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The American conductor, pianist and music pedagogue, Andrew Altenbach, studied conducting and piano at Northwestern and Indiana Universities. His conducting teachers include David Effron and Victor Yampolsky and his piano studies were with Karen Shaw, Martin Katz, and Alan Chow.
Hailed by critics in the USA and abroad as “outstanding, first-rate, and a sensitive collaborator,” Andrew Altenbach continues to gain claim for his dynamic performances of opera and symphonic repertoire. He is praised especially for his interpretations of W.A. Mozart, Puccini, Johannes Brahms, and Debussy, He is the music director with the Canadian Operatic Arts Academy and Oberlin in Italy Emerging Artist program.
Andrew Altenbach recently served as artistic director of Boston Opera Collaborative, leading the company in several new productions that received rave reviews. The Boston Globe recently wrote of Altenbach's artistic direction for the Boston Opera Collaborative's production of Rossini’s La Cenerentola: “Altenbach built the drama with such point and purpose, it was as if Rossini were creating a new art form.” He has also held coaching and conducting positions with several prestigious American opera companies, including the Santa Fe Opera, Music Academy of the West, Cincinnati Opera, and the San Francisco Opera Merola Program. He also serves as artistic director and conductor of the Minnesota Bach Ensemble. His opera work has led him to work with artists such as Harry Bicket, Edo de Waart, Paolo Arrivabeni, David Daniels, Bill Burden, Laura Claycomb, and Paul Groves.
Andrew Altenbach brings an energetic ingenuity to his symphonic and operatic conducting that continues to earn him national recognition as a musical leader of his generation. Critically acclaimed for his sense of musical style and nuance, and with a repertoire ranging from Baroque to contemporary works, he has conducted for such companies as Minnesota Opera, Central City Opera, Opera Birmingham, Opera Africa, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Opera on the James, and MetroWest Opera. His symphonic conducting credits include engagements with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He has maintained great success as music director of the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra and has also conducted the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minneapolis Musical Offering series, Brevard Music Center Orchestra, and Grand Harmonie (New York). . His work has led him to work with such soloists as Midori, Barry Douglas, Stephen Hough, Ruxandra Donose and Colin Currie
Andrew Altenbach served as associate conductor for the world-renowned Grand Teton Music Festival and previously held posts as music director for the North Shore Chamber Orchestra, principal guest conductor of the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, assistant conductor to the Evanston Symphony, and conducting fellow of the Chautauqua Institution. He joined the Boston Conservatory in 2011 serving as Associate Professor of Opera.
Recent Engagements: Indiana University Orchestra—Guest conductor; Lakes Area Music Festival—Guest conductor; Minnesota Bach Ensemble—Music director; Opera in the Ozarks—Guest conductor.
As a pianist Andrew Altenbach has served on the conducting/coaching staffs of the Santa Fe Opera, Music Academy of the West, Cincinnati Opera, and San Francisco Opera Merola Program. A constant collaborator with singers and instrumentalists, He has given numerous recitals in Chicago, Bloomington, Minneapolis, Des Moines, and Boston. At Indiana University, he became the first student in the school’s history to music direct for the opera department, and his conducting of W.A. Mozart's Cosi fan tutte earned him recognition in OperaNow magazine under "Who’s Hot."
Andrew Altenbach currently resides in Boston with his wife, Julia, and their one year old son, Henry. Outside of conducting and playing, Mr. Altenbach has been composing more, reading, studying foreign languages, swimming and biking. |
