An American in Paris—Film with Live Orchestra | Program Biography
Program BIOGRAPHY These performances are generously supported in part by: Sponsor
Constantine Kitsopoulos | conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos has established himself as a dynamic conductor known for his work in many different genres and settings. He is equally at home with opera, symphonic repertoire, film with live orchestra, music theatre and composition. His work has taken him to major orchestras all over the world.
Video enhancement of Houston Symphony concerts is made possible by the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation through a special gift celebrating the foundation’s 50th anniversary in 2015.
XANTHE ELBRICK
Mach Family Audience Development Fund
In addition to Constantine’s engagements as guest conductor, he is music director of the Festival of the Arts Boca and general director of Chatham Opera. He was recently appointed general director of the New York Grand Opera charged with bringing free opera back to New York’s Central Park. Highlights of the 2018-19 season include his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and return engagements here and with orchestras in Dallas, Detroit, New Jersey, San Francisco, Toronto, New York, Louisiana and San Antonio. He will conduct Leonard Bernstein’s Mass at Indiana University Opera Theatre. His commitment to opera has led him to develop semi-staged productions of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, for which he has written a new translation, Don Giovanni and La bohème. With Indiana University Opera Theatre, he has conducted productions of Falstaff, Die Fledermaus, A View from the Bridge, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Most Happy Fella, South Pacific, Oklahoma!, The Music Man and The Last Savage. He was assistant chorus master at New York City Opera, 1984-1989.
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On Broadway, Constantine served as music director of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (cast album, PS Classics), A Catered Affair (cast album, PS Classics), Coram Boy, La bohème (cast album, DreamWorks Records), Swan Lake and Les Misérables. He was music director of American Conservatory Theater’s acclaimed production of Weill/Brecht’s Happy End and made the only English language recording of the piece for Sh-K-Boom Records. A Broadway highlight was serving as music director and principal conductor of Baz Luhrmann’s production of Puccini’s La bohème. As composer, he is music director/supervisor of Temple, with book and lyrics by Silvia Peto, music by Norman Durkee; Constantine provided additional music, arrangements and orchestrations. Other works in development are Alamo, with music and lyrics by Timothy Noble and Constantine as music director/supervisor, arranger and orchestrator; and a chamber opera about three generations of Greek women, Holy Week, with librettist Evangelia Kingsley. Constantine Kitsopoulos studied piano with Marienka Michna, Chandler Gregg, Edward Edson and Sophia Rosoff. He studied conducting with Semyon Bychkov, Sergiu Commissiona, Gustav Meier and his principal teacher, Vincent La Selva. InTUNE — November 2018 | 29