Andris Nelsons

Andris Nelsons Born 18 November 1978 Is A Latvian Conductor. Nelsons Was Born In Riga. His Mother Founded The First Early Music Ensemble In Latvia And His Father Was A Choral Conductor Cellist And Teacher. At Age Five His Mother And Stepfather A Choir Conductor Took Him To A Performance Of Wagner's Tannhäuser Which Nelsons Refers To As A Profoundly Formative Experience "...It Had A Hypnotic Effect On Me. I Was Overwhelmed By The Music. I Cried When Tannhäuser Died. I Still Think This Was The Biggest Thing That Happened In My Childhood." As A Youth Nelsons Studied Piano And Took Up The Trumpet At Age 12. He Also Sang Bass-Baritone With A Special Interest In Early Music In His Mother's Ensemble. He Studied For One Summer At The Dartington International Summer School With Evelyn Tubb. He Served As A Trumpeter With The Orchestra Of The Latvian National Opera. Conducting Career Nelsons Studied Conducting With Alexander Titov In Saint Petersburg Russia And Participated In Conducting Master Classes With Neeme Järvi And Jorma Panula. He Came To The Attention Of Mariss Jansons When He Emergency-Substituted With The Oslo Philharmonic In Their Trumpet Section During An Orchestra Tour. Nelsons Counts Jansons As A Mentor And Has Been A Conducting Student With Him Since 2002. In 2003 Nelsons Became Principal Conductor Of The Latvian National Opera. He Concluded His Tenure There After Four Years In 2007. His Other Work In Opera Has Included His First Conducting Appearance At The Metropolitan Opera In October 2009 In A Production Of Turandot. In July 2010 Nelsons Made His Debut At The Bayreuth Festival Conducting A New Production Of Wagner's Lohengrin At The Opening Performance Of The Festival. In 2006 Nelsons Became Chief Conductor Of The Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie Of Herford Germany A Post He Held Until The End Of The 2008/2009 Season. In The UK Nelsons' Early Work Included Studio Concerts With The BBC Philharmonic In Manchester And His First BBC Philharmonic Concert At The Bridgewater Hall Was In November 2007. In October 2007 The City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra CBSO Named Nelsons As Its 12th Principal Conductor And Music Director Effective With The 2008–2009 Season. His Initial Contract Was For 3 Years. The Appointment Was Unusual In That Nelsons Had Conducted The CBSO Only In A Private Concert And In A Recording Session Without A Public Concert Engagement Prior To Being Named To The Post. His First Public Conducting Appearance With The CBSO Was On 11 November 2007 In A Matinee Concert And His First Subscription Concert Appearance With The CBSO Was In March 2008. In July 2009 Nelsons Extended His CBSO Contract For An Additional 3 Years Through The 2013–2014 Season. In August 2012 The CBSO Announced The Extension Of His CBSO Contract Formally Through The 2014-2015 Season And Then For Subsequent Seasons On The Basis Of An Annual Rolling Renewal. With The CBSO Nelsons Has Recorded Music Of Peter Tchaikovsky Richard Strauss And Igor Stravinsky For The Orfeo Label. After Sir Simon Rattle Announced In January 2013 That He Will Be Leaving The Berlin Philharmonic Nelsons Has Been Slated As One Of The Most Favored Candidates For The Position Which Will Be Vacant In 2018. Personal Life Nelsons Is Married To The Latvian Soprano Kristīne Opolais. They Met During Nelsons' Tenure At Latvian National Opera When She Was A Member Of The Latvian National Opera Chorus And Later Became A Solo Singer With The Company. The Couple Married In 2011. Their Daughter Adriana Anna Was Born On 28 December 2011. read less