James Bagwell€¦ · Web viewJohann Sebastian Bach, Cantata 21, Ich hatte viel ... “Janáĉek and his World” Conducting Bard Festival Chorale and members of the Bard Festival

James Bagwell17 McKinstry PlaceHudson, NY 12534914-204-0864 (Cell Phone)845-758-7356 (Office)[email protected]: Hubbard Levine Management FORMAL EDUCATION

1999: Doctor of Music in Choral Conducting, Indiana University Minor Fields: Music Literature and History/Twentieth Century Cultural Studies1991: Master of Music in Musicology (American Music), The Florida State University1990: Master of Music Education (Choral Conducting), The Florida State University1988: Bachelor of Music Education (Piano), Birmingham-Southern College

CURRENT APPOINTMENTS

2009: Music Director, The Collegiate Chorale, New York City2009: Principal Guest Conductor, The American Symphony Orchestra, New York City2005: Director, Music Program, Bard College, Annandale-on Hudson, NY2005: Music Director, The Dessoff Choirs, New York City2005: Choral Conductor, Berkshire Bach Society, Great Barrington, MA2004: Promoted to Associate Professor of Music, Bard College, Annandale-on-

Hudson, NY2003: Director of Choruses, Bard Music Festival, Annandale-on-Hudson, New

York2000: Assistant Professor of Music, Bard College, Annandale-on Hudson, New York.

Develop and coordinate orchestral and choral music program, conduct operas, teach music history and theory.

2000-Present: Music Director, Light Opera of Oklahoma, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Duties include conducting three productions each summer that run in repertory, and conducting orchestral concerts during the summer festival.

1996-Present: Music Director, May Festival Youth Chorus, Cincinnati, Ohio. This chorus consists of 75-80 auditioned high school students and perform year-round with the Cincinnati Symphony, and at the May Festival.

PREVIOUS APPOINTMENTS

2002-2003: Acting Choral Director, Berkshire Bach Society, Great Barrington, MA.2001-2003: Music Director, Cappella Festiva Orchestra and Chorus, Poughkeepsie, NY.2001-2002: Assistant Director, Master’s in Fine Arts in Conducting Program, Bard College,

Annandale-on Hudson.1999-2002: Founder and Artistic Director, Voices United Arts Camp, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Originally formed as an education outreach program for Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, this residential camp is directed toward at-risk middle school students in the greater Indianapolis area. The curriculum includes choral and instrumental music, visual arts, and creative movement.

2000-2001: Principal Guest Conductor and Artistic Advisor, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir and Indianapolis Chamber Singers, Indianapolis, Indiana.

1997-2005t: Music Director, May Festival Summer Chorus, Cincinnati, Ohio. This chorus performs with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra during the Riverbend Summer Music Festival.

1998-2000: Artistic Director and Conductor, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir. Duties included preparing the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir for performances with Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and planning and conducting concerts produced by ISC.

1997-1998: Assistant Director of Choruses, Cincinnati May Festival, Assistant to Robert Porco

1996-1998: Assistant Conductor, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir. Assistant to Robert Porco.

1996-2000: Founder and Conductor, Indianapolis Chamber Singers. This group was founded as the professional ensemble which performed concerts on the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir series, and served as the professional core for the ISC.

1991-1993: Director of Music, The Asheville School, Asheville, North Carolina Coordinated music program in 9th through 12th grade boarding school; duties

included teaching Introduction to Music, three choral ensembles, and private applied voice and piano.

1991-1993: Assistant Conductor, Asheville Symphony Chorus, Asheville, North Carolina

RESEARCH

1999:“Innovation and Synthesis: The Psalm Settings of Charles Ives” (Doctoral

Document: Indiana University)

1991: “The National Sacred Harp Foundations Archive: Transcriptions of Unpublished Manuscripts and Documents” (Masters Thesis: The Florida State University)

OTHER

1989-91: Founder and Artistic Director: The United States Music Ensemble, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.

1996-1997: Vocal coach in the studio of Giorgio Tozzi1995-1997: Opera Coaching and Conducting with Imre Pallo and Robert Porco1992: Goethe Institute (Iserlohn, Germany); Completed Grundstufe I1988-1990: Robert Shaw Institute Festival Singers, France and New York

ACTIVITIES AT BARD COLLEGE SINCE FALL 2000

TEACHING

Introduction to Music (new course), Fall 2000, Spring 2005Literature and Language of Music (new course), Fall 2000High/Low: Tensions and Agreements between Popular and Serious Music in Western Culture (new course), Spring 2006, Spring 2007Fundamentals of Music II, Spring 2001Ear Training I, Fall 2001, 2002, 2003Ear Training II, Spring 2001, 2002, 2003Ear Training III, Fall 2001, 2002Ear Training IV, Spring 2002Literature and Language of Music: Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Styles, Fall 2005, Fall 2007Literature and Language of Music: Renaissance and Baroque Styles, Fall, 2004 Literature and Language of Music: Classic and Romantic Styles, Spring 2001Death Set to Music: The Passion Settings of J. S. Bach, Spring 2006First Year Seminar: Death Set to Music, Spring 2002Master’s Seminar in Ear Training, Fall, 2002, 2003, 2004, Master’s Seminar in Conducting, Fall 2001Master’s Seminar in Conducting, Spring 2002

