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Artist Profile
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| Type: | Conductor |
| Genre: | Chamber, Choral, Concerti, Opera, Orchestral |
| | Manager: | AEZ Artists
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General | | Biography: | Woods looks like a younger, dark-haired William Hurt...he gave Mahler the
ride of his life" David Stabler, The Oregonian, Sunday, May 27, 2007
In the spring of 2001, Kenneth Woods was selected by Leonard Slatkin as one of four participants in the Kennedy Center National Conducting Institute. At the completion of the Institute, he led the National Symphony Orchestra in a debut concert, drawing great critical acclaim and a return invitation from the NSO. In the spring of 2000, David Zinman selected Kenneth Woods from a pool of over 200 applicants to be a fellow in the inaugural class of the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen. Toronto Symphony Music Director Peter Oundjian has praised Woods as “a conductor with true vision and purpose. He has a most fluid
and clear style and an excellent command on the podium… a most complete
musician."
Kenneth Woods has conducted critically praised productions of operas from Britten to Puccini, and ballet scores as diverse as Giselle, The Nutcracker, Firebird and Konservatoriet. Woods’ activities as an active proponent of contemporary music include collaborations as a conductor or cellist with such figures as John Corigliano, Krystopf Penderecki, Peter Lieberson, Oliver Knussen and many others.
During his tenure as Music Director of the Grande Ronde Symphony from 1999-
2002, and the Oregon East Symphony from 2000-, Mr. Woods led these orchestras through a period of rapid growth in artistic achievement, audience and range of activities. At the OES he has been the founding artistic director of a new training orchestra and training institute, overseen a massive expansion of educational and outreach activities, and brought the orchestra substantial new artistic acclaim. He has led the creation and programming of numerous
educational concert series, active in community outreach and active collaborator with music educators. In 2005 he was invited by the Rose City Chamber Orchestra to start a new international workshop for young conductors.
As a cellist he has been recipient of the Aspen Fellowship (Mr. Woods has
received the Aspen Fellowship as both a cellist and conductor), the Dale Gilbert
Award (the only musician to win this award in consecutive years), the Strelow Quartet Fellowship, the National Endowment for the Arts Rural Residency Grant and has recorded and toured extensively as soloist and chamber musician. He has played chamber music with members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Smithsonian Chamber Players, the Cincinnati, Chicago & Toronto symphonies, and the Minnesota, Gewandhaus and Concertgebouw orchestras. He was founding cellist of the NEA recognized Taliesin Trio, and of the Masala Quartet, who have recorded for Vienna Modern Masters and appeared at festivals and concert series in the US and Europe. As a student, he coached with members of many of the worlds leading quartets, including the Tokyo,
Vermeer, La Salle, Pro Arte, Borodin, Emerson and Vegh. In 2006 he becomes a
founding artist of the Clocktower Chamber Music Festival in Durango, Colorado.
Mr. Woods pursued advanced conducting studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and has also studied at leading summer institutes and workshops around the world. He has studied conducting with Leonard Slatkin, David Zinman, Jorma Panula, Murry Sidlin, Robert Spano, Gerhard Samuel, and Larry Rachleff. In his capacity as an assistant conductor, he has collaborated with James Conlon, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Paavo Jarvi,
Richard Hickox, Erich Kunzel, Alexander Lazarev, Robert Spano, Jiri Belohlavek, Peter Oundjian and many others.
For a full list of Repertoire, Blog, Photos and sound clips please log onto www.kennethwoods .net or email
info@kennethwoods.net
Dont forget to log on and read the gramaphone article about Ken called 'On The Podium' . Ken has a Blog on his own site, but this article will be put up in the Maestro Ken Woods Blog on the Bookadu site. www.adeazi.blogadu
In the meantime here are some warm endorsements of Ken recent concerts.
"A very fine... deeply felt, performance of Beethoven’s powerful Leonore Overture No. 3...The orchestra, too, responded splendidly to this demanding score, Prokofiev's Violin Concerto no. 2...with a formidable technique, and ... a luscious, surging tone...The concert ended with a superb performance of Schumann’s Symphony no. 3— Its success with an enthusiastic capacity audience was helped enormously by Kenneth Woods... "
Surrey Advertiser, May 1, 2006
"American rock and classical musician Kenneth Woods seemed a born conductor in recent city debut. His second appearance with the Nottingham Phil underlined that impression with performances combining excitement and integrity."Peter Palmer, Nottingham Evening Post, March 12, 2007
"American conductor Kenneth Woods certainly knows his way around the orchestra, in terms of cueing, balance and
structure, as was evident throughout the culminating performance of Dvorak’s Eighth Symphony… a full-bodied, rich performance of a … high standard... "
Michael Tumelty, The Herald, Glasgow, December 6, 2006
More about this rising star of the international podium Maestro Kenneth Woods ....
Hailed by the Washington Post as an “up-and-coming conductor” and a “true star” of the podium, Kenneth Woods is Music Director and Conductor of the
Oregon East Symphony and Chorale, Principal Guest Conductor of the Rose City
Chamber Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the Lancashire Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Woods has also been a member of the conducting staff at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Pops.
Already known in America as one of the most exciting conductors of the new generation, Kenneth Woods is quickly becoming recognized as major talent on the international scene. He has worked with many orchestras of international
distinction including the National Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Budapest Festival Orchestra and the State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra. He has also
appeared of the stages of some of the world’s leading music festivals, including
Aspen, Lucerne, Round Top and Scotia. His work on the concert platform and in
the recording studio has led to numerous broadcasts on BBC Radio 3, National
Public Radio, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
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