Stefan Sanderling, Conductor Emeritus and Artistic Advisor
The Jay B and Marsha Starkey Chair
Jeff Tyzik, Principal Pops Conductor
Stuart Malina, Principal Guest Conductor
The R.K. Bailey Chair
Stefan Sanderling, Conductor Emeritus and Artistic Advisor
The Jay B. and Marsha Starkey Chair
Awarded the Kilenyi Medal of Honor (Bruckner Medal) by the Board of Directors of the Bruckner Society of America for his contribution to the works of Bruckner in April 2012, Stefan Sanderling is a leading international conductor of his generation. Conductor emeritus and artistic advisor of The Florida Orchestra, he has held the position of principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra since 2003, a post which led to his hugely successful debut at Carnegie Hall as part of the Spring for Music series conducting Previn’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour and Shostakovich's powerful Symphony No. 6.
In 1989, Sanderling became one of Germany’s youngest conductors to take the position of chief conductor at the Brandenburgische Philharmonie and the Potsdam Opera. After five years, he went on to become music director of the Philharmonic Orchestra and Staatstheater in Mainz until 2001. He also served as music director of the Orchestre de Bretagne in France, before leaving to take up his post as music director of The Florida Orchestra, a position he held until 2012. Previously, he held the position of music director of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra for five years.
Born in East Berlin in 1964, the son of the late legendary conductor Kurt Sanderling, Sanderling studied musicology at the University of Halle and conducting at the conservatory in Leipzig with Kurt Masur before leaving East Germany to continue his studies in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California.
Sanderling made his U.S. debut at the Tanglewood Music Festival. Since then he has led such prestigious North American orchestras as the Baltimore Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony, Ottawa Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony, Salt Lake City Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, to name a few.
Worldwide guest conducting appearances include the Bamberg Symphony, Berliner Sinfonie Orchester, Berliner Staatskapelle, Bournemouth Symphony, Liechtenstein Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, London Symphony, Mozarteum Orchestra (Salzburg), NDR Symphony Orchestra Hamburg, NTO (Vienna), Philharmonia Orchestra London, Prague Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic London, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Dresden, and the Vienna Radio Symphony. He has also guest conducted at both the Deutsche Oper and Komische Oper in Berlin. He made debuts in Australia with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and in Japan with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra. His highly successful debut with the NHK Symphony of Tokyo has resulted in regular appearances with that orchestra and several other orchestras in Tokyo and throughout Japan.
Also an active recording artist, Sanderling made his first recording on the Sony Classics label with the London Symphony Orchestra, which was quickly followed by three CDs with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra featuring symphonies by Haydn and Mendelssohn. For Naxos, he has recorded the complete Tchaikovsky Orchestral Suites with the RTE National Orchestra of Ireland and Stravinsky’s ballet Pulcinella with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. During his time as music director of the Orchestre de Bretagne he recorded or released 14 CDs in all, some featuring early French music. In early 2012, he recorded works by Frederick Delius with The Florida Orchestra, which will be released later this year.
Jeff Tyzik, Principal Pops Conductor
Grammy Award winner Jeff Tyzik is recognized as one of America's most innovative pops conductors. Described by the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle as “among the best pops conductors in America,” Tyzik is known for his brilliant arrangements, original programming, and engaging rapport with audiences of all ages. Now in his 18th season as principal pops conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, where his contract was recently extended to 2016, Tyzik also currently serves as principal pops conductor of the Oregon Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.In his eighteen years with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), Tyzik has developed an incredible relationship with devoted Rochester audiences who appreciate his creative pops programming. Over the course of his tenure, he has written over 200 works for the orchestra. A consummate musician, Tyzik is so appreciated in Rochester that the RPO has taken the unusual step of inviting their principal pops conductor to appear as a guest conductor in the orchestra’s classical subscription series calendar on a regular basis. On his classical series concerts, Tyzik has performed works by some of the greatest American composers to critical acclaim. He has also been commissioned to compose original works for orchestra, including a Trombone Concerto, which was funded by a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts and subsequently performed at Carnegie Hall, and a Timpani Concerto, commissioned by the RPO, was premiered in January 2010. Tyzik led the world premiere of his original work New York Cityscapes with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in June 2010. In May 2007, the Harmonia Mundi label released his recording of works by Gershwin with pianist Jon Nakamatsu and the RPO which stayed in the Top 10 on the Billboard classical chart for over 3 months. Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker, called it "one of the snappiest Gershwin discs in years."
