NEWS
Review: "Music fit for a king, and a world, gone mad"
Incident Light has published a review of Brett Mitchell's recent guest appearance with the SOLI Chamber Ensemble, conducting and co-directing a production of Peter Maxwell Davies's Eight Songs for a Mad King. "It was repellent. It was horrific. It was ugly. And it was utterly riveting... Conductor and co-director Brett Mitchell led the proceedings with skill and conviction." To read the complete review, please click here.
BREAKING: Brett Mitchell to step in at tonight's Houston Symphony concert
HOUSTON — Brett Mitchell will step in to conduct this evening's Houston Symphony subscription concert; guest conductor Thomas Dausgaard has withdrawn due to illness. Mitchell will lead the following unchanged program.
NIELSEN - Prelude to Act II from Saul and David
JOHN ADAMS - Violin Concerto
Leila Josefowicz, violin
BRAHMS - Symphony No. 1
This program marks Mitchell’s second subscription appearances this season following his all-Shostakovich performances in November 2008.
Preview: "Baroque composers battle at Houston Symphony"
The Houston Chronicle has published a preview of the Houston Symphony's upcoming "Bach vs. Vivaldi" Festival, during which Brett Mitchell will conducting a family program with the orchestra. To read this article, please click here.
Review: "Symphony shines on Russian sojourn"
The Houston Chronicle has published a review of Brett Mitchell's recent appearance on the Houston Symphony's classical subscription series. "Mitchell...opened the concert capably leading three short pieces by Shostakovich. He caught the playful novelty of Tahiti Trot. Mitchell also led two excerpts from...The Gadfly: the warmly lyrical 'Romance' and the exuberant 'Folk Festival', allowing the musicians to revel in its racing rhythms and brilliant orchestral colors." To read the complete review, please click here.
Brett Mitchell promoted to Assistant Conductor of the Houston Symphony
Brett Mitchell leads the Houston Symphony at Miller Outdoor Theatre. (Photo by Jeff Fitlow)
HOUSTON — Having served as American Conducting Fellow of the Houston Symphony for the 2007-08 season, Brett Mitchell has been promoted to Assistant Conductor, effective immediately.
Review: "A Ticklish Affair for HSO’s Opening Night"
The People's Critic has published a review of the Houston Symphony's opening night concert at its summer home at the Mitchell Pavilion, a family-friendly program led by Brett Mitchell. "The casually dressed young conductor, Brett Mitchell, was well-chosen to address the younger members of the audience, as he had an infectious enthusiasm and evident joy while explaining the humorous, 'fun' side of the classical selections on the program." To read the complete review, please click here.
"Conductor Brett Mitchell learns from the feedback"
The Houston Chronicle has published a story about Brett Mitchell and his new position as American Conducting Fellow of the Houston Symphony. The article also previews of several of his upcoming performances with the orchestra, and details his upcoming month in Europe with Kurt Masur, with whom he will study as a recipient of the inaugural American Friends of the Mendelssohn Foundation scholarship. To read this article, please click here.
Review: "The pacing of the piece was magical"
Chuck Klaus of syracuse.com has published a review of a performance of Kevin Puts's Einstein on Mercer Street at the Skaneatles Festival: "Brett Mitchell conducted, and the pacing of the piece was magical." To read the complete review, please click here.
Brett Mitchell named American Conducting Fellow of the Houston Symphony
HOUSTON — Brett Mitchell has been named American Conducting Fellow of the Houston Symphony, beginning September 2007.
This fellowship, spearheaded by the American Symphony Orchestra League, "assists in the development of exceptional conductors in the early stages of their careers, seeking to improve their qualifications to become music directors of American orchestras."
Preview: "Noted composer Kevin Puts to visit School of Music"
"Northern Today" has published a preview of composer Kevin Puts's upcoming multi-concert residency at the Northern Illinois University School of Music, a project spearheaded by Brett Mitchell. For more information, please click here.
"NIU Philharmonic invited to perform concert at Illinois Music Educators Association convention"
Northern Illinois University has issued a press release detailing the NIU Philharmonic's upcoming performance at the Illinois Music Educators Association convention, their first at the conference in over a decade. For more information, please click here.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung follows Brett Mitchell throughout Solti Competition
The Frankfurter Allegemine Zeitung has published a story following Brett Mitchell's progress in the various rounds of the third Georg Solti Conducting Competition, taking place now in Frankfurt, Germany. To read this story, please click here.
