KEN-DAVID MASUR, ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR

New San Diego Symphony Assistant Conductor Ken-David Masur is quickly emerging as “a brilliant and commanding conductor with unmistakable charisma” (Leipziger Volkszeitung) on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond. His recent and upcoming engagements include the Dresden Philharmonic, the Russian National Philharmonic, the Israel Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de Toulouse, the Munich Symphony, the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, the Collegium Musicum Basel, the Rio de Janeiro Symphony Orchestra and the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Masur will conduct Family Festival concerts, Young People's Concerts and Kinder Koncerts in the 2011-2012 Season.

Between 2004 and 2006, Ken-David Masur was Assistant Conductor of the Orchestre National de France in Paris before being appointed Resident Conductor of the San Antonio Symphony in 2007. Beginning the 2011/12 season, he will serve as Principal Guest Conductor of the Munich Symphony. He conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in 2010 as one of three Finalists in the prestigious Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in London.

Masur graduated from Columbia University in New York where he served as the first Music Director of the Bach Society Orchestra and Chorus, with which he toured Germany and released a critically acclaimed recording of music by J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach and W.F. Bach.

Besides being lauded for his performances of the symphonic repertoire and his work as a sensitive accompanist in solo concertos, Ken-David Masur is a champion of the large symphonic vocal repertoire for which he has been highly praised. His work with the Radio Choir France, the Rheinsberg Festival, the London Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France and the San Antonio Symphony, among others, has garnered excellent reviews:
“The marvelous score could simply not have been any better realized” (-Leipziger Volkszeitung); “fluid, sensuous, energetic, emphatic… the lines were woven into long, coherent paragraphs. Tempi and dynamics were beautifully (not excessively) shaped to support the line. It all seemed to unfold naturally." (-Incident Light of San Antonio); “of the entire production, it was the choruses who shined and did justice to Bach’s masterwork, . . . delivering a penetrating reading of [The Passion’s] heavenly polyphony and powerful balancing of voices.” (-ResMusica)

Mr. Masur serves as Artistic Director of the Chelsea Music Festival in New York City (www.chelseamusicfestival.org) and was recently honored with a Grammy® nomination from the Latin Recording Academy in the category of Best Classical Album of the year for his work as a producer of Salon Buenos Aires: Music of Miguel del Aguila.

Ken-David Masur has studied conducting primarily with his father, Kurt Masur, and his other mentors include Jorma Panula, Larry Rachleff, Christopher Seaman, Jeffrey Milarsky and Helmut Rilling.