AMY ANDERSSON
American conductor Amy Andersson began piano studies at an early age. She received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor with triple majors in piano, conducting and composition. She followed with graduate studies in conducting at Indiana University in Bloomington and completed her education with a Master's degree in conducting at the Mannes College of Music in New York. She was awarded a conducting Fellowship to the Aspen Music School and her teachers have included Paul Vermel, Murray Sidlin, David Zinman, Gustav Meier and Yakov Kreizberg.
At home in both the operatic as well as symphonic repertoire, Ms. Andersson has made guest appearances in the United States as well as abroad. Ms. Andersson made her operatic debut in 1988 in Germany with performances of The Magic Flute with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. Throughout the 1989-1992 seasons she made regular guest appearances with the Stadttheater Aachen including performances of The Marriage of Figaro, Hansel and Gretel, and her highly acclaimed performances of Tosca, which a critic from the Aachener Nachrichten hailed as "brilliant." As guest conductor at the National Theater of Mannheim in Schwetzingen she conducted performances of The Magic Flute. During the 1993-95 seasons she also made guest appearances with the Niederrheinische Symphoniker in Moenchengladbach, the LOH Orchestra in Sonderhausen and made her celebrated Berlin debut, conducting the Berliner Symphoniker at the Philharmonie.
Dedicated to her work with young musicians, and young composers, she held the post of Guest Professor of Conducting at the esteemed Berlin Hochschule der Kunste (Berlin University of Arts) and was Music Director of the historical CPE Bach Gymnasium Orchestra (CPE Bach High School Arts Academy), which performed concerts throughout Berlin. As part of the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg Festival in summer 1996, she led a production of Cosi fan tutte, in conjunction with the Brandenburg Youth Orchestra. The cast of Cosi fan tutte was comprised of talented young singers from throughout Europe. Her successes received wide critical acclaim and set the Festival's all time attendance record of 6 consecutive sold out performances, attended by well over 40,000 people. She also conducted a gala concert with the Berliner Symphoniker at the Rheinsberg Festival which featured young new operatic talent from throughout Europe.
In the l998/2001 seasons Ms. Andersson's many engagements included a very successful and politically significant five week tour with the Jeunesses Musicales (World Youth Orchestra) to Germany, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Macedonia. The Jeunesses World Youth Orchestra became the first western orchestra to perform in Serbia in more than ten years. The live televised concert in Belgrade was wildly successful and received critical acclaim, which led to the orchestra's re-invitation. The orchestra also performed for live television broadcasts in Sarajevo to sell out audiences. As part of this tour, she made her debut at the famous Gewandhaus with the World Youth Orchestra as a part of the Leipzig Bach Fest 2000. Ms. Andersson has also made guest appearances with the Opera Orchestra of Giessen, Germany, the Hartt School of Music Orchestra in Hartford, Connecticut, and the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra of Denmark.
During the 2002-2003 season she also made her debut in live televised broadcast with the Macedonian Philharmonic in Skopje, Macedonia, as part of Jeunesses Macedonian's 35 year celebration. Ms. Andersson has guest conducted three productions at the Schloss Weikersheim International Opera Course Festival, held every two years in Weikersheim, Germany. This festival, which is dedicated to nurturing and furthering the singing careers of young opera talent from all over the world, features with each production the top youth orchestras from Europe. She conducted the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie for the critically acclaimed production of La Boheme during the summer 2001 season.
In summer 2003, she appeared again as guest conductor with the Bundesjugendorchestra (National German Youth Orchestra), for a production of Carmen, and in summer 2005, was invited for an unprecedented third time back for a production of La Traviata with the National Youth Orchestra of Spain (J.O.N.D.E.).
Starting in the 2006-2007 season, Ms. Andersson accepted the position of Music Director of the High Plains Youth Symphony, in Boulder Colorado. Future engagements include a production in 2008 of Gounod's Romeo and Juliet with the Santa Barbara Opera and two new summer opera productions with the Colorado Light Opera Company in Boulder.
© 2008 High Plains Youth Symphony.org