RON SPIGELMAN, MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR

The exciting and innovative conductor, Ron Spigelman, is an honors graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London. In 1996, he was awarded an Associate of the Royal Academy (ARAM) for distinguishing himself in his field. Prior to his appointment in Springfield, he was the Associate Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO), and the Associate Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Other titles have included Music Director of the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, Music Director of the San Angelo Symphony, and Music Director of the Texas Chamber Orchestra. Currently, he is also the Music Director of the Metropolitan Classical Ballet in Texas, as well as a teacher of conducting and special topics at Drury University.

This year, Ron will again appear as a guest conductor with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra in West Virginia, as well as the Syracuse Symphony in New York; undertaking a variety of programs from Classical to Pops.

Since immigrating to the United States in 1994, Ron has made numerous guest appearances with orchestras across the country, including the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Boise Philharmonic Orchestra, the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra, the Austin Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Dallas Opera Orchestra.

Amongst numerous career highlights, he lists his debut with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the critically acclaimed performance and world premier of Lowell Lieberman’s Pegasus. As well as his equally acclaimed Carnegie Hall conducting debut with the Buffalo Philharmonic in 2004.

Ron has accompanied a wide range of internationally renowned artists including: Horacio Gutierrez, Richard Stoltzman, Pamela Frank, Sharon Isbin, Jubilant Sykes, Jon Kimura Parker, Edith Chen, Navah Perlman, Elissa Lee Kokkonen, to name but a few. Pops artists he’s had the pleasure to perform with include: Marvin Hamlisch, Canadian Brass, Tanya Tucker, Kathy Mattea, Mark O’Connor, The King’s Singers, Arturo Sandoval, Audra McDonald, Dianne Reeves, Cherish the Ladies, and legends James Taylor, Art Garfunkel, and Peter, Paul and Mary.

Previous to his appointment with the Fort Worth Symphony, Ron was the Assistant to the Chief Conductor of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra – a position created especially for him, after he was the first person to be awarded the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Conductor-In-Training position for two consecutive years; first with the West Australian Symphony, and then with the Queensland Symphony. During this time, he also conducted the Sydney Symphony and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, as well as the West Australian Opera and the Australian Youth Orchestra.

Since his first appointment in 1992, Ron has conducted over 1000 performances, and has a repertoire of over 400 works. A champion of new music, he has conducted over 30 world premieres. He has also made several recordings for broadcast, including his performance of the Lukas Foss Opera The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, which was broadcast nationally and internationally on the NPR show Symphonycast. He has also recorded a number of CDs, including Dream Angels, a collection of orchestral lullabies recorded with the Adelaide Symphony, which was nominated for the Australian Record Industry Award (ARIA) for Best Children’s Release in 1995. Ron was also the Executive Producer on the Marvin Hamlisch BPO Christmas Pops Recording, and served as the co-editor for all of the BPO NPR broadcasts between 2001 – 2005.

Ron’s principal instrument of study was the trumpet, and as a soloist, he has performed with several British orchestras and at music festivals in the UK, Belgium and Italy, including the Florence Maggio Musicale, at the invitation of the composer Luciano Berio. He still loves to play, and has been known to surprise audiences with a flourish now and then.

Ron has also served as a faculty member for a Donald Thulean ASOL Conductors Workshop, and was Maestro James Conlon’s assistant conductor for three consecutive Van Cliburn International Piano Competitions, between 1997 and 2005. This season, he will make his debut with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra.

Ron is delighted to live in Springfield with wife Lisa, and their two sons Noah 11 and Elijah 5.