John Neal Axelrod American conductor Date of Birth: 28.03.1966 Country: USA

Biography of John Axelrod

John Axelrod is an American conductor and artistic director. He currently holds the position of conductor and artistic director of the National Orchestra of the Pays de la Loire in Nantes and Angers, France, as well as the chief conductor of the Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Orchestra, also known as 'laVerdi', since the 2011-2012 season. He is also the music director of the 'Hollywood in Vienna' gala concerts, working with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the chief guest conductor of the Sinfonietta Cracovia.

Born on March 28, 1966, in Houston, Texas, Axelrod began studying piano at the age of five. At the age of 16, he became a student of Leonard Bernstein during the premiere of his last opera, 'A Quiet Place', at the Houston Grand Opera. Axelrod graduated with honors from St. John's School in 1984 and went on to attend Harvard University, where he received a Bachelor's degree in music in 1988. During the summer of 1985, he attended a jazz course and continued his studies in jazz and improvisation on the piano at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

After completing his education, Axelrod moved to Los Angeles and worked at Atlantic Records and RCA/BMG Records until 1991. He then spent some time as a manager at Iron John Management before founding his own company, Ivy League Records. In 1994, he became the director of the Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Center in Costa Mesa, California. In 1995, Axelrod decided to return to music and studied conducting at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia under Ilya Musin. In 1996, he founded 'Orchestra X' in Houston and became its artistic director and conductor.

Axelrod also studied under Christoph Eschenbach, the then-music director of the Houston Symphony, and served as his assistant in 1999 at the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival and in Bayreuth in 2000 during the production of 'Parsifal'. In 2004, Axelrod became the chief conductor of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester and the music director of the Luzern Theater in Switzerland, where he performed at the Lucerne Festival every summer for five years.

In April 2009, Axelrod was appointed the musical director of the National Orchestra of the Pays de la Loire and fully assumed his responsibilities in the 2010-2011 season. In July 2009, he was also appointed the musical director of the 'Hollywood in Vienna Gala Concert', and his first concert in this role took place on October 14, 2009, in Vienna. As a guest conductor, Axelrod has worked with numerous world-renowned orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Hungarian National Philharmonic, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra in St. Petersburg, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Kyoto Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and many others.

Axelrod has a vast discography, including recordings that have received various awards and accolades. He has collaborated with renowned soloists such as Julia Fischer, Véronique Gens, Martin Grubinger, Thomas Hampson, Sabine Meyer, Fazıl Say, and Ramón Vargas. In 2011, he made his debut at the Salzburg Festival.

Today, Axelrod divides his time between Angers and Strasbourg on one side and Houston on the other. He has a daughter. In addition to music, the conductor is interested in Italian cuisine, winemaking, and traveling.