SENIOR PROJECTS

2002: Daniel Gibson; Max Lefer

2003: Samantha Boshnack; Bjorn Quenemoen2004: Joanna Lutzker; Manuel Pascual; Edward Van Gundy2005: Tristan Dahn; Michael Haydn; Austin Miller; Heather Petrie; Alexandra Stefans; Brian Wolf2006: Austin Miller; Elizabeth Przybylski; Siobhan Solberg2007: Allison McGowen; Max Scheinen2008: Carl Kranz; Claire Weber

TUTORIALS

Voice CoachingBeginning and Intermediate ConductingSurvey of Opera LiteratureSurvey of Popular Music: Styles and IssuesEar Training IVCurrent Issues in Musicology

CONDUCTING

Bard College Symphonic Chorus (2000-present)Bard College Chamber Singers (2000-present)Bard College Community Orchestra (2001-2004)Opera Production: Dido and Aeneas, April 2002Opera Production (in conjunction with the Bard Conservatory of Music: Virgil Thomson, Four Saints in Three Acts; David Bruce, A Bird in your Ear (world premiere), March 2008

SERVICE TO THE COLLEGE

Music Program, Director, 2005-presentFaculty Evaluation and Review Committee, 2005-2007Faculty Senate (2003); Senate Chair, 2005Divisional Evaluator for Mercedes Dujunco, Fall 2007Divisional Evaluator for Maria Simpson, Spring 2008Chair, Search Committee, Voice Position, Spring 2006Member, Search Committee, Ethnomusicology Position Spring 2005 Faculty Seminar, Fall 2007: Sweeney Todd Faculty Seminar, Spring 2003: Conducted and discussed Cinderella’s Bad Magic, a new opera by Bard Faculty member Kyle GannViva Verdi, Spring 2002: Lectured on Verdi’s Requiem as part of the Viva Verdi festival at Bard College

CONCERTS CONDUCTED AT BARD COLLEGE SINCE FALL 2000

May 2008, Bard College Chamber Singers and Symphonic Chorus, Kyle Gann, Transcendental Sonnets and works by Bard student composersMarch, 2007: Bard College Conservatory of Music Orchestra, Graduate Voice Students,

and The Bard College Chamber Singers: Two one-act operas: Virgil Thomson, Four Saints in Three Acts (oratorio version) and David Bruce, A Bird in Your Ear (world premiere) December, 2007, Bard College Chamber Singers and Symphonic Chorus, Johann Sebastian Bach, Cantata 21, Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis; Antonio Vivaldi, Gloria in D Major May 2007, Bard College Chamber Singers and Symphonic Chorus, George Frideric Handel, Dixit Dominus, The Ways of Zion Do MournMarch 2007, Bard College Chambers Singers and Bard Conservatory of Music Orchestra, Mozart, Coronation Mass

May 2006, Bard College Symphonic Chorus, “Choral Masterworks” Works included excerpts from Mass in B-minor (J. S. Bach) The Creation (Franz Joseph Haydn) and A German Requiem (Johannes Brahms)May 2006, Bard College Chamber Singers, Choral Music of Claudio Monteverdi (madrigals and motets). Concert was performed in conjunction with Frederick Hammond’s course on MonteverdiDecember 2005: Bard College Chamber Singers and Community Chorus, Mozart, Vesperae solennes de confessor; Haydn, Missa in tempore belliMay 2005: Bard College Community Chorus and Chamber Singers, Orff, Carmina BuranaDecember 2004: Bard College Orchestra: Schubert, Symphony No. 5 in B-flat; Mendelssohn, Hebrides OvertureDecember 2004: Bard College Chamber Singers: Stravinsky, MassDecember 2004: Bard College Community Chorus: Haydn, Theresienmesse May 2004: Bard College Orchestra: Beethoven, Symphony No. 8; Vivaldi, Concerto for Two Trumpets and Strings, Mozart, Piano Concerto in F May 2004: Bard College Chamber Singers and Community Chorus, Pergolesi, Stabat Mater; Mozart, Te Deum, English and Italian Madrigals December 2003: Bard College Orchestra: Bach, Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, BWV. 131, Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 1 in C minorDecember 2003: Bard College Chamber Singers and Community Chorus: Britten, Ceremony of Carols; Haydn, Lord Nelson MassMay, 2003: Bard College Community Orchestra: Works included Haydn, Symphony 101, and Beethoven, Romance in F majorMay, 2003: Bard College Chamber Singers: Works included Paul Hindemith Six Chansons, and motets by Poulenc and Duruflé May, 2003: Bard College Community Chorus: Haydn, Te Deum in C major, and works by Niccola Porpora, and Orlande de LassusDecember 2002: Bard College Chamber Singers: “Spiritual Music from the Renaissance and the Twentieth Century: Music of John Taverner and John Tavener”December 2002: Bard College Community Chorus: Mozart, RequiemDecember 2002: Bard College Orchestra: Bach, Orchestral Suite in B minor, Beethoven, Coriolanus Overture, Prokofiev, Classical SymphonyMay 2002: Bard College Chamber Singers: Viva Verdi: Works by Palestrina, Rossini and VerdiMay 2002: Bard College Community Chorus: Mendelssohn, Da Nobis Pacem; Martini, Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina; Haazan, Missa Luba. May 2002: Bard College Orchestra: Schubert, Symphony No.3 in D Major; Mozart, Overture to Don Giovanni, and works featuring winners of the concerto competition.