"His concert is the kind of thing that’s likely to give classical music a good name, perhaps even make it seem, dare I say, relevant," writes John Pitcher of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle (February 3, 2006). "What’s great about Tyzik is his way of making any concert (classical or pops) seem contemporary and approachable without sugarcoating anything, without dumbing down the musical experience."
Highly sought after as a guest conductor, Tyzik has recently appeared with orchestras such as the Boston Pops, Cincinnati Pops, New York Pops, The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and Dallas Symphony at the Bravo Festival in Vail. In addition to his commitments in Rochester, Oregon and Vancouver, during the 2011/12 season, he performed with orchestras across North America including the Detroit, Milwaukee, Ft. Worth, and Toronto symphony orchestras, as well as The Florida Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, among others. Tyzik made his UK debut in June 2010 in Edinburgh and Glasgow with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in a three-week series of four popular programs.
A native of Hyde Park, New York, Tyzik began his life in music at nine years of age, when he first picked up a cornet. He studied both classical and jazz throughout high school and went on to earn both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied composition/arranging with Radio City Music Hall’s Ray Wright and jazz studies with the great band leader Chuck Mangione, both of whom profoundly impacted him as a musician.
Tyzik spent the next few years working with Mangione, soaking in every part of the music business. He became a skilled record producer, while continuing to be active as a performer and arranger (which included composing and arranging music for the Maynard Ferguson and Woody Herman orchestras). These experiences led Tyzik to one of the great early opportunities of his career—the chance to co-compose a trumpet concerto with friend and virtuoso trumpeter Allen Vizzutti to be recorded by pops legend Doc Severinsen. After that first recording project, Tyzik worked closely with Severinsen on many projects including orchestrating many of the great band leader’s symphony orchestra programs, and producing a Grammy Award-winning album, The Tonight Show Band with Doc Severinsen, Vol. 1.
As an accomplished composer and arranger, Tyzik has had his compositions recorded by ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and Summit Brass, and his arrangements have been recorded by groups including Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the RPO, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and Doc Severinsen with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. He has also produced and composed theme music for many of the major television networks, including ABC, NBC, HBO, and Cinemax, and released six of his own albums on Capitol, Polygram and Amherst Records.
Committed to performing music of all genres, Tyzik has collaborated with such diverse artists as Tony Bennett, Art Garfunkel, Dawn Upshaw, Marilyn Horne, Arturo Sandoval, Wynonna Judd, The Chieftains, Mark O'Connor, Doc Severinsen, John Pizzarelli, Billy Taylor and Lou Rawls, and he has created original programs that include the greatest music from jazz and classical to Motown and swing.
Actively sharing his passion for music with others, Tyzik has been recognized for his community service and educational work by Rotary International, the Monroe County Music Educators, and the Rochester Philharmonic League. He is also the recipient of the Arts & Cultural Council of Greater Rochester's 2002 Performing Artist award.
Tyzik currently serves on the Board of Managers of the Eastman School of Music, and as a board member of the Hochstein School of Music and Dance. He lives in Rochester, New York, with his wife Jill. For more information about Tyzik, please visit www.jefftyzik.com.
Stuart Malina, Principal Guest Conductor
Now entering his 13th season as music director and conductor of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, Maestro Stuart Malina has built a reputation for orchestra building and multi-faceted versatility. In a wide variety of concerts, from masterworks and grand opera to pops, Maestro Malina’s ease on the podium, engaging personality, and insightful interpretations have thrilled audiences and helped to break down the barriers between performer and listener wherever he has worked. Maestro Malina was previously music director of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra (1996-2003) and associate conductor of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (1993-97).
