Conductor Bios

Ken-David Masur, music director

Photo by Adam DeTour

Hailed as “fearless, bold, and a life-force” (San Diego UnionTribune) and “a brilliant and commanding conductor with unmistakable charisma” (Leipzig Volkszeitung), Ken-David Masur is delighted to begin his third season as music director of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, leading performances in the beautifully restored and renovated Bradley Symphony Center. This season, Masur makes his subscription debuts with the San Francisco Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra and also leads performances with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Rochester Philharmonic, the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, and at the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan. Masur leads a range of innovative programs with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra – including an expansive staging of Peer Gynt with director Bill Barclay – and with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the professional training orchestra of the Chicago Symphony and the Negaunee Music Institute where he has been principal conductor since 2019. Masur has conducted distinguished orchestras around the world, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Chicago and Detroit Symphonies, l’Orchestre National de France, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony in Tokyo, and the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. In addition to regular appearances at Ravinia, Tanglewood and the Hollywood Bowl, Masur has conducted internationally at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, the Festival of Colmar in France, Denis Matsuev’s White Lilac Festival in Russia, the Tongyeong Festival in South Korea and the TV Asahi Festival in Tokyo, Japan. Previously Masur was associate conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he led numerous concerts, at Symphony Hall and at Tanglewood, of new and standard works featuring guest artists such as Renée Fleming, Dawn Upshaw, Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, and others. For eight years, Masur served as principal guest conductor of the Munich Symphony, and has also served as associate conductor of the San Diego Symphony and as resident conductor of the San Antonio Symphony. Masur is passionate about the growth and encouragement of contemporary music and composers, and during the Milwaukee Symphony’s past season of virtual and live performances, he introduced a diversity of composers new to the orchestra. He has also conducted and commissioned dozens of new works at the Chelsea Music Festival, an annual summer music festival in New York City founded and directed by Masur and his wife, pianist Melinda Lee Masur, and touted as an “impressive addition to the New York cultural ecosystem” (Time Out NY). The Festival seeks to engage curious audiences with its collaborations between the performing, visual and culinary arts, and has been praised by The New York Times as a “gem of a series.” Music education and working with the next generation of young artists are also of major importance to Masur. In addition to his work with the young musicians of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, he has led orchestras and masterclasses at New England Conservatory, Boston University, Boston Conservatory, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra and at leading universities and conservatories in Asia, Europe, and South America. Ken-David Masur has recorded works by Beethoven and Pēteris Vasks with the English Chamber Orchestra and violinist Fanny Clamagirand; Gisle Kverndokk’s Symphonic Dances with the Stavanger Symphony; and Strauss Ein Heldenleben for Naxos Japan.

Edo de Waart, music director laureate

Edo de Waart is music director laureate of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. His tenure as music director (2009-2017) of the MSO included sold-out concerts, critical acclaim, and a celebrated performance at Carnegie Hall. He is also conductor laureate of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and conductor laureate of the Antwerp Symphony and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. During the 2021.22 season, de Waart will return to the MSO for two concert weekends. The first in February 2022 will feature Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6. Then in April, de Waart will lead the orchestra in performances featuring Brahms, Schreker, Beethoven, and Mozart. Photo by Jesse Willems

As an opera conductor, de Waart has enjoyed success in a large and varied repertoire in many of the world’s greatest opera houses. He has conducted at Bayreuth, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Opera de Bastille, Santa Fe Opera, Salzburg Festival, and The Metropolitan Opera. Recent appearances at The Met have included Der Rosenkavalier and The Marriage of Figaro. Edo de Waart’s extensive catalogue encompasses releases for Philips, Virgin, EMI, Telarc, and RCA. His most recent recording is Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius with the Royal Flemish Philharmonic. At the age of 23, de Waart won the Dimitri Mitropoulos Conducting Competition in New York which resulted in his appointment as assistant conductor to Leonard Bernstein at the New York Philharmonic. On his return to Holland, he was appointed assistant conductor to Bernard Haitink at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. In 1967, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra appointed him guest conductor and, six years later, chief conductor and artistic director. Since then, he has also been music director of the San Francisco Symphony and Minnesota Orchestra, chief conductor and artistic director of the Sydney Symphony and Hong Kong Philharmonic, and chief conductor of De Nederlandse Opera. Edo de Waart has received a number of awards for his musical achievements, including becoming a Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion and an Honorary Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia, in reflection of his invaluable contribution to Australian cultural life during his decade with the Sydney Symphony. He was also appointed an Honorary Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in recognition of his contribution to music internationally, and in particular, his commitment to developing future generations of musicians in Hong Kong.

