NEWS
Audio: "Brett Mitchell on becoming the Colorado Symphony's next Music Director"
Brett Mitchell, who will become music director of the Colorado Symphony in 2017, leading the Cleveland Orchestra in concert. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Brett Mitchell has given an extensive interview to Colorado Public Radio about his recent appointment as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony:
Conductor Brett Mitchell is the next music director of the Colorado Symphony. The orchestra announced on Sept. 12 that the 37-year-old conductor will take over in 2017 -- though he’ll lead five concerts at Boettcher Concert Hall this season.
Mitchell, who’s currently associate conductor with the Cleveland Orchestra, spoke with CPR Classical’s David Rutherford just two days after the big announcement. He talked about what he’s learned from working with the Cleveland Orchestra, what he hopes to accomplish in his first concerts with the Colorado Symphony and what he remembers about his first conducting gig.
To hear the complete interview, please click here.
"Brett Mitchell to take the helm of the Colorado Symphony"
(Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Cleveland Classical has published an article about Brett Mitchell's recent appointment as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony:
The Colorado Symphony announced on September 12 that Brett Mitchell has been appointed music director designate for the 2016-2017 season, and will assume the post of music director in July 2017. “It’s a great opportunity to be the Music Director of a great orchestra in a great city,” Mitchell said during a recent telephone conversation. “I don’t know how you could ask for more than that.”
The Colorado Symphony will give Mitchell a year to get to know his new colleagues in Denver — both the administration and musicians. “One of the extraordinary things about the appointment is the timeline that we have been able to develop,” Mitchell said. “Ordinarily the announcement would be made, then the next season you’d be named the music director designate, and become music director the following season — so that would add up to two years. In this case we’re only a year away from the full appointment.”
In order to introduce Mitchell to Denver audiences, the Symphony has created a “Meet Brett Mitchell” subscription series. “The best part is that while I’m getting to work with the staff, I’m also going to conduct five weeks with the orchestra this season. To be welcomed like that is wonderful, and everybody has gone above and beyond to make this happen. The Colorado Symphony and The Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra have been absolutely perfect in working through all of this with me to make sure that I can spend as much time as possible in Colorado. By the time we get down to business in September 2017, I think we’re already going to be old friends and will be able to hit the ground running.”
Brett Mitchell joins the Denver-based orchestra at a pivotal moment in its history. Thanks to a new management team and board headed up by Co-Chair and CEO Jerome H. Kern, and with the help of members of the orchestra, the Colorado Symphony now has an expanded concert schedule, new performing opportunities and new financial commitments from corporations and foundations.
“I’m coming into a supremely healthy organization. The nice thing about turning over a new leaf is that the orchestra will have a new artistic leader who will be bringing a completely fresh perspective to the job. The only Colorado Symphony that I know is the one that #1, sounds amazing, #2, is well managed and well run. A lot of the credit for that goes to Jerry Kern and his wife Mary, who have been real miracle workers for that orchestra, and by extension, for that city.”
Because his appointment was made over the summer, Mitchell has been an integral part of the planning process for 2017-2018. “We’ve been going fast and furious with planning the season. It will really be my season and represent my vision for the orchestra,” Mitchell said....
Dividing his time between two cities means that Mitchell’s schedule for this coming year is going to be even busier than usual. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said. “To get to be with all three of these orchestras in one season is amazing. I’m so grateful for the opportunity.”
To read the complete article, please click here.
"As season opens, Colorado Symphony's next music director looks ahead"
Brett Mitchell is the new Music Director of the Colorado Symphony. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
The Denver Business Journal has published an extensive interview with Brett Mitchell about his recent appointment as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony:
DBJ: Why did you decide to join the Colorado Symphony? What was attractive about the orchestra that led you to take this position? Was it the talent of the musicians? The management? The community? All of the above?
Mitchell: There are so many reasons this marriage between the Colorado Symphony and me seems to be such a perfect fit, but the biggest is that our respective visions for the future of orchestras are one and the same. Once I read the mission statement, I knew that I had finally found my ideal match, as we've both spent decades crafting programs that feature that wonderful, compelling blend of music, "...from the best of the past to the edge of the future."
