Guest ArtistsPeter Oundjian, conductor

Peter Oundjian is widely recognized as one of the most respected musicians on the world stage. A conductor of consummate artistry, his performances are renowned for their broad range of artistic expression and deep commitment to the composer's intent.

Currently the Music Director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, a post he's held since 2004, Mr. Oundjian has worked to establish the organization as both a world-class North American ensemble and a pillar in the community arts forum. He has focused on attracting a young and diverse audience, performing and commissioning new music, and releasing multiple recordings, both on Chandos Records and on the orchestra's self-produced label, TSO Live, the creation of which he spearheaded in 2008. In the summer of 2014 Mr. Oundjian took the orchestra on a European tour that included a sold-out performance at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw and the first performance of a North American orchestra at Reykjavik's Harpa Hall.

In 2012 Mr. Oundjian was appointed Music Director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He has since led the ensemble in critically acclaimed performances both at home and abroad in China, Europe, the BBC Proms and Edinburgh Festival.

In the 2016-17 season Mr. Oundjian makes his debut with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, with return engagements including the Atlanta, San Diego, Colorado, and Nashville symphonies.

Previous posts have included the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he was Principal Guest Conductor from 2006 to 2010, and the Caramoor International Music Festival in New York, where he served as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor from 1997 to 2007. Since 1981 Mr. Oundjian has served as a visiting professor at the Yale School of Music, and was awarded the university’s Sanford Medal for distinguished service to music in 2013.

Peter Oundjian began his artistic career as first violinist of the Tokyo String Quartet, playing a vast range of repertoire on the most prestigious international stages, including complete Beethoven cycles in Paris, Vienna, Milan, Brussels, Chicago, and New York's Carnegie Hall. With strong support from André Previn, he began conducting professionally, and has since formed lasting relationships with many of the world’s most esteemed orchestras.