December, 2001: Bard College Vocal Ensemble: “Music of the British Isles” including works by Holst, Britten, and Tallis December, 2001: Bard College Orchestra: Haydn, Symphony 100; Sibelius, Valse Triste, and other worksDecember, 2001: Bard College Community Chorus: Vivaldi, Gloria; Handel, Coronation Anthem 2May, 2001: Bard College Community Chorus: Fauré RequiemMay, 2001: Bard College Vocal Ensemble: Music of Bach and Carissimi December 2000: Bard College Vocal Ensemble and Community Chorus: Music of Brahms and Monteverdi

UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENTS (THROUGH JUNE 2009)

Choral Preparation, The May Festival Youth Chorus for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Erich Kunzel, conductor; September 26-28, 2008Choral Preparation, New York Concert Chorale for The American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein, conductor; Edouard Lalo, Le Roi D’Ys, Avery Fisher Hall, October 3, 2008Conductor, Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, repertoire TBD; Tulsa Performing Arts Center, November 15, 2008Conductor, The Dessoff Choirs, Arthur Honegger, King David; St. James Church, New York City, November 20, 2008Conductor, Dutchess County All-County Choral Festival, November 23, 2008Conductor, The May Festival Youth Chorus, Carolfest; December 6, 2008Choral Preparation, New York Concert Chorale for the Juilliard Orchestra, John Adams, conductor; John Adams, The Death of Klinghoffer, January 31, 2009Choral Preparation, New York Concert Chorale for the American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein, conductor; Luigi Dallapiccola, Il Prigioniero; Avery Fisher Hall, February 20, 2009Conductor, The Dessoff Choirs, Charles Ives, Psalm 90 and other American choral works; St. George Church, New York City; March 7, 2009Conductor and Choral Preparation, The May Festival Youth Chorus, Cincinnati May Festival, May 22-24, 2009Choral Preparation, The Dessoff Choirs for the New York Philharmonic, Lorin Mazel, conductor; Benjamin Britten, War Requiem; Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 8, Avery Fisher Hall, June 2009

PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENTS SINCE FALL 2000

Choral Preparation, Mostly Mozart Festival: New York Concert Chorale, Mozart, La clemenza di Tito; Avery Fisher Hall, August 3, 2008; C-minor Mass, August 22-23, 2008 Conductor and Choral Preparation, The Bard Music Festival, Choral works for “Prokofiev and His World” August, 2008Conductor, Bard Summerscape, George Gershwin, Of Thee I Sing, August 2008Conductor, Light Opera Oklahoma, Three productions: Gilbert and Sullivan, The Pirates of

Penzance, Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods, Leonard Bernstein, Candide; Tulsa Performing Arts Center, June-July 2008Choral Preparation, The Concert Chorale of New York, Michael Clark Dance Company—Stravinsky Project, Igor Stravinsky, Les Noces, Rose Theatre, Lincoln Center, June 5 and 7, 2008 Choral Preparation, The Dessoff Symphonic Choir for the American Symphonic Orchestra, Leon Botstein, conductor; Rued Langgaard, Music of the Spheres, June 1, 2008 Conductor and Choral Preparation, The May Festival Youth Chorus, Cincinnati May Festival, May 18 and May 23, 2008Conductor, The Berkshire Bach Society Chorus and Orchestra, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Orfeo ed Euricide, Mahaiwe Theatre, Great Barrington, MA., May 9, 2008Conductor, The Dessoff Choirs, Luigi Dallapiccola, Canti di prigionia; Leonard Bernstein, Missa Brevis, Dominick Argento, I Hate and I Love; Merkin Hall, May 1, 2008Conductor, Columbia County All-County Chorus, April 4, 2008Choral Preparation, Concert Chorale of New York, for the American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein, conductor; Ferdinand Hiller, The Destruction of Jerusalem; Avery Fisher Hall, March 16, 2008Conductor, The Dessoff Choirs, repertoire included works by William Billings, Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, and shape-note hymns, Center for Ethical Culture, New York City, March 1, 2008Conductor, The May Festival Youth Chorus, Fine Arts Fund Concert, Cincinnati, Ohio, February 10, 2008Choral Preparation, Concert Chorale of New York for The American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein, conductor; Dimitri Shostakovich, The Bed Bug; Arthur Lourié, Chant funèbre; Vladimir Shcherbachov, Symphony No. 2; Avery Fisher Hall, January 25, 2008Conductor, The May Festival Youth Chorus, Carolfest, Cincinnati, Ohio, December 8, 2007Conductor, The Dessoff Choirs, Benjamin Britten, St. Nicholas, Gerald Finzi, In Terra Pax, St. Bartholomew Church, New York City, December 1, 2007Conductor, The Berkshire Bach Society Orchestra and Chorus, First Congregational Church, Great Barrington, November 4, 2007Choral Preparation, The Dessoff Symphonic Choir for The St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Yuri Temirkanov, conductor, Sergei Prokofiev, Alexander Nevsky, Carnegie Hall, November 1, 2007 Conductor, The Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, “Symphony at Sunset,” repertoire included J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, Tchaikovsky, 1812 Overture, and Aaron Copland, Outdoor Overture, October 6, 2007Choral Preparation, Concert Chorale of New York for The American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein, conductor; Dame Ethyl Smyth, The Wreckers; Avery Fisher Hall, September 30, 2007Conductor and Choral Preparation, Bard Music Festival, Elgar and His World, August 2007Conductor, Bard Summerscape; Gilbert and Sullivan, The Sorcerer; August 2007Conductor, Light Opera Oklahoma; three productions: Stephen Sondheim, Sweeney Todd, Meredith Wilson, The Music Man, Victor Herbert, Naughty Marietta; June-July 2007Conductor and Choral Preparation, The May Festival Youth Chorus, May Festival, Cincinnati, Ohio, May 2007Conductor, The Berkshire Bach Society Chorus and Orchestra, George Frideric Handel, Israel in Egpyt, Mahaiwe Theatre, Great Barrington, MA, May 12, 2007

