The Sunriver Music Festival has offered a three-year contract to George Hanson to serve as the Festival’s new Artistic Director Conductor. Maestro Hanson currently serves as the Music Director Conductor of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra filled the role of the Sunriver Music Festival’s Guest Conductor during the 2011 summer season.
“When our long-time Artistic Director Conductor Lawrence Leighton Smith announced that he would be concluding his tenure with the Festival after 24 years, we knew we had a big job ahead of us in filling those shoes,” said Pam Beezley of the Sunriver Music Festival. “George was initially contracted as our Guest Conductor for two concerts during our 2011 season.”
“When Larry suddenly was unable to come to Sunriver due to his declining health, George graciously stepped up conducted all five orchestral concerts,” Beezley added. “He did an incredible job under these tough circumstances the audience loved him.”
“Our patrons were very impressed with George Hanson,” said Jim Putney, festival board of trustees president. “He had great energy he was very engaging with the audience.”
“During our Board of Trustees’ festival wrap-up meeting, we carefully reviewed our options requirements by the conclusion of the meeting we voted unanimously to offer George Hanson the position. We are very pleased that he accepted our offer. We believe he will create new enthusiasm for the Festival as we enter our 35th season.”
Hanson took the helm at the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (TSO) in 1996 has led the regional orchestra to international acclaim. TSO’s first recording, released September 2008, reached Number Two on U.S. Classical Charts, was lauded by critics around the globe.
Hanson is helping shape the changing role of the modern music director. As symphony opera conductor, pianist, recording artist, television host, educator, community leader, fundraiser passionate spokesman for the Arts, Hanson has helped establish the profile of the Tucson Symphony as the flagship organization in Tucson’s cultural life.
Hanson burst onto the European scene at age 28 with first prizes at the Budapest International Conducting Competition shortly thereafter at the Stokowski Competition in New York. Early in his career, Hanson served as assistant to Leonard Bernstein. He was resident conductor of the Atlanta Symphony from 1988 to 1993, assisted Kurt Masur at the New York Philharmonic from 1993 to 2000. He has led nearly 100 orchestras operas, including the New York Philharmonic, the Radio orchestras of Berlin Hamburg, Berlin’s Komische Opera Vienna’s Kammeroper, the Warsaw Philharmonic, Mexico’s National Symphony the orchestras of Osaka Seoul. His 2010-2011 guest conducting appearances included debuts with the Bogota Philharmonic the Pforzheim Orchestra. This season, his guest conducting schedule includes the Leipzig Orchestra.
“I am very impressed with the leadership of the Sunriver Music Festival as an organization,” shared George Hanson. “The musicianship of the orchestra is top-notch I see enormous potential for this festival in the future.”
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