Carlos Kalmar Explained

Carlos Kalmar
Birth Date:	26 February 1958
Birth Place:	Montevideo, Uruguay
Occupations:	Conductor

Carlos Kalmar (born February 26, 1958, in Montevideo) is a Uruguayan conductor.^[1]

Biography

Born to Jewish immigrant parents from Austria,^[2] Kalmar began violin studies at age six. At age fifteen, he enrolled at the Vienna Academy of Music where his conducting teacher was Karl Österreicher. In 1984, he won first prize in the Hans Swarowsky Conducting Competition in Vienna. Kalmar has been music director of the Hamburger Symphoniker (1987–91), the Stuttgart Philharmonic (1991 - 95), and the Anhaltisches Theater in Dessau. He was principal conductor of the Tonkünstlerorchester, Vienna, from 2000 to 2003.

In the USA, Kalmar was principal conductor of the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago from 2000 to 2024. He was music director of the Oregon Symphony from 2003 to 2021.^{[3] [4] [5]}

In May 2021, the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) announced the appointment of Kalmar as its next director of orchestral studies, effective 1 July 2021.^[6] In May 2023, investigation began into alleged Title IX violations by Kalmar at CIM.^{[7] [8]} These allegations were dismissed in August 2023, and the conductor has taken legal action against CIM for damage to his reputation.^[9]

Kalmar currently lives with his second wife, Raffaela, a violinist and nurse, and their two sons, Luca and Claudio, in Shaker Heights, Ohio. ^[10]

Recordings

• Music for a Time of War. Works by Charles Ives, John Adams, Benjamin Britten, Ralph Vaughan Williams. The Oregon Symphony. PENTATONE PTC 5186393 (2011)
• This England. Works by Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benjamin Britten. The Oregon Symphony. PENTATONE PTC 5186471 (2012)
• Spirit of the American Range. Works by George Antheil, Walter Piston, Aaron Copland. The Oregon Symphony. PENTATONE PTC 5186481 (2015)
• Haydn Symphonies. Carlos Kalmar, Oregon Symphony Orchestra. PENTATONE PTC 5186612 (2017)
• Aspects of America. Carlos Kalmar, Oregon Symphony Orchestra. PENTATONE PTC 5186727 (2018)

References

• Book: Sounds of Chicago's Lakefront: A Celebration Of The Grant Park Music Festival. Macaluso, Tony . Julia S. Bachrach . Neal Samors . amp . Chicago's Book Press. 2009. 978-0-9797892-6-7.

External links

• Seldy Cramer Artists agency page on Carlos Kalmar
• Oregon Symphony biography of Carlos Kalmar
• Grant Park Music Festival, conductors biography page
• Bruce Duffie, Interview with Carlos Kalmar, July 12, 1999
• Oregon Art Beat: Conductor Carlos Kalmar's 10th Anniversary

Notes and References

1. Macaluso, p. 194
2. News: Oregon Symphony conductor shares his immigration story . The Oregonian . Amy Wang . 2017-02-01 . 2021-05-12.
3. Oregon Symphony Announces 2020-21 Season, Celebrating Famed Conductor Carlos Kalmar's Final Year As Music Director . Oregon Symphony . 6 February 2020 . 2020-02-16.
4. News: Oregon Symphony music director to step down after 2020-2021 season . KGW 8 . Joe Ranieri . 6 February 2020 . 2020-02-06.
5. News: Oregon Symphony announces ambitious 2020-21 season, music director Carlos Kalmar's last; Wynton Marsalis on tap . The Oregonian . Douglas Perry . 2020-02-07 . 2020-02-16.
6. Carlos Kalmar Named Director of Orchestral & Conducting Programs and Principal Conductor . Cleveland Institute of Music . 10 May 2021 . 2021-05-12.
7. News: Cleveland Institute of Music investigating allegations of inappropriate behavior . Ideastream Public Media . Kabir Bhatia . 2023-05-01 . 2023-05-09.
8. News: Grant Park Music Fest conductor Carlos Kalmar is investigated at Cleveland Institute of Music . Chicago Tribune. Hannah Edgar . 2023-05-03 . 2023-05-09.
9. News: Former Oregon Symphony Conductor Carlos Kalmar Cleared in Title IX Investigation . Willamette Week . Bennett Campbell Ferguson . 2023-08-15 . 2024-10-01.
10. News: Carlos Kalmar brings fierce focus to the Oregon Symphony, but at a cost . The Oregonian . David Stablet . 2011-02-19 . 2021-02-12.