Anne Manson

Conductor

Portland Opera Debut 

Conductor Anne Manson has achieved a series of historic milestones. She was the first woman to conduct at the Salzburg Festival, where she led the Vienna Philharmonic and a cast that included Samuel Ramey and Philip Langridge in a production of Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, which met with great critical acclaim. Ms. Manson is one of only three women to have been appointed music director of a leading American symphony orchestra - the Kansas City Symphony - which she directed from 1999 to 2003. She launched her career in 1988 as Music Director of the London-based Mecklenburgh Opera, where, over a span of eight years, she programmed operas ranging from Mozart to 20th-century rarities, while commissioning world premieres from numerous composers.

Ms. Manson continues to take on new challenges in her career as she balances acknowledged masterworks with vanguard contemporary works. She made her debut with New York City Opera in the company’s premiere of Samuel Barber’s Vanessa in November 2007, about which The New York Times wrote, “Ms. Manson, who in 1994 was the first woman to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic in an opera at the Salzburg Festival, has broken into the New York opera scene, and it’s about time.  She approached “Vanessa” not like some neo-romantic artifact, but as a substantive, intelligent and worthy contemporary work. Thanks to (her) urgent and sensitive conducting, Vanessa emerges as an authentic American masterpiece.”  In July and August 2007, she conducted Philip Glass’s Orphée at Glimmerglass Opera. Of these performances, The New York Times raved, “As presented here…vibrantly conducted by Anne Manson, Mr. Glass’s work was the surprise hit: a rich, complex and challenging experience…Ms. Manson managed to bring balance, clarity, and richness to the performance.”

In November 2006, Ms. Manson led Offenbach’s Orphée aux Enfers with the Juilliard Opera Center, about which the Financial Times praised, “[Anne Manson] untied every rhythmic and melodic knot of this naughty opera bouffon with flair that buoyed both a splendid orchestra and an eager cast. She imposed fast tempos that never seemed rushed, transparent textures that never seemed precious. She sustained propulsion without leaving anyone breathless. It was an elegant achievement.”

 What most distinguishes Ms. Manson as a conductor are her dynamic podium presence, stylistic versatility, and ability to draw audiences into the inner world of the composer. Critics have hailed Ms. Manson’s conducting as “passionately intense,” “exciting,” and “wonderfully precise,” with a “sense of spontaneity and naturalness.” The San Francisco Chronicle writes, “ a brilliant local debut by conductor Anne Manson seemed to embody all sorts of hopes for the future of women on the podium… (She) revealed herself as a conductor of insight and technical assurance. Her podium manner is crisp and fluid, with a wonderfully precise beat that opens on a dime into phrases of lyrical breadth.”

Her reputation for excellence in the central German repertory, combined with a passionate advocacy of the music of the present, has led to invitations to some of the most important concert stages in the world. While based in London, she conducted regularly at Queen Elizabeth Hall. In Europe she has led concerts with the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the London Philharmonic, the Royal National Scottish Orchestra, and the Residentie Orchestra of the Hague, and conducted at festivals such as the BBC Proms and the Berlin Biennale. In America, her engagements include concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. She has recorded with the BBC Scottish Symphony, the Residentie Orchestra, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and the orchestras of Singapore and Iceland.

 Ms. Manson’s opera work is equally diverse, from Mozart and Mussorgsky to works of Kurt Weill and Carlisle Floyd, to such little-known 20th century works as Viktor Ullman’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis and Judith Weir’s Missa del Cid. In 2005, she conducted Così fan tutte for San Francisco Opera, and returned for the third time to Washington National Opera to conduct the world premiere of Scott Wheeler’s Democracy, commissioned by Placido Domingo. Other major productions include Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah with Samuel Ramey and Nancy Gustafson for the Grand Theatre, Geneva.

 In April 2008, Ms. Manson led the Juilliard Opera Center in the highly anticipated New York premiere of Ned Rorem’s Our Town. In June and July, she toured Canada with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra.

 Engagements for the 2008/2009 season include conducting the Minnesota Opera Company in the United States premiere of Jonathan Dove’s new opera The Adventures of Pinocchio and the Canadian Opera Company in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

www.annemanson.com

Hear excerpts from recordings featuring Anne Manson.