Eckart Preu
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Eckart Preu (born 24 August 1969) is an East German-born conductor.
Preu has been Music Director of the Spokane Symphony in Spokane, Washington since September 2004.[1] He has also been music director of the Stamford Symphony in Stamford, Connecticut since 2005.[2] For three seasons he was Associate Conductor of the Richmond Symphony. He also served as Resident Conductor with the American Symphony Orchestra and the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra.[3] Former posts include Music Director of the Norwalk Youth Symphony and Principal Conductor of the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra (NY)[4]. He was both Assistant and Guest Conductor at the Bard Music Festival. In Europe, Preu served as Music Director of L'Orchestre Internationale de Paris from 1993-95.
As a guest conductor, he has appeared with the Jerusalem Symphony,[5] the Pecs Philharmonic (Hungary), and in Germany with the Jenaer Philharmonie,[6] the Hallesche Philharmonie,[7] the Thüringer Kammerorchester, and the Landessinfonieorchester Gotha.[8]
Eckart Preu performed at Carnegie Hall in May 1999 and January 2008, and at the Sorbonne in Paris. His concerts have been aired by WPKT Stamford, KPBX Spokane,[9] WCVE Richmond,[10] and Jerusalem Radio.
He has collaborated with internationally renowned soloists like Richard Stoltzman, Horacio Gutierrez, Vladimir Feltsman, Jean-Phillipe Collard, Leila Josefowicz and Sarah Chang.
Preu came to the United States as winner of the National Conducting Competition of the German Academic Exchange Service (1996) [11] for graduate studies with Harold Farberman at the Hartt School of Music.
In Germany he earned a Masters Degree in Conducting from the Hochschule für Musik in Weimar studying under Gunther Kahlert and Nicolás Pasquet.[12] He also studied under Jean-Sebastien Bereau at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in France.[13]
At the age of 10 he became a member, soloist [14] and assistant conductor of the Boys Choir Dresdner Kreuzchor [15]
Eckart Preu is also a frequent guest speaker for local businesses, community organizations and schools. He writes monthly articles for the local newspaper, the Stamford Advocate.