Artist Bios

Christopher James Lees

resident conductor

Christopher James Lees was named Resident Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony in 2018. Emerging American conductor Christopher James Lees is becoming widely recognized for his passionate and nuanced orchestral performances, his fierce commitment to contemporary music, and his natural charisma in front of audiences around the world. In 2018, Mr. Lees began an appointment as Resident Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony and Music Director of the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra. He curates and conducts more than 70 performances a year, including on the Family and Pops series, Education concerts, and the Symphony’s popular On Tap series at Charlotte-area breweries. Mr. Lees made his subscription debut with the orchestra in October 2019. An active guest conductor, Mr. Lees has returned for performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic and the Houston, Detroit, Milwaukee, North Carolina, Portland, & Flint Symphonies, as well as debuts with the Indianapolis, Kansas City, Toledo, and Vermont Symphonies. Additional engagements have taken him to the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Orchestra de Chambre de Paris, Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, and at the Music in the Mountains Festival & Festival Internacional de Inverno de Campos do Jordão in Brazil. Only the second American Gustavo Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mr. Lees made his debut with the orchestra in April 2013 and returned for concerts in February 2015. With the New York Philharmonic and St. Louis Symphony, among others, Mr. Lees has served as an assistant conductor for the world’s leading conductors, including: Gustavo Dudamel, Paavo Järvi, Herbert Blomstedt, Leonard Slatkin, David Robertson, Robert Spano, Marin Alsop, Pablo Heras-Casado, Stéphane Denève, Susanna Mälkki, and Nicholas McGegan. Music Director Robert Spano named Mr. Lees winner of both the 2011 James Conlon Conducting Prize and the 2012 Aspen Conducting Prizes at the Aspen Music Festival and School.

Calin Ovidiu Lupanu

violin

Concertmaster Calin Ovidiu Lupanu, the Catherine & Wilton Connor Chair, joined the Charlotte Symphony in 2003. Born in Timisoara, Romania, violinist Calin Ovidiu Lupanu completed his undergraduate studies at the Music Academy in Bucharest, where he served as Concertmaster of the conservatory’s Chamber Orchestra. During his summers as a student, Mr. Lupanu performed in festival orchestras in Lanciano, Italy as Assistant Concertmaster and the Young Soloists Orchestra “Fiori Rari” in Lugano, Switzerland as Concertmaster. Upon graduation, he was appointed Violin Professor at the Music Academy. While in Bucharest, Lupanu joined the Lipatti String Quartet as first violin, continuing in that capacity for 10 years. In 1995, they were named Quartet-inResidence at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, where Lupanu earned a Performance Certificate in Chamber Music. While at UWM, the quartet was featured as Ensemble-in-Residence with the Pabst Theater.

Lupanu’s awards as a soloist include the First Prizes of the International Violin Competition in Stresa, Italy, and the National Violin Competition in Suceava, Romania. Prior to winning the national audition for the Charlotte Symphony, Lupanu served as Assistant Concertmaster of the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra, Concertmaster of the Evansville Philharmonic, principal player in the Alabama Symphony, and Concertmaster of the West Virginia Symphony. In addition to his season-long responsibilities in Charlotte, Lupanu maintains a busy summer schedule, participating in such festivals as Bach and Beyond, Aspen, Lower Saxony, Strings in the Mountains, and the Colorado Music Festival, the latter of which he has served as Concertmaster since 2004 and Chamber Music Coordinator since 2014.

Lupanu has been featured as a soloist with the Evansville Philharmonic, Alabama Symphony, Green Bay Symphony, and the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra. Lupanu is currently on the faculty of Gardner-Webb University and served as Lecturer in Strings at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Mr. Lupanu plays a violin made by Pierre Silvestre in Lyon, France in 1857.