Cristian Măcelaru, conductor

Winner of the 2014 Solti Conducting Award, Cristian Măcelaru has established himself as one of the fast-rising stars of the conducting world. With every concert he displays an exciting and highly regarded presence, thoughtful interpretations and energetic conviction on the podium. Mr. Măcelaru came to public attention in February 2012 when he conducted the Chicago Symphony as a replacement for Pierre Boulez in performances met with critical acclaim. Since his Chicago debut, he has conducted that orchestra on subscription in three consecutive seasons.  The Chicago Sun-Times exclaimed: “Măcelaru is the real thing, displaying confidence without arrogance and offering expressiveness without excess demonstration.” 

Conductor-in-Residence of The Philadelphia Orchestra, Mr. Măcelaru made an unexpected subscription debut with the orchestra in April 2013. Since then, he has conducted it on four subscription programs and will lead a subscription program in its 2015-16 season. Of his May 2015 concerts, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote: “His Beethoven showed the best summation of his talent and why Măcelaru is such an up-and-coming figure in his field.” 

The 2015-16 season includes Mr. Măcelaru’s Lincoln Center debut at the Mostly Mozart Festival in August and his New York Philharmonic debut on an all-Rachmaninoff subscription program in November. He returns on subscription concerts to the Chicago Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the National Symphony Orchestra. Internationally he makes debuts with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Dublin and Tokyo Metropolitain Symphony Orchestra. In North America his debut appearances include Atlanta Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, New World Symphony and San Diego Symphony.

Guest conducting highlights of the 2014-15 season included Mr. Măcelaru’s Carnegie Hall debut on a program with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Anne-Sophie Mutter, and subscription concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Toronto, Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Seattle. Abroad he made debuts with the U.K.’s Hallé Orchestra and Bournemouth Symphony, the Hague's Residentie Orkest in the Netherlands and on a four-city tour of Germany with Ms. Mutter and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. 

Mr. Măcelaru made his first conducting appearance at Carnegie Hall in 2012, leading a work on a program alongside Valery Gergiev in a Georg Solti Centennial Celebration. In June 2015 he made his Cincinnati Opera debut in highly acclaimed performances of Il Trovatore.  In 2010 he made his operatic debut with the Houston Grand Opera in Madame Butterfly and led the U.S. premiere of Colin Matthews’ Turning Point with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra as part of the Tanglewood Contemporary Music Festival. 

In addition to being appointed the 2014 Solti Fellow, Mr. Măcelaru previously received the Sir Georg Solti Emerging Conductor Award in 2012, a prestigious honor only awarded once before in the Foundation’s history. He has participated in the conducting programs of the Tanglewood Music Center and the Aspen Music Festival, studying under David Zinman, Murry Sidlin, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Robert Spano, Oliver Knussen and Stefan Asbury. His main studies were with Larry Rachleff at Rice University, where he received master’s degrees in conducting and violin performance. He completed undergraduate studies in violin performance at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. 

An accomplished violinist from an early age, Mr. Măcelaru was the youngest concertmaster in the history of the Miami Symphony Orchestra and made his Carnegie Hall debut with that orchestra at the age of 19.  He also played in the first violin section of the Houston Symphony for two seasons. 

Mr. Măcelaru formerly held the position of Resident Conductor at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, where he was Music Director of the Campanile Orchestra, Assistant Conductor to Larry Rachleff and Conductor for the Opera Department. A proponent of music education, he has served as a conductor with the Houston Youth Symphony, where he also conceptualized and created a successful chamber music program. As Founder and Artistic Director of the Crisalis Music Project, Mr. Măcelaru spearheaded a program in which young musicians perform in a variety of settings, side-by-side with established artists. Their groundbreaking inaugural season produced and presented concerts featuring chamber ensembles, a chamber orchestra, a tango operetta, and collaborations with dancer Susana Collins, which resulted in a choreographed performance of Vivaldi/Piazzolla’s Eight Seasons. 

Cristian Măcelaru resides in Philadelphia with his wife Cheryl and children Beniamin and Maria.

Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio

After four decades of success the world over, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio continues to dazzle audiences and critics alike with its performances. Since making their debut at the White House for President Carter's Inauguration in January 1977, pianist Joseph Kalichstein, violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson have set the standard for performance of the piano trio literature, consistently bringing technical mastery, expressive depth, and magnetism to the concert stage. The Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio balances the careers of three internationally-acclaimed soloists while making annual appearances at many of the world's major concert halls, commissioning spectacular new works, and maintaining an active recording agenda.

In addition to performances of André Previn's acclaimed Trio No. 2, commissioned by the Music Accord consortium of presenters, highlights of the 2014-15 season include recitals in New York City, Cincinnati, Miami, Washington DC, and the complete three-concert cycle of all the Beethoven trios for the Detroit Chamber Music Society.  Their 15-16 Season features premiere performances of a new Trio by David Ludwig, commissioned specifically for them, Dvorak Quartet performances with Nokuthula Ngwenyama, Schubert's glorious "Trout" Quintet with members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and a Beethoven Trio Cycle in Miami among other highlights.

On the recording front, 2014 saw the release of "Passionate Diversions," works written for them by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich including her Quintet, Septet, and Trio on the AZICA label (2014). The Trio also recently released a double CD set of Schubert on the BRIDGE label to great acclaim. The Trio’s previous recording projects on KOCH include a 4-disc Brahms Cycle of the complete trios, Arensky & Tchaikovsky Trios and a beloved two-volume set of the complete Beethoven Trios.  In addition, KOCH re-released many of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio’s hallmark recordings, including works of Maurice Ravel,  Richard Danielpour and of Dmitri Shostakovich as well as "Legacies," filled with trios written especially for the group by Pärt, Zwilich, Kirchner and Silverman.

Celebrations of the Trio's 40th Anniversary begin in the 2016-17 season and include a repeat of their White House program (Mendelssohn and Schubert) with a specially commissioned opening work by Pulitzer Prize-winner Ellen Zwilich, complete Beethoven cycles at Boston's Gardner Museum and The Kennedy Center in Washington DC and much more.