Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra
  Music Director: Daniel Spalding
Biography

Daniel Spalding is Music Director and Conductor of the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra Daniel Spalding is Music Director and Conductor of the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra as well as a versatile and frequent guest conductor throughout Europe and North America. Equally at home with music of all periods and styles, Daniel Spalding is especially known for his exciting presentations of contemporary American music and his lush interpretations of the Romantic repertoire. Diverse engagements such as the Mozart Requiem at Eglise de la Madeleine in Paris, an extensive run of the Nutcracker with the Wisconsin Ballet, a new production of Il Trovatore with the Hungarian State Opera (Kolozsvar), and Great Music from the Movies with the Sacramento Symphony have kept him in demand. Recommend by Aaron Copland, Daniel Spalding was chosen to present an All-American Concert with the Belgrade Philharmonic that was broadcast world wide on Voice of America. He is well known in England where he made his debut with the Guildford Philharmonic and is appearing regularly as guest conductor with the London Mozart Players at St. Martins-in-the-Fields. He was the first American to be invited to conduct the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia (Tomsk), Russia's third oldest orchestra founded in 1872, and his recent performance of the Rachmaninoff Second Symphony with the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra in the Great Hall of the Academic Capella has brought future engagements in Russia as well as an invitation to adjudicate for the Prokoviev Conducting Competition.

Daniel Spalding has become best known for his work with the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, which he founded in 1991 with some of the finest musicians on the East Coast. It was with the PVCO that he made his debut at New York's Lincoln Center (1996) and Carnegie Hall (1998) and he has led the orchestra on major tours throughout the United States and South America. Under his baton the PVCO has recorded several well reviewed compact discs, one of which was a Grammy nomination finalist. Their most recent recording of the music of American composer George Antheil for the Naxos American Classics Series (including the Ballet Mecanique) was "Editor's Choice" for Gramophone, chosen as "CD of the week" by BBC Radio 3 and the London Observer, and as one of the top 10 classical CD's of 2001 by the Chicago Tribune. It was also a best selling album in the UK.

Born in Wichita, Kansas, Daniel Spalding is a member of the Wyandotte Indian Tribe of Oklahoma. He attended Northwestern University and furthered his conducting studies in Austria at the Salzburg "Mozarteum," in Romania with Mircea Cristescu of the "George Ensecu" Philharmonic, at the University of Illinois, and in Philadelphia with Max Rudolf. He made his European debut with the Romanian State Philharmonic in Cluj, where he was later appointed principal guest conductor, and also served as an assistant to Sergiu Comissiona with the Houston Symphony Orchestra. Daniel currently resides in New Jersey with his wife, concert pianist Gabriela Imreh, who often performs with her husband and the PVCO on their many tours.

 
CD Reviews Back to Top
"Spalding secures a zestful performance."
GRAMOPHONE (Editor's Choice)
"One of the Top 10 Classical CDs of 2001"
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
"Spalding gives a stunningly tight performance, captivating the audience throughout."
LONDON OBSERVER
"CD of the Week"
LONDON GUARDIAN
"Daniel Spalding leads…an exhilaratingly energetic and stunningly well-synchronized performance."
FANFARE
"Spalding and his Philadelphians are feisty… refined and reflective."
BBC RADIO 3
"Spalding secures execution that is gallant in feeling, stylish in its turn of phrase, and yet underpinned by real affection."
AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE
"Spalding and the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra play these diverse works with affection and relish…A winner in every respect."
CLASSICS TODAY
 
Concert Reviews Back to Top
Daniel Spalding is one of the most innovative conductors on today’s music scene…Evocative lighting effects enhanced the entire concert. Daniel Spalding is clearly rethinking the concert format. His combination of interesting programming, thoughtful commentary, and flamboyant musicianship were altogether winning. A great holiday musical package!
LAWRENCE BUDMAN (CRITIC FOR MIAMI HERALD, FLORIDA, USA)

What was supposed to be a fundraising show turned out to be an evening of great classical music. The Charity Music Concert raised funds for Kampala Music School and Uganda Women’s Effort to Save Orphans at the Sheraton Hotel on Thursday…Spalding’s baton conducted the Kampala Music School Orchestra, made up of young student musicians and teachers in a cohesive unit. Their precision was astonishing.
THE NEW VISION, KAMPALA, UGANDA

I’ve seen several conductors lead their orchestras from the harpsichord or the piano, Baroque-style. Daniel Spalding trumped them all when he announced he was going to resurrect his youthful training and conduct the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra from the snare drum. Spalding’s stunt worked because the piece in question was Ravel’s Bolero, in which the snare drum taps away through the entire score. His tour de force contributed some useful charm to one of the more over-familiar works in the repertoire. Seated in front of his orchestra, his back to his young musicians, Spalding looked like he was leading a village band through one of its local dance numbers. The other items on the Virtuosi program were Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite and a suite by Debussy. Both received solid performances...
BROAD STREET REVIEW, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