This upcoming season, Maestro Malina will begin an association with The Florida Orchestra, leading eight concerts, including the orchestra’s highly acclaimed Coffee series. This past summer he conducted at the Sarasota Music Festival and returned for the fifth time to conduct the Chautauqua Institution Orchestra. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in February of 2007, conducting the New York Pops in an all-Gershwin tribute including Rhapsody in Blue, which he conducted from the keyboard, and returned to Carnegie and the Pops in October of 2007. He has recently performed with the symphony orchestras of Hong Kong, Naples, New Mexico, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Charleston and Greensboro. Maestro Malina has had multiple engagements with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Eastern Music Festival, at which he conducted the world premiere of Billy Joel’s Symphonic Fantasies for Piano and Orchestra. In 2006, he debuted with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and in 2007 with the Naples Philharmonic, after which he was reengaged for concerts in 2008 and 2009. He led the Shippensburg Festival Orchestra for three seasons, the second time performing with violinist Joshua Bell for a broadcast on PA Public Television. He has also appeared with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s (NY), Kansas City Symphony, Youngstown Symphony, AIMS Festival Orchestra (Graz, Austria), North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra and the Queens Symphony Orchestra.
On the opera podium Maestro Malina’s recent production engagements include Opera Delaware (Porgy and Bess), Piedmont Opera (Massenet’s Manon) and Greensboro Opera (Il barbiere di Siviglia). He will return to Opera Delaware this coming spring. He has also conducted many operas in concert, including La Bohème, Tosca and several Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. He has conducted several ballets as well with the Charleston Ballet and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.
In May of 2008, Maestro Malina, with several members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, spent 11 days in residence at the Tianjin Conservatory of Music in Tianjin, China, conducting the orchestra and coaching and performing chamber music. He also served as visiting conducting faculty at Penn State University for the fall semester of 2008.
In 2009, Pennsylvania Public Television awarded Maestro Malina with the Joanne Rogers Award for contribution to the artistic life of Pennsylvania, and in 2010, he was given the Jump Street Spectrum Award for excellence in the arts.
An accomplished pianist, Maestro Malina has impressive credits as soloist and chamber musician. He has performed concertos in Harrisburg, Greensboro, Charleston, New York and Chautauqua, most often conducting from the keyboard. His recent chamber music activities include annual performances for the Market Square Concert series, collaborating with the Fry Street Quartet, the Enzo Quartet, the Dorian Wind Quintet, and oboist Gerard Reuter; presentations of Messaien’s Quartet for the End of Time on the Linton Series in Cincinnati, and recitals with violinist Alexander Kerr and cellists Zvi Plesser and Daniel Gaisford. He has been frequently engaged for the Music for a Great Space series in North Carolina, and was director of the acclaimed Piccolo Spoleto Contemporary Music Festival from 1993 to 1995.
As a composer and arranger, Maestro Malina has created dozens of orchestral works, ranging from entire pops shows to works for symphony orchestra. His most recent composition, Brahms Fan Fare, received its world premiere by the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra in May of 2011.
Maestro Malina’s activities also extend to Broadway. In June 2003, he won the TONY award for orchestration with Billy Joel for the musical Movin’ Out, which Malina helped create with director/choreographer Twyla Tharp. He has served as music supervisor for every production of the show, both in the United States and in London. Maestro Malina has also served as associate conductor of the national touring company of West Side Story and as conductor of the Charleston production of Porgy and Bess with performances throughout the United States, Canada, and at the Israel Festival in Caesarea. He has also directed the music for over twenty musical theater productions. In 1995, in a strange turn of events, Malina appeared on stage, acting opposite Broadway legend Zoe Caldwell in Terrence McNally’s Tony-winning drama Master Class for its run at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
Maestro Malina holds degrees from Harvard University, the Yale School of Music, and the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied conducting with Otto-Werner Mueller. He studied piano with Drora and Baruch Arnon and with Keiko Sato.
