Daniel Hope Is Named Music Director of Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Heralding Orchestra’s Expansion on International Stage
In a press conference in Zurich today, it was announced that celebrated violinist Daniel Hope has been named the new Music Director of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra. Hope will start preparing for the new post this year, and looks forward to taking it up officially in 2016. Michael Bühler, Director of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, described the appointment as heralding a new era in the chamber ensemble’s history, saying: “We want to expand our presence on the international music stage. Daniel Hope is a charismatic star violinist, who is also a well known producer, best-selling author and TV presenter, and is at home practically anywhere in the world. This communicative artist has a particularly clear understanding of how to build bridges between genres and generations.”
Daniel Hope, an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2006, has a long association with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra. He made his first appearance with the ensemble in 2006, returning subsequently on a regular basis, and served as its Artist-in-Residence in the 2014-15 season. But his connection with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra dates back to his childhood, when his mother was manager for the legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin, at whose Gstaad festival the Zurich Chamber Orchestra regularly performed. “I heard my first Mozart, my first Bach, my first Vivaldi with this orchestra, in each case under Edmond de Stoutz,” Hope recalls. “It left a decisive mark on my own musicality. Being appointed its music director is not only an honour for me, it also means that I have come full circle in my career – the same aesthetic underpins my own understanding of music as surely as it does theirs.” The Zurich Chamber Orchestra was founded in the 1940s by Edmond de Stoutz and is now one of the leading ensembles of its kind.
Hope has a long history of directing orchestras from the violin, including the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Camerata Salzburg and Royal Philharmonic. With the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Hope will invite both conductors and top-flight soloists to appear with the ensemble. “My aim is to cultivate the Zurich Chamber Orchestra’s own special sound in the styles of all musical eras, and to put together a programme of music that will enthuse our audiences about the music we perform,” explains Hope. “My task as Music Director is a wonderful challenge and a project that I hope will bring new and exciting perspectives on music for the orchestra, our audiences, and myself.”
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© 21C Media Group, April 2015