Conductor Daniel Spalding found a lovely, buoyant pulse that made the music sing. . . the exotic, staggering beauty of Mahler was conveyed with amazing precision and concentration.
CITY PAPER, PHILADELPHIA, USA

The coordinator of this interpretation, full of sonorous fantasy, was the American Daniel Spalding, a young maestro, but self assured, colorful, and full of fire.
TELEGRAF, CONSTANZA, ROMANIA

Daniel Spalding and the orchestra performed with extraordinary virtuosity, drawing incessant and warm applause from the public.
VOCE VAI, CAMPOS DOS JORDAO, BRAZIL

Breathtaking... a well deserved encore and several curtain calls.
THE ROYAL GAZETTE, BERMUDA

The musicians under Daniel Spalding seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as the audience members were. . . the performance was marvelous.
THE TIMES, TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, USA

Maestro Spalding directed the orchestra in a spontaneous manner and with great ease. . . the audience was moved by a performance full of passion, lyricism, and warmth.
NOWA TRYBUNA OPOLESKA, POLAND

Under the baton of their conductor, Daniel Spalding, the ballet Carmen resulted in a vibrant exploration of these well-traveled melodies and rhythms. Palpitating, vigorous, with impeccable cohesion and tuning, this first piece by the Virtuosi was received with great enthusiasm.
MIAMI HERALD, MIAMI, FLORIDA, USA

The 26th Bermuda Festival got off to a rousing start with the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra’s performance. Mr. Spalding led a score that was at turns languid, fast and fierce. . . Overall, this is as rocking as one would imagine a chamber orchestra could get—a fact underscored by the long, standing ovation that closed the evening.
BERMUDA SUN, BERMUDA

PHILADELPHIA VIRTUOSI ORCHESTRA PROVES ARTFUL, ENERGETIC (headline)

The performance of the orchestra as a whole was of the highest quality throughout this most artful of pieces, and Spalding’s conducting throughout the evening was subtle, nuanced and showed perfect command of this mostly young, masterful ensemble.
READING EAGLE, PENNSYLVANIA, USA

The artistic maturity of Daniel Spalding was displayed most definitely in Brahms’ Symphony No. 3. Here the conductor has the task of providing the music with its own special spiritual climate, and that is just where Daniel Spalding came up with a perfectly balanced overall vision with a rare unity of style. He gave life to the sonorities and texture of the work giving of his own vitality coloring this densely complicated orchestration with an airy lucidity which was abundant in its lyricism and warmth. His interpretation was original in its fullness and poetic charm.”
FACLIA, CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA

Strikingly fine playing by the musicians and Spalding’s sympathetic conducting contributed greatly to the impact of the program. . . The audience responded enthusiastically to the music, calling the performers back for a repeat bow at the finish.
THE TIMES, TRENTON, NEW JERSEY

SPECTACULAR “NUTCRACKER” PROVIDES A DELICIOUS ESCAPE (headline)

Friday night’s performance of the “Nutcracker” was reminiscent of a song from “A Chorus Line,” which goes, “Everything was beautiful at the ballet.” With fancy sets, lovely costumes and glorious dancing (including guest artist Ethan Stiefel of American Ballet Theatre), “Nutcracker” provides a delicious escape. The production is elaborate. . Live music completes the enchantment. The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra graces the pit, with Daniel Spalding conducting. . . ”Nutcracker” is flawless.
CAPITAL TIMES, MADISON, WISCONSIN

The profound dramatic character of Beethoven’s Fifth shone forth thanks to conductor Dan Spalding’s perfect understanding of the work. From the very first opening notes, his well-designed delineation was underlined by precision which was carefully balanced between the winds and the strings. The conductor’s expressive baton technique brought cohesiveness to the maximum. Dan Spalding and the Orchestra gave a brilliant performance. The large and enthusiastic audience rewarded him with prolonged applause.
SZATMARI HIRLAP, SATU-MARE, ROMANIA


 
Booking Information Back to Top
 
For worldwide bookings, please contact:
Jack Price
Price Rubin & Partners
Phone: 800-888-3360

email: jp@pricerubin.com
www.pricerubin.com
For bookings in Latin America
Enrique De Quesada
Av. Principal de la Ciudadela, Quinta Taxco - La Ciudadela
1080 - Caracas, Venezuela
Phone: +58 212 979 6863

email: edeq@hispaniaclasica.com
For bookings in Western Europe (except Spain)
Melos Konzerte Wien
Christian May
Salesianergasse 12/11
A-1030 Vienna
Austria

email: melos@aon.at
tel: (43) 1 714 91 96
fax: (43) 1 714 91 91
For bookings in Spain
Ricardo de Quesada
Hispania Clasica
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28014 Madrid
Spain
Tel: (34) 91-429-26-25
Fax: (34) 92-429-26-30

email: rdequesada@hispaniaclasica.com
www.hispaniaclasica.com

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