ABBA

He is a violinist, conductor and teacher born in Nebraska and brought up in Minnesota where he took musical studies at the MacPhail School of Music and from 1952 to 1959 he was a student at the Peabody Conservatory. He was awarded a Tanglewood Music Center fellowship in 1958 and performed there as a soloist and concertmaster.

In the early 1960s he held positions within the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and in 1965 he became a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, who he still performs with.

In 1970 he became the concertmaster and conductor of the Brockton Symphony Orchestra, remaining with them until 1988. While he was at Brockton he also took on the position of music director of the Newton Symphony Orchestra in 1982 and held that position with them for the next 13 years until 1995 when he became the music director for the New Philharmonia Orchestra of Massachusetts.

In 1971 he became a co-founder of the chamber ensemble Curtisville Consortium and remains with them as their music director. In 1972 he became of the original musicians in Boston’s Collage New Music.

Very sought after as a soloist and guest musician he has performed with many American ensembles and orchestras that include the Boston Pops Orchestra, Wellesley Symphony Orchestra and Worcester Symphony Orchestra.

He first conducted the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1990 and has since done so many times and added the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra to his repertoire. He is also the conductor of Boston Landmarks Orchestra.

In the field of musical education he has been a faculty member of the Tanglewood Institute and All Newton Music School, where he remains as a Director. He also works with many of the orchestras in and around Boston.

Throughout the course of his career to date he has performed on several recordings which include America, Holiday Pops, The Latin Album, My Favorite Things: A Richard Rodgers Celebration and A Splash of Pops by the Boston Pops Orchestra.

His contribution to music has been recognised and has seen him be awarded the Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce Appreciation Award and the Newton Pride Award for Excellence in the Arts.

Today he still performs with the BSO and NPO and resides in Newton where hw repairs historical string instruments. His daughter is a graphic designer and his son, Sato, is a cellist with the BSO.

Boston Pops Orchestra recordings

With Voices Raised (Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty)

Conductor - Keith Lockhart

Tenor - Jason Danieley

RCA 63516 (CD: A Splash of Pops)

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