Yaniv Dinur, resident conductor

Named the 2019 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Fellow (the largest award for conductors in the U.S.), Yaniv Dinur is currently resident conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony and music director of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. The League of American Orchestras honored the New Bedford Symphony by selecting it to be one of the orchestras to perform at the 2021 League Conference. He is lauded for his bold and engaging programming, insightful interpretations, and unique ability to connect with varied audiences, from season subscribers to first time concertgoers. Recent and upcoming highlights include subscription debuts with the symphonies of Fort Worth and Houston, Orchestra Photo by Erin Kavanaugh Haydn in Italy, as well as return engagements with the San Diego Symphony, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, and the Peninsula (Wisconsin) and Round Top (Texas) festivals. Among other U.S. guest conducting appearances are the Louisiana Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, New World Symphony, and the San Antonio Symphony. Yaniv Dinur made his conducting debut at the age of 19 with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, which led to multiple return engagements. Following his European debut, he was invited to perform with the Israel Camerata in Jerusalem, making him the youngest conductor ever to conduct a professional orchestra in Israel. Since then, he has conducted orchestras around the world, including the Israel Philharmonic, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, Portugal Symphony Orchestra, Sofia Festival Orchestra/Bulgaria, Solisti di Perugia, State Orchestra of St. Petersburg, Torino Philharmonic, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. Broadcast live on Israeli radio, he was the principal conductor of the Jerusalem Symphony’s Young Artists Competition from 2003 to 2010. An accomplished pianist, Dinur made his concerto debut with the Milwaukee Symphony in 2019, playing and conducting Mozart’s D Minor Concerto. He received critical acclaim for his “fluid, beautifully executed piano passages” and “deeply musical playing” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Dinur has worked closely with such world-class conductors as Lorin Maazel, Michael Tilson Thomas, Pinchas Zukerman, Kurt Masur, and Jorma Panula; soloists with whom he has collaborated include Itzhak Perlman, Yefim Bronfman, Jean-EffIam Bavouzet, and Vadim Guzman. He holds a Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance, where he was a student of Prof. Kenneth Kiesler. Born in Jerusalem, Yaniv Dinur began studying the piano at the age of six with his aunt, Olga Shachar, and later with Prof. Alexander Tamir, Tatiana Alexanderov, Mark Dukelsky, and Edna Golandsky. At the age of 16, he began to study conducting with Dr. Evgeny Zirlin. While still in high school, Dinur began his formal studies with Dr. Zirlin at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. After graduating from the Jerusalem Academy, he studied privately with conductor Mendi Rodan

Milwaukee Symphony Chorus

The Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, founded in 1976, is known and respected as one of the finest choruses in the country. Under the direction of Dr. Cheryl Frazes Hill, the 2021.22 chorus season with the MSO includes performances of Holiday Pops, Handel’s Messiah, Grieg’s Peer Gynt, Duruflé’s Requiem, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. The 170-member volunteer chorus has been praised by reviewers for “technical agility,” “remarkable ensemble cohesion,” and “tremendous clarity.” In addition to performances with the MSO, the chorus has appeared on public television and recorded performances on radio stations throughout the country. The chorus has performed a cappella concerts to sold-out audiences and has made guest appearances with other performing arts groups including Present Music, Milwaukee Ballet, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The chorus has also made appearances at suburban Chicago’s famed Ravinia Festival. The Margaret Hawkins Chorus Director Chair was funded by a chorus-led campaign in 2006 in honor of the founding choral director, Margaret Hawkins, during the ensemble’s 30th anniversary season. Comprised of teachers, lawyers, students, doctors, musicians, homemakers, and more, each of its members brings not only musical quality, but a sheer love of music to their task. “We have the best seats in the house,” one member said, a sentiment echoed throughout the membership. Please visit mso.org for more information on becoming a part of the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus.