Music Reviews

Mar 28, 2009 - Laura Jackson named new conductor and music director of the Reno Philharmonic

By Jack Neal

Today, Saturday, March 29 (2009), Laura Jackson was named the new conductor and music director of the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra by Executive Director Tim Young. The announcement was made at a gala champagne reception on the plaza in front of Reno’s Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts immediately following the last rehearsal of the orchestra’s last series of concerts for its 2008-2009 subscription concerts.

Jackson made an appearance during the last 15 minutes of the rehearsal and was greeted with a standing ovation from the orchestra and the Reno Philharmonic Chorus, which is featured in the orchestra’s season-closing concerts. Jackson will be the fourth conductor and music director of the Reno Philharmonic and the first woman to hold that position. She is a popular choice.

Jackson recently completed an appointment as the assistant conductor and American Conducting Fellow of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, where she conducted the Young People’s Concerts. In 2007 she conducted an ASO subscription concert featuring the music of Prokofiev, Harbison and Brahms. In 2006 she conducted an all-Mozart program celebrating the composer’s 250th birthday.

This season, in addition to conducting the Reno Philharmonic in a program of Kodaly, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky, Jackson conducted the symphonies of Detroit, Berkeley, Sacramento, Alabama, Wyoming, Montana and the New World Symphony.

Prior to her appointment in Atlanta, Jackson studied conducting at the University of Michigan, and was the Seiji Ozawa Conducting Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in 2003, where she conducted performances including both traditional and contemporary repertoire.

Jackson will be introduced as the new resident conductor of the Reno Philharmonic at Sunday’s (3/29/09) 4 p.m. concert.

For my review of Laura Jackson’s first conducting appearance with the Reno Philharmonic go to my website Nevada-events.net and click on “Passion and elegance – conductor Laura Jackson, violinist Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio and the Reno Philharmonic.”