributions in the United States and around the world. In February 2010, the National Theater of Sarajevo unveiled a plaque to thank him for his artistic leadership in the city, which began immediately after the siege in 1994 and continues today. In March 2010, the Mayor of Denver and the Governor of Colorado dedicated Charles Ansbacher Hall: the Art of Colorado at Denver International Airport, as a tribute to his leadership on the New World Airport Commission. In addition, Governor Bill Ritter declared March 15, 2010, to be "Charles Ansbacher Day" in the State of Colorado. On July 7, 2010, as Ansbacher led the Boston Landmarks Orchestra in Fenway Park's first full-length orchestral concert, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick presented him with a plaque that reads:
Maestro Charles Ansbacher
visionary founder
Boston Landmarks Orchestra
Free for All Concert Fund
ensuring classical music for all
2010
The plaque will be mounted on a bench on the Esplanade.
References
- ^ Charles Ansbacher, bio, Artec Consultants, Inc. Accessed on line November 20, 2007.
- ^ The Gazette, December 24, 1989. Accessed on line November 20, 2007.
- ^ Feeding the Spirit: Charles Ansbacher ’65 Archived 2008-09-07 at the Wayback Machine, Brown Alumni Magazine, Zachary Block, September/October 2003. Accessed on line November 20, 2007.
- ^ Grace Notes, Geoff Edgers, Boston Globe, August 9, 2002. Accessed on line November 20, 2007.
External links
- Charles Ansbacher, biography at Boston Landmarks Orchestra.
- Boston Landmarks Orchestra official page
- Free for All Concert Fund official page
- Charles Ansbacher brings Beethoven to Beirut
- Can the Sarajevo Philharmonic hang on?
- Kyrgyzstan crisis reverberates for Boston conductor
- Vietnam to hold Reconciliation Concert
- Orchestra Brings Classical to Non-Classical Spaces
- Orchestra hits home run at Fenway
- Beethoven in the Bleachers
- Fenway Park Goes Classical
- A Home Run for Beethoven
- Cambridge resident to be named conductor laureate