Svensk Konsertdirektion

Uriel Segal is the Chief Conductor of the Century Orchestra Osaka, Japan, an orchestra he was invited to form In 1989, and has been Music Director of the Chautauqua Festival in Upstate New York since summer 1989. Since 95/96 season Uriel Segal has also served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra, Kentucky, USA.

Born in Jerusalem In 1944, Uriel Segal's international career was launched after winning First Prize at the International Mitropoulos Conducting Competition in New York in 1969, followed by a year as Assistant Conductor with the New York Philharmonic and invitations to guest conduct throughout Europe and America.

Uriel Segal made his London debut with the English Chamber Orchestra in 1971 and soon found himself conducting the Israel Philharmonic as well as major European orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, London Symphony, The Philharmonia, Stockholm Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre National de France, Tokyo Philharmonic among others. In 1972 he took the Stuttgart Radio Symphony on a tour to Poland and remained as Principal Quest Conductor with that orchestra for the next fifteen years. Uriel Segal was also Principal Conductor of Philharmonia Hungarica with which he made a number of international tours and he conducted the Bournemouth Symphony and the Israel Chamber Orchestra regularly for many years.

In seasons 94/95 and 95/96 Uriel Segal made acclaimed guest appearances with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Göteborgs Symfoniker and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Among the prominent artists he-has worked with are Arrau, de Larocha, Ashkenazy, Lupu, Milstein, Jessye Norman, Perahia, Pertman, Zuckerman and Rostropovich. Among the highlights of 95/96 season were performances of Bruckner Symphonies and Mahler's "Das Knaben Wunderhorn" in Jerusalem, Basel and Osaka and performances of Mendelssohn's "Elijah" with the Spanish National Orchestra in Madrid. In March 1997 he performed with the Beethovenhalle Orchestra in Bonn and his 97/98 schedule includes guest engagements with Lille, Bordeaux, Lyon, Parma, Liege and Santiago de Chile orchestras among others.

His North American debut took place at the Ravinia Festival conducting the Chicago Symphony and Uriel Segal has since conducted regularly in the US and Canada. During the last two seasons he worked with many major orchestras such as the Buffalo, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, Milwaukee, Montreal, Rochester, Utah Symphonies and others. In season 96/97 he appeared with the Pittsburgh, Phoenix, San Diego and Louisville orchestras. A highlight of last season was a very successful tour of the US with the Century Orchestra Osaka.

In 1973 Uriel Segal made his operatic debut conducting "The Flying Dutchman" at Santa Fe and has since conducted many operas in Italy, France, Germany, Japan, Israel and the US. In 95/96 season he conducted several new productions Including "Madama Butterfly" with the New Israeli Opera, "Le Coq d'Or" with the Opera de Nice and "Magic Flute" at the Chautauqua Festival.

As a recording artist Uriel Segal has recorded for Decca and EMI with orchestras such as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, London Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. His most recent releases include a CD of music by Robert Schumann with the Century Orchestra Osaka for Toshiba EMI and a CD of soprano arias with the English Chamber Orchestra and Young Ok Shin.

MARCH 1998