Conductor, The Dessoff Choirs; Kurt Weill, Berliner Requiem; Paul Hindemith, Apparebit Repentina Dies; Miller Theatre, New York City, May 10, 2007

Choral Preparation, New York Concert Chorale for the American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein, conductor; Franz Schreker, Der Ferne Klang, Avery Fisher Hall, April 15, 2007 Conductor, Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, The Plow that Broke the Plains: Great Film Scores by Herrmann, Thomson, Copland, and Korngold; Tulsa Performing Arts Center, March 24, 2007Conductor, The Dessoff Choirs, “Musicians Wrestle Everywhere: 20th and 21st Century Choral Music,” works including Kyle Gann, my father moved through dooms of love (World Premiere), William Duckworth, Southern Harmony, Elliot Carter, Musicians Wrestle Everywhere, Merkin Hall, March 7, 2007 Conductor, The May Festival Youth Chorus; Taping for the radio show “From the Top,” Cincinnati, Ohio, February 20, 2007 Conductor, The Jerusalem Symphony, Beethoven, Mass in C; Christ on the Mount of Olives; Jerusalem, December 28, 2006; Tel Aviv, December 30, 2006Choral Preparation, The May Festival Youth Chorus for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Erich Kunzel, conductor; December 31, 2006Conductor, The Dessoff Choirs, Choral Music of Johannes Brahms and Max Reger; December 9, 2006. St. Bartholomew's Church, New YorkConductor, The May Festival Youth Chorus, Carolfest, December 2, 2006; Cincinnati, OHConductor, The Berkshire Bach Society Vocal Soloists: The Roots of Johann Sebastian Bach, Great Barrington, MA, November 12, 2006Choral Preparation, The Dessoff Choirs for the NHK Symphony, Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor, Maurice Ravel, Daphnis et Chlöle, October 23, 2006; Carnegie HallChoral Preparation, New York Concert Chorale for the American Symphony Orchestra, Leon Botstein, conductor, The Art of the Psalm October 22, 2006; Avery Fisher HallConductor and Choral Preparation, The Bard Music Festival: Liszt and His World; August 2006Conductor, Bard SummerScape, Three Operettas by Jacques Offenbach; August 2006, Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts Choral Preparation, Mostly Mozart Festival: New York Concert Chorale, Mozart, Coronation Mass, Louis Langree, conductor, August 1-2 2006, Avery Fisher Hall, New YorkGuest Conductor, The West Village Choral Festival, July 24, New YorkConductor, Light Opera Oklahoma, three productions: Gilbert and Sullivan, The Sorcerer, Rogers and Hammerstein, South Pacific, and Francisco Barbieri, Il Barberillo de Lavapies in repertory, June-July 2006, Tulsa OKGuest Conductor, OK Mozart Festival, Gilbert and Sullivan, The Sorcerer, June 2005, Bartlesville, OKConductor and Choral Preparation, May Festival Youth Chorus, Cincinnati May Festival, May 19-21 2006, Cincinnati, OH Conductor, The Dessoff Choirs, English Cathedral Music, May 19, 2006, New YorkConductor, The Berkshire Bach Society Chorus and Orchestra, Pergolesi, Stabat Mater; J. S. Bach, Missa Brevis No. 2; Great Barrington, MA, May 13, 2006 Choral Preparation, The Dessoff Choirs for the San Fransico Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor, Charles Ives, Holidays Symphony; Carnegie Hall, April 20, 2006Conductor, The Dessoff Choirs, music by Poulenc, Thomson, Bolcom, and Schubert; March, 2006, New York

