ASSOCIATE CONDUCTOR DAVID AMADO

NAMED MUSIC DIRECTOR OF DELAWARE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

            ST. LOUIS, March 20, 2003 – The Delaware Symphony Orchestra has named David Amado, Associate Conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, as its new music director.  He will assume his title immediately, and his full responsibilities will begin in September 2003.

            Mr. Amado, 34, who joined the St. Louis conducting staff in 1997, will continue his role with the Orchestra this season and in 2003-2004.

            “This is a great opportunity for David and we are thrilled for him,” said Randy Adams, president and executive director of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.  “Our audiences have consistently recognized his talent and charisma conducting this Orchestra in a wide variety of settings, including subscription concerts, run-out performances, parks concerts, education concerts and ensemble performances.  I’m sure he will continue to distinguish himself in Delaware.”

            “I consider myself fortunate to be chosen to lead the Delaware Symphony,” Mr. Amado said.  "I am looking forward to the coming years as a period of great musical growth – working with the dedicated and talented musicians on the stage, and the board and staff of the DSO and the Delaware community.  At the same time, I look forward to continuing my relationship with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, which has meant so much to me both professionally and personally over the last six years.” 

            Maestro Amado has emerged as one of the most gifted young conductors on the national classical music scene.  He is the Associate Conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director and Conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra.  His association with the Symphony began in 1997, when he was appointed to the post of Webster University–Saint Louis Symphony Conducting Assistant.  He was subsequently named Assistant Conductor and was advanced to his current appointment at the end of the 1999-2000 season.  Until recently, he also served as Managing Director and Conductor of Sequitur, a New York-based contemporary music ensemble, of which he was a co-founder as well. 

            Prior to his St. Louis appointments, Mr. Amado held the post of Conducting Apprentice with the Oregon Symphony, where he led the orchestra in special event and subscription concerts, as well as touring programs.  He has also served as Conductor of the Juilliard Chamber Opera, as Assistant Conductor of the Juilliard Opera Theater, and as Conductor of the Norwalk, Conn., Youth Symphony’s Concert Orchestra.  Other conducting engagements include appearances with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York, the New Amsterdam Symphony, the Spokane Symphony, the Focus! Festival of Twentieth-Century Music, and the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, N.C.  In August 2002, he made his debut with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic.

            A native of Merion, Pa., Mr. Amado received his bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the Juilliard School and his master’s degree in orchestral conducting from Indiana University.  He undertook his postgraduate studies with Otto-Werner Müller at the Juilliard School, where he was a recipient of the Bruno Walter Memorial Award.  In addition to Maestro Müller, Mr. Amado’s mentors include Thomas Baldner, Bryan Balkwill, Gunther Schuller, and Murry Sidlin.

            The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra has been a source of pride for the St. Louis region since its founding in 1880.  The Symphony has earned a reputation as a first-tier orchestra through the generations of excellent performances, through its mastery of a wide-ranging repertoire, and a tradition of partnering with leading musical artists from around the world.

            In addition to its regular concert performances at Powell Symphony Hall, the Symphony is an integral part of the St. Louis community with a variety of education and partnership programs.   Through its educational concerts at Powell and in classrooms all over the region through the E. Desmond Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative, the Symphony encourages thousands of children to learn about classical music.  Free ensemble and individual performances in parks, churches and other venues throughout the area bring classical music to thousands of people of all ages.  In addition, the pioneering IN UNISON program partners the Symphony with urban African-American churches to further understanding of the connections between gospel, jazz and classical music.

            The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is proud to have preferred relationships with American Airlines, Krispy Kreme, Steinway and Thompson Coburn.