Carlos Kalmar (born February 26, 1958, in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan conductor.[1]

Carlos Kalmar
Carlos Kalmar, shown here rehearsing with the Grant Park Festival orchestra in Chicago.
Background information
Born (1958-02-26) February 26, 1958 (age 66)
Montevideo, Uruguay
OccupationsConductor

Biography

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Born to Jewish immigrant parents from Austria,[2] Kalmar began violin studies at age six. At age fifteen, he enrolled at the Vienna Academy of Music where his conducting teacher was Karl Österreicher. In 1984, he won first prize in the Hans Swarowsky Conducting Competition in Vienna. Kalmar has been music director of the Hamburger Symphoniker (1987–91), the Stuttgart Philharmonic (1991–95), and the Anhaltisches Theater in Dessau. He was principal conductor of the Tonkünstlerorchester, Vienna, from 2000 to 2003.

In the USA, Kalmar was principal conductor of the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago from 2000 to 2024. He was music director of the Oregon Symphony from 2003 to 2021.[3][4][5]

In May 2021, the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) announced the appointment of Kalmar as its next director of orchestral studies, effective 1 July 2021.[6] In May 2023, investigation began into alleged Title IX violations by Kalmar at CIM.[7][8] These allegations were dismissed in August 2023, and the conductor has taken legal action against CIM for damage to his reputation.[9]

Kalmar currently lives with his second wife, Raffaela, a violinist and nurse, and their two sons, Luca and Claudio, in Shaker Heights, Ohio. [10]

Recordings

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Notes

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  1. ^ Macaluso, p. 194
  2. ^ Amy Wang (2017-02-01). "Oregon Symphony conductor shares his immigration story". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
  3. ^ "Oregon Symphony Announces 2020-21 Season, Celebrating Famed Conductor Carlos Kalmar's Final Year As Music Director" (Press release). Oregon Symphony. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  4. ^ Joe Ranieri (6 February 2020). "Oregon Symphony music director to step down after 2020-2021 season". KGW 8. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  5. ^ Douglas Perry (2020-02-07). "Oregon Symphony announces ambitious 2020-21 season, music director Carlos Kalmar's last; Wynton Marsalis on tap". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  6. ^ "Carlos Kalmar Named Director of Orchestral & Conducting Programs and Principal Conductor" (Press release). Cleveland Institute of Music. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
  7. ^ Kabir Bhatia (2023-05-01). "Cleveland Institute of Music investigating allegations of inappropriate behavior". Ideastream Public Media. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  8. ^ Hannah Edgar (2023-05-03). "Grant Park Music Fest conductor Carlos Kalmar is investigated at Cleveland Institute of Music". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  9. ^ Bennett Campbell Ferguson (2023-08-15). "Former Oregon Symphony Conductor Carlos Kalmar Cleared in Title IX Investigation". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
  10. ^ David Stablet (2011-02-19). "Carlos Kalmar brings fierce focus to the Oregon Symphony, but at a cost". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2021-02-12.

References

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  • Macaluso, Tony; Julia S. Bachrach & Neal Samors (2009). Sounds of Chicago's Lakefront: A Celebration Of The Grant Park Music Festival. Chicago's Book Press. ISBN 978-0-9797892-6-7.
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Cultural offices
Preceded by
Heribert Beissel
Chief Conductor, Hamburg Symphony Orchestra
1987–1991
Succeeded by
Miguel Gómez-Martinez
Preceded by Chief Conductor, Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra
1991−1995
Succeeded by
Preceded by Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, Grant Park Music Festival
2000−2024
Succeeded by
Preceded by Music Director, Oregon Symphony
2003–2021
Succeeded by