Choral Preparation, The New York Concert Chorale for American Symphony Orchestra; Schumann, Das Paradies und die Peri, Leon Botstein, conductor; January 2006, New York Choral Preparation, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, December 2005Conductor, Berkshire Bach Society Chorus and Orchestra, Handel, Complete Coronation Anthems; November 2005, Great Barrington, MA Conductor, The Dessoff Choirs, 17th century Venetian Music including works by Gabrieli and Monteverdi; November, 2005, New York Choral Preparation, Mostly Mozart Festival: New York Concert Chorale, Mozart, C-minor Mass; Louis Langree, conductor, August 2005, New YorkConductor, Bard Music Festival, Choral works for “Aaron Copland and his World,” August, 2005Conductor, Bard Summer Scape, New Production of The Tender Land, August, 2005Conductor, Light Opera Oklahoma, The Mikado, Too Many Sopranos, and Fiddler on the Roof in repertory, June-July 2005, Tulsa OKGuest Conductor, OK Mozart Festival, The Mikado, June 2005, Bartlesville, OKConductor and Choral Preparation, May Festival Youth Chorus, Cincinnati May Festival, May 2005, Cincinnati, OH Conductor, Berkshire Bach Society Chorus and Orchestra, Bach, Magnificat, May 2005, Great Barrington, MAChoral Preparation, New York Concert Chorale for performances with The American Symphony Orchestra, Choral Works of Strauss, Leon Botstein, conductor; April 2005, New York Guest Conductor, The Dessoff Choirs, Rachmaninoff, Vespers, March 2005, New YorkChoral Preparation, New York Concert Chorale for with The American Symphony Orchestra, Chabrier, Le Roi Malgré lui, Leon Botstein, conductor; February 2005, New YorkChoral Preparation, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Erich Kunzel, conductor, December 2004Choral Preparation, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, The Nutcracker, James Conlon, conductor, December 2004Conductor, Berkshire Bach Society Orchestra and Chorus, Works by Buxtehude, Handel, and Carissimi, November 2004, Great Barrington, MAChoral Preparation, New York Concert Chorale, The American Symphony Orchestra, Choral works of Carl Czerny, Leon Botstein, conductor; November 2004, New YorkConductor and Choral Preparation, Bard Music Festival: “Shostakovich and His World,” August 2004Choral Preparation, Riverbend Music Festival: prepare May Festival Summer Chorus performances for three concerts with Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Erich Kunzel, conductor, July-August, 2004. Cincinnati, OH. Conductor, Light Opera Oklahoma: Two productions in repertory including: Three Penny Opera, and Guys and Dolls in addition to two July 4 concerts. Tulsa, OK, June-July 2004Choral Preparation, American Symphony Orchestra: Sacred Choral Music of Wagner, Liszt, and Mendelssohn, Leon Botstein, conductor, June 6, 2004, New York Conductor and Choral Preparation, May Festival Youth Chorus: Cincinnati, OH, May 23 and May 28, 2004Choral Preparation, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra: Film scores of Miklós Rózsa, Erich Kunzel, conductor, Cincinnati, OH, May 14-16, 2004Choral Preparation, American Symphony Orchestra: Operas by Hindemith, Leon Botstein,

conductor, Avery Fisher Hall, March 5, 2004 Conductor, May Festival Youth Chorus: Carolfest, Cincinnati, OH, December 6, 2003 Conductor, Berkshire Bach Society Orchestra and Chorus: Choral and Chamber Music of Bach and Handel, Great Barrington, MA. November 22, 2003Conductor, Cappella Festiva Orchestra and Chorus: Handel, Complete Coronation Anthems, November 15, 2003, Poughkeepsie, NYChoral Preparation, Bard Music Festival in New York at Alice Tully Hall: Leos Janáček, From the House of the Dead. American Symphony Orchestra, Bard Festival Chorale, Leon Botstein, conductor, November 8, 2003Choral Preparation, The New York Concert Chorale for the American Symphony Orchestra, Choral works of Dallapiccola and Nono, Leon Botstein, conductor; September 2003, New YorkConductor, Bard Music Festival: “Janáĉek and his World” Conducting Bard Festival Chorale and members of the Bard Festival Chamber Players in three concerts. July 8-10, 2003 Choral Preparation, Riverbend Music Festival: prepared May Festival Summer Chorus performances with Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Erich Kunzel, conductor, July, 2003. Cincinnati, OH. Conductor, Light Opera of Oklahoma: Three productions in repertory including: Die Fledermaus, The Pirates of Penzance, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, in addition to two July 4th concerts with the Festival Orchestra. June-July, 2003. Tulsa, OK.Conductor, May Festival Youth Chorus: Purcell, Funeral Music for Queen Mary, May 18, 2003, Cincinnati, OH. Shared concert with James Conlon for May Festival. Musical Preparation, Britten, Noye’s Fludde; musical preparation for James Conlon for performance at the May Festival.Conductor, Cappella Festiva Chorus: Choral Music by Twentieth Century American Composers. Works by Virgil Thomson, Samuel Barber, and William Duckworth. May 10, 2003, Poughkeepsie, NY.Choral Preparation, American Symphony Orchestra: Bruckner, Mass in F Minor, Leon Botstein, conductor, Avery Fischer Hall, January 10, 2003.Conductor, Cappella Festival Chorus and Orchestra: Britten, St. Nicholas, December 21, 22, 2002, Poughkeepsie and Kingston, NY.Conductor, May Festival Youth Chorus, May Festival Carolfest, December 7, 2002Conductor, Berkshire Bach Society: Early Works of Bach and Handel, November 16, 2002, Great Barrington, MA.Conductor, New York Repertory Singers: Victoria, Requiem, November 2, 2002, St. Bartholomew’s Church, New York City.Conductor, Alternavista Festival, World Premiere of Cinderella’s Bad Magic, a new opera by Kyle Gann, October, 26, 2002, Moscow. Conductor, Cappella Festiva Chorus, Bach, Jesu meine Freude, and other works by Schubert and Brahms, May 10, 2002, Poughkeepsie, NY.Conductor and Choral Preparation, May Festival Youth Chorus, Cincinnati May Festival. Prepared chorus for James Conlon and the Cincinnati Symphony, May 25, 2002; conducted chorus, May 19, 2002 Conductor, Light Opera Oklahoma. Three productions in repertory including Merry Widow, Iolanthe, and I Do, I Do. Other duties included conducting two July 4th orchestral concerts with the Festival Orchestra, June 12 –July 7, 2002.Choral Preparation, May Festival Summer Chorus, Riverbend Music Festival. Prepared two