Knowing that we're starting on the same page, pursuing the same goals, and sharing a common purpose gives us a huge advantage.
In my experience, the most reliable predictor of a successful relationship between an orchestra and a conductor is the chemistry they have in rehearsal and performance. Not every conductor gels with every orchestra, no matter how great each might be. That's why it was so special when I stood in front of the Colorado Symphony musicians for the first time, because it was instantly clear that there was something special going on, right from the first downbeat.
Getting to work with these amazing musicians week in, week out will be an absolute treat, and I'm so looking forward to developing and deepening our relationship over the coming seasons.
I should also say, as a Seattle native, that coming back out west after living for 15 years in the Midwest and Texas will be a real pleasure. I've loved everywhere I've lived, but coming to a city that feels more like what I grew up with is such a wonderful feeling.
My wife Angela and I are so looking forward to making our home there, and taking advantage of all the amazing opportunities to hike, bike, and spend time exploring all the amazing outdoor opportunities living in Denver will afford us.
DBJ: The Colorado Symphony has tried very hard to broaden the traditional audience for classical music in recent years with some success and, with much broader corporate support than it had before, is beginning the year with a surplus for the first time in it's history. What do you make of those efforts?
Mitchell: I couldn't be more pleased with where the Colorado Symphony is in terms of both its audience development and its fiscal situation. My mom worked in health care finance for her entire career, so I definitely understand how important a sound fiscal outlook is to the health of any organization, whether in the arts or otherwise. The Colorado Symphony has taken enormous steps toward ensuring it's on the firmest financial footing possible, and I'm looking forward to contributing to those continuing efforts.
In terms of reaching out to as broad an audience as possible, the Colorado Symphony really is an industry leader, which should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the diverse array of performances we offer each season. I couldn't be prouder to help lead an organization that makes such a consistent, concerted effort to reach as many of our friends and neighbors as possible, both longtime classical series subscribers and first-time single ticket buyers.
DBJ: What are some of the challenges you think lie ahead for the orchestra?
Mitchell: Like every arts organization, we're going to keep dreaming up deeper, more meaningful ways to engage younger audiences. There's a ton of competition out there in 2016 for the public's attention, with streaming video and instant access to entertainment and social media around every corner. We're proactive about reaching new audiences at the Colorado Symphony, and that means creating innovative, cutting-edge, compelling programs that will draw both traditional and new audiences to join us in Boettcher or on the road.
DBJ: Tell me why you think it's important for Denver and other cities to have a professional orchestra.
Mitchell: With each passing year, there seems to be more and more that fills our days and fewer opportunities to take time for ourselves. I certainly don't claim to know the meaning of life, but I do know that my life is enriched when I surround myself with beauty, and that's exactly what a professional orchestra brings to its community.
The chance to slow down, to unplug, to take in a brilliant piece of music, to appreciate beauty for beauty's sake, to remember that we're all a part of something larger than ourselves — all these things lead to happier, more fulfilled, and more engaged citizens, and are some of the many reasons it's crucial for any strong community to have an equally strong orchestra.
To read the complete article, please click here.
"Colorado Symphony targeting younger audiences with new music director"
(Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
The Denver Post has published an article about Brett Mitchell's appointment as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony:
Nothing underscores the Colorado Symphony Orchestra’s current approach to the business of making music more clearly than the appointment of Brett Mitchell as its new music director.
The orchestra is aggressively targeting younger audiences who like their classical infused with significant doses of pop. At 37 years old, and with an open mind toward the kind of fare that counts as symphonic, Mitchell fits right in.
The new hire is a considerable departure from the CSO’s past practices. Mitchell’s predecessor, Andrew Litton, is two nearly decades older and arrived four years ago with great fanfare and a detailed résumé, full of lead appointments and conducting jobs at major orchestras around the world. He was well established in the industry and had good connections with top-tier musicians and recording label executives.
Mitchell is coming in from Cleveland where he has two supporting positions, as the Cleveland Orchestra’s associate conductor and as music director of the organization’s Youth Orchestra. In Denver, he’ll lead an artistic team that also includes 26-year-old Associate Conductor Christopher Dragon and 31-year-old Assistant Conductor Andres Lopera.