Review: "PNME stresses music over theater with premiere of Stock's 'Hostage'"
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has published a review of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble's most recent subscription performance, including the world-premiere performance of founder David Stock's "Hostage," which Brett Mitchell led "impeccably." To read the complete review, please click here.
Preview: "NIU Philharmonic to perform Mahler's beloved first symphony"
"Northern Today" has published a preview of the Northern Illinois University Philharmonic's upcoming performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 1, which will be the Philharmonic's first performance of a Mahler symphony in a dozen years. To read this preview, please click here.
Brett Mitchell named Assistant Conductor of the Orchestre National de France
PARIS — The Orchestre National de France and its music director Kurt Masur have announced that Brett Mitchell has been appointed the ensemble’s newest Assistant Conductor.
Mr, Mitchell will continue in his position as Director of Orchestras, Opera Music Director, and Professor of Conducting at Northern Illinois University while commuting between Chicago and Paris to fulfill both these appointments.
More from the Daily Chronicle:
NIU School of Music professor of conducting will help lead Orchestre National de France
Brett Mitchell, a first-year assistant professor of conducting in the Northern Illinois University School of Music, this year will experience Paris in June.
And August. And December. And maybe May.
Mitchell has been selected as the assistant conductor of the Orchestre National de France. He will make at least half a dozen trips a year to Paris to assist and cover for Maestro Kurt Masur in a role that eventually could expand to conducting the orchestra during educational and outreach performances.
The Seattle native learned of his success immediately after his audition, which took place in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. The concert hall was the site of the world premiere of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” a work so avant-garde it caused riots in the audience.
“I was thrilled, obviously, and stunned. You get so used to rejection after a while — you’re ready for it, you’re prepared for it — I just remember when I heard my name,” Mitchell said. “The orchestra is just phenomenal, not only in their technical prowess, but they play with so much heart. They are never hesitant to dig in, and I love it.”
His opportunities in Paris, where he will meet, observe and work alongside some of the world’s greatest conductors, will benefit his students in DeKalb as well as audiences for Philharmonic and Opera Workshop performances.
“Spending so much time with these great musicians can’t help but affect my work here,” he said. “How could it not influence what I do?”
Mitchell’s road to Paris began in New York by way of Austin, where he earned his master’s and doctoral degrees at The University of Texas.
Masur, who conducted the New York Philharmonic during the 1990s, returned in 2004 to lead a master-class for young conductors. Five of the 100 applicants — Mitchell included — made the cut.
Review: "Ensemble season finale a feast for eyes, ears"
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has published a review of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble's season finale. " Mitchell began the program with an immensely appealing performance of Kamran Ince's 'Hammer music'…that went way beyond technical assurance to create a vibrant world in sound." To read the complete review, please click here.
Review: "New Music Ensemble shows off versatility"
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has published a review of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble's most recent subscription concert. "PNME founder David Stock's 'Sonidos de la Noche' was expertly led by associate conductor Brett Mitchell, drawing precise and well coordinated evocative sonorities..." To read the complete review, please click here.
Review: "PNME whirls, circles and flows"
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has published a review of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble's most recent subscription concert. The paper credited Brett Mitchell's "solid (and nicely unobtrusive) direction" for maintaining "the sense of precise ensemble" in performances of Ross Bauer's "Oda al Olor de la Leña," Mathew Rosenblum's "Circadian Rhythms," and the world premiere of Jeffrey Nytch's "...and the wind spoke." To read the complete review, please click here.
"Young Conductors Show Off Their Training With the NSO"
The Washington Post has published an article about the 2005 National Conducting Institute, a three-week, hands-on training program for young conductors with the National Symphony Orchestra led by music director Leonard Slatkin in which Brett Mitchell participated. To read more, please click here.
Review: "Effortless precision"
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has published a review of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble's most recent subscription concert, praising Brett Mitchell's performances of David Stock's "A Little Lightmusic" and David Lang's "Sweet Air": "Both [works] are intricate to the point of being potential train wrecks, but, under Mitchell's direction, the ensemble played with effortless precision." To read the complete review, please click here.