concerts with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Erich Kunzel, conductor, July 19-20, 2002, and July 26-27, 2002.Adjudicator, Birmingham Music Club, Birmingham, Alabama, March 14-15, 2002Conductor, May Festival Youth Chorus, Cincinnati Fine Arts Fund Benefit, Cincinnati, Ohio, February 16, 2002Conductor, May Festival Youth Chorus, Ohio Music Educators Association State Convention, February 11, 2002 Conductor, May Festival Youth Chorus: Cincinnati Pops, “Home for the Holidays” December 21, 22, and 23, 2001 (7 performances)Conductor, Cappella Festiva Chorus and Orchestra: Honegger, King David; December 15, 2001Conductor, May Festival Youth Chorus, May Festival Carolfest, December 8, 2001Conductor, 2001 Bard Music Festival “Debussy and His World” Conducted the New York Virtuoso Singers in two concerts: Overview: conducted Printemps for two pianos and chorus, August 10, 2001; The French Sacred Tradition: Catholicism and Mysticism, planned and conducted entire concert, August 12, 2001Choral Preparation, May Festival Summer Chorus, Riverbend Music Festival. Prepared two concerts with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra: Selections from Showboat, Erich Kunzel, conductor, July 13-14, 2001; A Tribute to MGM, Jack Everly, conductor, July 27-28, 2001. Conductor, Light Opera of Oklahoma, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Music Director for three productions: Mikado, Naughty Marietta, and My Fair Lady, June 6- July1, 2001Conductor and Choral Preparation, May Festival Youth Chorus, Cincinnati May Festival. Prepared chorus for James Conlon and the Cincinnati Symphony, May 26, 2001; conducted chorus, May 20, 2001 Guest Conductor, Cappella Festiva Chorus, Poughkeepsie, NY, May 5, 2001Conductor, Indianapolis Chamber Singers, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra: J. S. Bach: Mass in B-Minor, March 31, 2001Conductor, May Festival Youth Chorus, Cincinnati Fine Arts Fund Benefit, February 10, 2001 Conductor, May Festival Youth Chorus, Lift Every Voice and Sing. Appeared with Simon Estes in conjunction with Cincinnati Symphony, January 13, 2001Conductor, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, Indianapolis Chamber Singers: Handel Messiah, December 17, 2000 Choral Preparation, May Festival Youth Chorus, Bernstein Missa Brevis, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Erich Kunzel, conducting, December 1-2, 2000Conductor, May Festival Youth Chorus: May Festival Carolfest, December 2-3, 2000Conductor, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir: Hymns and Anthems, October 2, 2000

SELECTED REVIEWS

American Symphony OrchestraConcert Chorale of New YorkMarch 16, 2008

The choral episodes, vibrantly sung by the excellent chorale (James Bagwell is the director), are the most impressive elements of the score, starting with the opening “Chorus of Israelites,”

vigorous music that swings broadly in a marching triple meter, as the voices sing proclamations in thick block harmonies, until a complex middle section when the choristers break into a studious fugato.

Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times, March 16, 2008

Berkshire Bach SocietyNovember 6, 2008

Performing with a nine-piece orchestra in the First Congregational Church, the 39-voice amateur chorus, under its intrepid director, James Bagwell, was back in form after its springtime odyssey. In Bach’s cantata “Bleib bei uns” (Abide with us), BWV 6, and Handel’s “Chandos” Anthem No. 4, the singing was generally assured and expressive.

Andrew Pincus, The Berkshire Eagle, November 6, 2007

Light Opera OklahomaNaughty MariettaJuly 2007

Conductor James Bagwell led the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. His control over the performers on stage and in the pit has been masterful all season, and the performance here by the orchestra was at once gloriously light and decadently rich.

James Watts, Tulsa World, July 2, 2007

Light Opera OklahomaSweeney ToddJune-July 2007

Music director James Bagwell did a superb job from the pit, guiding both singers and the Tulsa Symphony through a score with about as many time signature changes as notes, and harmonies at times as pointed and angular as a Frank Lloyd Wright building.

James Watts, Tulsa World, June 25, 2007

Light Opera OklahomaThe Music ManJune-July 2007

The large cast is very well- served by the crisp direction of music director James Bagwell, who gets a kind of panoramic sound out of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra. Normally, the sound coming from the orchestra pit in the Williams Theater of the Tulsa Performing Arts Center is rather focused -- almost monaural. But at Friday's performance, one could hear -- at least, one could from our seat -- a remarkable separation in the orchestra's sound: brass coming from one corner of the theater, winds from another. It made the show sound as big

as all outdoors.


Light Opera OklahomaThe Little Barber of LavapiesJuly 2006

James Bagwell's conducting of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra brought out all the Italianate sparkle and Spanish soul in the score.

James Watts, Tulsa World, July 10 2006

Light Opera OklahomaSouth PacificJune-July, 2006

James Bagwell conducted the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, which is almost a character in itself in this show, given the way Rodgers underscored so many scenes. The orchestra's playing was at once rich and full, and intimate and subtle -- and just one more proof that this ensemble needs to find an identity (and a series of performances) outside of the orchestra pit. It's too good a group to be kept -- literally or figuratively -- out of sight.


