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POLIVNICK NAMED CONDUCTOR LAUREATE; WILL RETURN FOR 60th ANNIVERSARY SEASON

The Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Music Festival has named Paul Polivnick the Conductor Laureate of the New Hampshire Music Festival.

  Music Director from 1992-2009, Maestro Polivnick will return to the podium for three weeks of programs in July, 2012 to officially receive this honor and to help celebrate the Festival's 60th anniversary. He will also select major works for the three remaining programs of the new season, which will serve as audition pieces for finalists in the Festival's search for a new Music Director.  

  The title of Conductor Laureate is traditionally given to recognize distinguished achievement on the part of a Music Director. During Maestro Polivnick's tenure, the quality of the performances, the growth in attendance, and the stability of the organization all took significant leaps forward, due in large part to his talent, personality and dedication. Speaking on behalf of the NHMF Board of Directors, Chairman Ron Sibley said, "We are delighted to welcome Maestro Polivnick back to the NHMF family. His wealth of experience and institutional memory is invaluable as we look to the Festival's next 60 years."

Polivnick commented, "I am honored to have this title bestowed upon me by the Festival in recognition of what we achieved together, but more importantly it means that our futures will be linked for a long time to come. When I took over the reins from my esteemed predecessor, Tom Nee, I observed the positive spiritual and professional culture that he had fostered for more than three decades. During my eighteen years at the helm, I made it my mission to maintain and develop that culture while continually raising the bar artistically. In fact, I have devoted my life to the notion that one can aspire to the highest artistic standards while enjoying the process of attaining them. The working atmosphere at the New Hampshire Music Festival is as close to the ideal scene as can be imagined thanks to the talent, camaraderie and unified sense of purpose shared by the fine musicians who come there year after year. The result is a public that adores "their orchestra" and that is the big story. With this new relationship, I am delighted to help the Festival organization reaffirm its commitment to this tradition as it sets its sights on the next sixty years!"

Maestro Polivnick is a prominent figure on the world stage, conducting fine orchestras in the United States, Europe and Asia. To date he has conducted over 80 orchestras internationally including ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Orchestre National de Lille, Orquestra Simfonica de Barcelona i National de Catalunya, Vienna Rundfunkorchester, Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Utah Symphony.

Immediately prior to his appointment in New Hampshire, he was the Music Director of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and Principal Conductor of Harmonia Classica in Vienna, Austria. Previous posts include Associate Principal Conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Founder of the Los Angeles Radio Orchestra and Conductor of the Debut Orchestra of the Young Musicians Foundation of Los Angeles. His discography includes those for the Naxos, Harmonia Mundi, Nonesuch, Albany, Harmonia Classica, Christal, Centaur and Universal Music France labels.