Youth brings with it a certain freshness the orchestra hopes to project, and it links easily with a programming routine that places equal emphasis on the new and the old...
There are other bits of strategy wrapped up in the appointment. The CSO wanted a maestro who would relocate to Denver and Mitchell is pledged to spend at least half the year here conducting a large number of concerts...
And regardless of the level of talent — and Mitchell appears to have plenty of it — young conductors come with a relatively low price tag.
“I think this is a deal that will resonate well with the budget, but also resonate well with the musicians,” said Jerry Kern, who is both CEO and co-chair of the board of trustees.
To read the complete article, please click here.
"Cleveland Orchestra associate conductor Brett Mitchell scores top post at Colorado Symphony"
Brett Mitchell, associate conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, has been appointed music director of the Colorado Symphony. He begins as music director designate and takes up the full mantle in 2017. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) has published an article about Brett Mitchell's appointment as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony:
No longer is Brett Mitchell's musical future uncertain.
Now it's clear exactly where the associate conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra is headed: to the podium of the Colorado Symphony.
On Monday, the group announced the appointment of Mitchell as its next music director, for a four-year term officially commencing next year. He replaces conductor Andrew Litton, who has served in the post since 2012.
"It feels like that perfect marriage between an organization and an artistic leader," said Mitchell, also known locally as director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO).
"It was clearly a great match, from the first downbeat of the first rehearsal. You're always looking for an orchestra that you have real chemistry with."
For Mitchell, 37, here since 2013, the move to Colorado marks an unusually large step up the musical ladder. While most Cleveland assistants have gone on to great things, none have leapt straight to a prominent music directorship.
And yet the appointment is far from surprising. Indeed, for an orchestra like Colorado, just 26 years old and in the midst of a fiscal and artistic renaissance, Mitchell may be just the ticket.
Already Mitchell said he intends to be anything but a conventional music director, leading, as he did here in Cleveland, not only classical concerts but family and pops programs as well. He also has a great deal of comfort and experience speaking from the podium, and plans to continue the practice.
"[W]e have to recognize that Denver is a changing city, with younger audiences to engage," said Colorado Symphony board chair Jerry Kern, in a statement that included news of a healthy annual report. "We need to stay current..."
"I think it's going to be a ground-breaking partnership," added Mitchell.
Mitchell said his contract in Cleveland extends through the coming season. He will remain in Northeast Ohio through the coming year and fulfill all his regular duties, including those with COYO.
Meanwhile, in Colorado, he will serve as music director designate, appearing five times on a subscription series in his honor. He will officially take up the music director mantle and commence a four-year term at the start of the 2017-18 season.
"It's a forward-thinking orchestra," Mitchell said, "the kind I want to work for. I respect any organization that sees what it wants and goes out and gets it."
Respect, of course, is also what Mitchell feels for his current employer, which extended his contract and promoted him to associate conductor last year.
Having grown up in music listening to Cleveland Orchestra recordings, Mitchell said it has been nothing but an honor and a first-rate learning experience conducting at Severance Hall. He'd have gladly stayed here, in fact, had Colorado not come knocking.
"For being affiliated with an organization that places such a premium on excellence at every stage, I will never be anything but grateful," Mitchell said.
To read the complete article, please click here.
"Colorado Symphony introduces new music director Brett Mitchell"
(Photo by Roger Mastroianni)
Colorado Public Radio has published an article about Brett Mitchell's appointment as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony:
Exciting news for classical music fans in Colorado this morning: The Colorado Symphony today revealed the name of its next music director.
Conductor Brett Mitchell, the 37-year-old associate conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, will be the next maestro to lead the Colorado Symphony.
Mitchell doesn’t officially become music director until the 2017-18 season starts. But he’ll conduct several concerts this year as “music director designate.”
He’s slated to hold the music director position for four seasons.
In Cleveland, he also served as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra’s youth orchestra and increased the ensemble’s focus on American and contemporary composers...
Mitchell is active on social media, often sharing photos from rehearsals and concert tours on his Twitter feed.
He replaces Andrew Litton, who's taken on a reduced role with the orchestra after accepting a position with the New York City Ballet. Litton served as music director for four seasons beginning in 2012.
To read the complete article, please click here.
Audio: "Star Wars: The Score Awakens"
Brett Mitchell discusses John Williams's Oscar-nominated score for Star Wars: The Force Awakens with host Bill O'Connell on an upcoming hourlong special set air on WCLV Classical 104.9 on Saturday, January 23 at 5 p.m. Eastern. A synopsis from WCLV:
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is already the biggest movie of all time in the United States. The soundtrack is an original score by John Williams, who has written the music for all seven Star Wars movies, plus other classics like Indiana Jones, E.T., Home Alone, and many, many more. Brett Mitchell, Associate Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra, is a die-hard fan of John Williams and Star Wars, so WCLV invited him to the KeyBank Studio to take us through the score.
To listen to "Star Wars: The Score Awakens," please click here.
Audio: "Awakening John Williams's 'Force' with Brett Mitchell"
Photo by Gregg Barckholtz, edited by Dacia Clay
Brett Mitchell discusses John Williams's Oscar-nominated score for Star Wars: The Force Awakens with host Dacia Clay on the most recent episode of Houston Public Media's Classical Classroom. A synopsis from HPM:
This episode is full of spoilers – not just spoilers about The Force Awakens, but about future Star Wars episodes. Okay – they could be future spoilers. Right now, they’re just our attempts at trying to find the Easter eggs hidden in John Williams’s new score. This may be the nerdiest and most epic episode ofClassical Classroom to date. Brett Mitchell, Associate Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, is your guide through the music of the latest Star Wars episode. He teaches about John Williams as a composer and about important tools of the compositional trade, and reveals how this new music is tied to Williams’s scores for the original films. Mitchell takes no prisoners, and does not care for Ewoks. Prepare for hyperdrive.
To listen to "Awakening John Williams's 'Force' with Brett Mitchell," please click here.
Photo by Gregg Barckholtz, edited by Dacia Clay
Essay: 'The Masur I Knew'
Kurt Masur and Brett Mitchell after performing together at the Manhattan School of Music on March 12, 2004.
I first met Kurt Masur as a graduate student in March 2004, when I was one of a handful of young conductors he selected to attend his first weeklong conducting seminar at the Manhattan School of Music. During our first encounters, I was enormously intimidated by the recently named Music Director Emeritus of the New York Philharmonic, but by the end of the week, we were sharing the second half of the seminar’s culminating concert (which was also my New York debut). I began with the Haydn Variations (while Maestro peered on from just offstage – no pressure!), and he concluded with Till Eulenspiegel.
Two years later, after another seminar together at the Manhattan School, Maestro invited me to Paris to audition to become one of his assistant conductors at the Orchestre National de France. Not speaking a word of French, I took him up on his offer, and ended up working with him in Paris and on tour for the next three seasons. Among the many extraordinary musical memories from those years, two in particular stand out: a desperately moving War Requiem at the Basilica of St Denis, and his unforgettable 80th-birthday concert at the BBC Proms, played by the combined forces of his two orchestras at that time: the ONF and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2008, Maestro selected me as one of his first two Mendelssohn Scholarship recipients, which allowed me to spend a month learning from him as we traveled from Vienna to Leipzig, from Berlin to New York. (It was during this trip that Maestro posed for the photograph below, which captures perfectly the lighthearted, humorous, even silly man that rarely made a public appearance.) Over the course of that trip, Maestro asked me to lead a rehearsal of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Gewandhausorchester, and to accompany an impromptu vocal rehearsal for St. Matthew Passion at the New York Philharmonic. Throughout all these experiences, Maestro helped me grow with both a watchful eye and an open heart. The countless meals and conversations we shared during that month—especially those at his home in Leipzig—will remain dear to me for the rest of my life.
Kurt Masur at Vienna International Airport in February 2008. (Photo by Brett Mitchell)
Kurt Masur and Brett Mitchell at the Musikverein in February 2008.
Over the many years we worked together, Maestro became for me the greatest mentor a young conductor could hope for, offering far more than technical advice and “tricks of the trade.” Nothing illustrates better the musician and human being I came to know than the time I asked him about a certain crescendo he requested of an orchestra: “Maestro, if Mozart wanted a crescendo there, why didn’t he just write one?” Masur replied, “Because if he wrote it down, you’d do it with your head instead of with your heart.” For Maestro, music was never about sharps and flats, dots and dashes; at its core, music was about communicating thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Technique was important, yes, but only insofar as it served the music; everything else was superficial.
When I learned of Maestro’s passing this past Saturday morning, I was stunned. Yes, he was 88 years old, and yes, had struggled with health issues for some time, but I don’t think any of us ever imagined a world without him in it until he left. As we all mourn his loss, my great hope is that the artistry and humanity he shared for almost nine decades will light the way for those of us who strive to continue in his footsteps.
Farewell, dear Maestro, and Godspeed.
Watch Mr. Mitchell’s culminating performances from Maestro Masur’s 2004 and 2006 masterclasses at the Manhattan School of Music.
BRAHMS — Variations on a Theme by Haydn
(March 2004)
MOZART — Finale from Symphony No. 40
(January 2006)
Cover Story: ‘Bidding Farewell to a Maestro of Musical Magic’
On the eve of his final concert as music director of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, The Review has published a profile of Brett Mitchell, and revisited some of the highlights from his five-year partnership with the orchestra.
Since the SBSO Board of Directors brought Mitchell on board back in 2010, he has consistently set the performance bar higher with each year of his tenure...by carving a proud legacy of superb musicianship, innovative programming, and compelling educational experiences that enrich the cultural climate for residents of the region. In the five short and sweet years that he was at the helm, Mitchell managed to shatter 75-year-old attendance records, achieving the SBSO’s first two sellouts under his direction, which has always been marked by a keen ear for combining and contrasting challenging signature works with the best new compositions being created by contemporary composers.
When asked what he is proudest of accomplishing during his tenure, Mitchell references the manner in which the orchestra has boldly stepped into the 21st century: "The thing I'm proudest of is what a forward-looking organization we've become over the past five seasons. The amount of young people we've brought into the Temple Theatre—people in their twenties and thirties who maybe have never had exposure to live classical orchestral music—is a source of great pride for me."
To read the complete story, please click here.
Cover story: "Brett Mitchell: A Maestro of Musical Magic Comes Full Circle"
On the eve of his final season as Music Director of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, Brett Mitchell sits down with The Review to discuss the coming season and the high points of his five-year partnership with the orchestra.
"The Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra is poised to kick off their 2014-15 concert season upon an apex of creativity and critical acclaim cultivated largely through the insightful and innovative instincts of music director Brett Mitchell. Since the SBSO Board of Directors brought Mitchell on board back in 2010, he has consistently set the performance bar higher with each year of his tenure."
The article describes Mitchell as "beloved by an expansive and divergent array of artistic supporters throughout the region," in part because of the "forward momentum and the impressive legacy he has rendered over five short years." To read the complete article, please click here.
Cover Story: "Brett Mitchell talks about new SBSO season"
On the eve of his second season as music director of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, Brett Mitchell sits down with 360 Main Street's Jeanne Lesinski to discuss the orchestra's 2011-12 offerings. To read this story, please click here.
Cover Story: Brett Mitchell takes over at the Saginaw Bay Symphony
On the eve of his inaugural concert as Music Director of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, , Brett Mitchell sits down with Bob Martin of "The Review" to discuss the orchestra's first season under his leadership and his plans for the organization's future. To read this story, please click here.
Front-Page Story: "Brett Mitchell to lead Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra"
The Saginaw News has published a front-page story with extensive coverage of Brett Mitchell's appointment as Music Director of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra. To read this article, please click here.
Feature: "New Music conductor takes on daunting 20th-century classic"
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has published a profile of Brett Mitchell as he prepares to lead a production of Peter Maxwell Davies's Eight Songs for a Mad King on this evening's final concert of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble's 2002 summer season. To read this profile, please click here.