Light Opera OklahomaThe SorcererJune-July 2006

The story may be a little thin, but Sullivan’s music here is among his richest, with passages that recall Handel and Mozart. And it was superbly played Saturday by the Tulsa Symphony, under the baton of LOOK music director James Bagwell”

James D. Watts, Tulsa World, June 13, 2006

American Symphony OrchestraJanuary 31, 2006Concert Chorale of New York (choral preparation)Schumann, Das Paradies und die Peri Leon Botstein, conductor

Mr. Botstein conducted a good chorus well prepared by James Bagwell.

Bernard Holland, New York Times, January 31, 2006

Berkshire Bach Society Chorus and OrchestraNovember 21, 2005Great Barrington, MA

“Under Bagwell’s attentive direction, the chorus sang lustily, skillfully negotiating the delectable fugal counterpoint scattered about the second and third anthems.”

Richard Houdek, Berkshire Eagle, November 23, 2005

Bard SummerscapeAaron Copland, The Tender LandJames Bagwell, conductorAugust 2005

The conductor James Bagwell delves beneath the surface of Copeland’s score—all open-spaced chords, comfortingly tonal harmony, folksy evocations of hymns, dances and ditties—to reveal the bustling rhythmic intensity and pungent chromatic bite of the music….If you think yourself immune to Copeland in his American mode, just try listening to this winning cast in the hymnal quintet “ The Promise of Living” and see if you don’t get misty-eyed.

Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, August 6, 2005

Light Opera OklahomaThe MikadoJune-July 2005

It also revealed that LOOK orchestra is no mere pit band---that little snippet of Mozart had the right energy and sparkle, and the orchestra throughout the evening infused Sullivan’s score with the same qualities….it was superbly played, with a nimbleness and ease that comes only from a lot of very serious musical work.”


Light Opera OklahomaLa PericholeJuly 2005

Offenbach wrote music designed primarily to charm. The pieces selected by music director James Bagwell bore that out—everything was bright, sparkling, and sweet as cherry-flavored club soda. And Bagwell led the LOOK orchestra in performance that played up the effervescence and played down the syrup, creating a sound that was impressively rich and textured for so compact an ensemble.


American Symphony OrchestraJanuary 10, 2003Concert Chorale of New York (choral preparation)Bruckner, Mass in F minorLeon Botstein, conductor

The Mass went better, partly because it is a better piece, but also as a result of strong work from the Concert Chorale of New York.

Paul Griffiths, New York Times, January 15, 2003

Berkshire Bach SocietyNovember 16, 2002Great Barrington, MAEarly Works of Bach and Handel

A youthful but experienced conductor, Bagwell brought out the best of all of his forces.

John Felton, Berkshire Eagle, November 18, 2002

Light Opera of OklahomaJune-July, 2002Tulsa, OklahomaGilbert and Sullivan, Iolanthe

“James Bagwell led the small orchestra, made up of members of the Tulsa Philharmonic, in a performance that whose strength and flexibility belied their numbers. Their performance of the overture…was especially excellent.

James D. Watts, Jr.Tulsa WorldJune 18, 2002

Light Opera OklahomaJune-July, 2002Tulsa Okalhoma Franz Lehar, The Merry Widow

“James Bagwell led the orchestra of Tulsa Philharmonic musicians in most effervescent performance of Lehar’s score.”


Light Opera of OklahomaJune-July, 2001Tulsa OklahomaVictor Herbert, Naughty Marietta

“Bagwell brought out all the sparkle, charm, and underlying complexities of Herbert’s music.”


Light Opera of OklahomaJune-July, 2001Tulsa OklahomaGilbert and Sullivan, The Mikado

“The marvels started with overture. Music director James Bagwell has only 21 musicians from the Tulsa Philharmonic with him in the pit, but together they made this stretch of music unusually rich and moving. It’s the first time at a LOOK performance where I thought the orchestra deserved a standing ovation.

James D. Watts, Jr.Tulsa WorldJune 11 2002

Light Opera of OklahomaJune-July, 2000Tulsa OklahomaGilbert and Sullivan, The Yeoman of the Guard

“James Bagwell conducted the orchestra in what was, at the Wednesday matinee, the best performance by this ensemble we’ve heard this summer. The music of ‘Yeoman’ is some of Sullivan’s best, and the orchestra’s from overture to final chord was polished and precise.”


May Festival Youth ChorusCincinnati, OhioMay 21, 2000

Scarlatti, Exultate Deo; Monteverdi, Ecco mormorar l’ondi; Palestrina, Sicut cervus

“Opening the concert, the May Festival Youth Chorus displayed poise and discipline in a group by Alessandro Scarlatti, Monteverdi, and Palestrina, conducted by James Bagwell. Scarlatti’s Exultate Deo was a joyous opener in this radiant space. . . . Palestrina’s seamless polyphony was perfect in this resonant acoustic, and beautifully performed.

Janelle GelfandThe Cincinnati EnquirerMay 23, 2000

“The festival’s first weekend ended with a concert on Sunday evening at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in nearby Covington, Ky. Further showing the range of community involvement, the May Festival Youth Chorus opened the program handsomely with a cappella numbers by Scarlatti, Monteverdi, and Palestrina.

James OestreichThe New York TimesMay 25, 2000

Indianapolis Symphonic ChoirIndianapolis Symphony OrchestraCristof Perick, ConductorJames Bagwell, Choral PreparationBrahms, Requiem, February, 2000

“. . . Judging from Friday night’s performance of Brahms’ German Requiem . . . this pair of concerts is one the season’s highlights. Contributing most to that impression is the stunning preparation of the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir by James Bagwell, refined in Perick’s interpretation to an ensemble fit for the most varied demands of both text and score. Its German diction was fine, even in the contrapuntal thickets of Die Erloeseten des Herrn in the chorus Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras. No mush of consonants ever overcame the choir’s singing and the vowels were mostly true and uniform throughout the large ensemble.”

Jay Harvey, Indianapolis Star

Indianapolis Chamber OrchestraJames Bagwell, Guest ConductorIndianapolis Symphonic ChoirHandel, Messiah, December 1999

“Bagwell lead a fast-moving concert, typified by a nimble choral sound and brisk tempos, with a minimum of pauses between one movement and the next. But it was anything but a once-over-lightly interpretation, thanks in part to the heights of expressiveness reached by the choir and soloists in the Passion and Resurrection sections of the work.”


Indianapolis Symphonic ChoirIndianapolis Chamber OrchestraMozart, Ave verum corpus, Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, Mass in C minorNovember, 1999

“Beginning his second year as the choir’s artistic director, James Bagwell displayed a fine sense of detail and proportion without getting lost in minutiae. His cues and encouragement to soloists, the choir, and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra had an electrifying intensity that seemed to yield a full measure of commitment to the music by all concerned.”


Indianapolis Chamber Singers, April 1999Josquin, Missa Pange Lingua; Landes, Images

“. . . Bagwell’s choir of paid professionals is a fine addition to the Hoosier capital’s music scene. . . . [they] gave a glowing account of the Josquin with razor-sharp attacks and releases, and on-the money collective sense of pitch, beautifully calculated swells and diminuendos. . . . The results might be described as an ecstatic meditation. . . . A director and a choir that can embrace two such widely different means to two such different ends is a director and a choir worth watching, and, more to the point, worth listening to.”

Charles Staff, Indianapolis Star

May Festival Youth Chorus, May 16, 1999Tavener, Eonia; Durufle, Tota pulchra es; Britten, Jubilate Deo

“More refined emotions greeted Sunday’s Bascilica crowd, beginning with a lovely set by Bagwell and the Youth Chorus. The 65-voice high school chorus upstaged the elite Chamber Choir with its graceful vocalism and precise diction. . . .”

Mary Ellyn Hutton, The Cincinnati Post

“The concert opened with three selections by the May Festival Youth Chorus, directed by the talented James Bagwell. Consistently well-prepared, the chorus projected a pure, even tone. . . . Jubilate Deo [was] sung with freshness and precision.”

Janelle Gelfand, The Cincinnati Enquirer

Indianapolis Symphonic ChoirIndianapolis Symphony OrchestraRaymond Leppard, ConductorJames Bagwell, Choral Preparation Poulenc, Stabat Mater; Mozart, RequiemMarch, 1999 “. . .seemingly effortless singing through all the contrasts . . .The chorus’s handling of the score’s extensive fugal writing, most especially in the “Kyrie,” was precise and on pitch throughout. As choir director, Bagwell is showing himself a worthy successor to Robert Porco.”

Tom Aldridge, Nuvo

“Splendidly prepared by their director, James Bagwell, the choir members can take pride in the fact that they evidently do not use the excuse that since they’re singing for nothing, they shouldn’t have to work hard. They know people pay to hear them; and in all basic matters, like pitch and attacks, they make every dollar count.”

Charles Staff, Indianapolis Star

OTHER REVIEWS

“The May Festival Youth Chorus, directed by James Bagwell, displayed a mature grasp of a variety of styles.”

Jennifer Thomas, The Cincinnati PostMay, 25, 1998

“. . . the May Festival Festival Youth Chorus . . . generated a pure tone and sang with a range of color and expression. . . . The Youth Chorus navagated the angular themes of Robert Starer’s A Psalm of David with admirable precision. . . . Schubert’s Psalm 23, was the perfect vehicle for these youthful voices, and Mr. Bagwell brought out its tender, lyrical qualities. . . . Palestrina’s Tu es Petrus was stunning in the cathedral acoustic.”

Janelle Gelfand, The Cincinnati EnquirerMay 25, 1998

Trouble in Tahiti: “James Bagwell conducted the cast and orchestra most effectively, recognizing as he did that not only do the instrumentalists underscore the musical mood of the

opera, but sometimes in Wagnerian style, carry the melodic substance which, more usually in opera, is left to the singers.”

Peter Jacobi, Bloomington Herald-TimesNovember 24, 1996

Leon BotsteinPresident, Bard College; Music Director, American Symphony Orchestra; Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra Raymond LeppardConductor Emeritus, Indianapolis Symphony OrchestraJames ConlonMusic Director, May Festival, Cincinnati, Ohio Erich KunzelConductor, Cincinnati Pops OrchestraRobert PorcoDirector of Choruses, The Cleveland Orchestra ChorusDirector of Choruses, May Festival Chorus J. Peter BurkholderAssociate Professor, Indiana UniversityAssociate Dean of Academic Affairs, Indiana UniversityPresident, Charles Ives SocietyJan HarringtonProfessor of Music, Indiana UniversityChair, Choral DepartmentJanell WeinstockGeneral Manager, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra