GMHC Presents:
Maestro Joseph Colaneri, Conductor
Conductor of opera, oratorio and symphonic works, educator and lecturer,
Joseph Colaneri's achievements are outstanding in each of the areas in his
multi-faceted career. Now in his eighth season as a member of the conducting
roster of the Metropolitan Opera, Maestro. Colaneri concurrently serves as
Artistic Director of the Opera Program at Mannes College of Music in New York
City.
Joseph Colaneri made his conducting debut at the Metropolitan Opera
with a performance of La bohème in fall 2000. He returned to the Metropolitan
Opera to conduct Luisa Miller in season 2001–2002 and conducted all of the
popular Met in the Parks performances of Turandot in season 2002–2003. Reviewing
of his performance, Shirley Fleming of The New York Post wrote, "Conductor
Joseph Colaneri drove an impassioned performance that never let up, from the
opening chorus on." Maestro Colaneri conducted performances of L'Italiana in Algeri
with Olga Borodina in season 2003–2004 and will conduct Nabucco
featuring Maria Guleghina in spring 2005. He conducted Nabucco performances
with Andrea Gruber in the popular Metropolitan Opera Parks performances in
summer 2004. Thousands of New Yorkers attended these free performances in
Central Park as well as in parks in all of the other boroughs of New York
City, and in public venues in New Jersey and Connecticut.
Maestro Colaneri has been associated with Metropolitan Opera
productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream, Andrea Chénier, Arabella,
Don Giovanni, Falstaff, Il barbieri di Siviglia, La bohème,
L'Italiana in Algeri, La Juive, Les Dialogues des Carmélites, Madama Butterfly,
Mefistophele, Nabucco, Otello, Das Rheingold, Rigoletto, La traviata,
Il Trovatore and Werther in prior seasons. This season, he will serve
as cover conductor for the productions of Aida, Il barbiere di Siviglia,
I Vespri Siciliani, Nabucco, Otello and Un Ballo in Maschera. While on
tour with the Metropolitan Opera to Japan, Maestro Colaneri conducted
the Tokyo Philharmonic in a program of opera arias and musical theater
selections featuring Renée Fleming. He also accompanied the soprano
in several Duke Ellington songs as part of the program, which was
telecast throughout Asia by the NHK. Building on their collaboration
at the Met, he recently conducted Metropolitan Opera artists Jianyi
Zhang and Richard Zeller in an opera highlights program with the
National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan in Taipei. He also conducted
the prestigious 2004 Richard Tucker Gala at Lincoln Center's Avery
Fisher Hall featuring a program of operatic scenes and arias.
Prior to joining the Metropolitan Opera, Joseph Colaneri was
associated with the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center for fifteen
years culminating in his appointment, in 1995, as Acting Music Director.
He was honored with the company's Julius Rudel Award during the previous
season (1994). Beginning with his New York City Opera debut conducting
South Pacific, he led over 60 performances of Il barbiere di Siviglia,
La bohème, Carmen, Rigoletto, Tosca, La traviata,
The New Moon and The Merry Widow. Special highlights of his
New York City Opera conducting career include the highly acclaimed 1993 world
premiere of Hugo Weisgall's Esther, and the 1995 American Premiere of the Toshiro
Mayuzumi opera Kinkakuji: The Temple of the Golden Pavilion. He also applied his keen
interest in contemporary repertoire to Britten's parable Curlew River
with performances incorporating Noh theatre elements. The performances
were produced by the Japan Society in New York City. This season he
will make his conducting debut at Portland Opera in Oregon with performances
of Frank Corsaro's production of Madama Butterfly.
While at the New York City Opera, Maestro Colaneri also served
as Music Director of the New York City Opera National Company. In
his final season, he cast and led the touring company's production
of La bohème in performances throughout the United
States. Writing of his performance, the Plain Dealer critic said:
"the excellence began in the pit, where music director Joseph Colaneri
led an account of Puccini's score that had poetry, thrust and a sense
of textural wonderment. Colaneri obviously has lived with the piece
and explored its every nook and cranny." With the National Company he
has directed national touring productions of La fille du Régiment,
Tosca, Carmen, Madama Butterfly, Il barbiere di Siviglia,
and La traviata. He has also conducted Don Pasquale, Macbeth,
Don Giovanni and both an all-Verdi and an all-Puccini concert
for Chautauqua Opera. He returned to Chautauqua Opera in summer 2004
to celebrate the company's 75th anniversary with Jay Lesenger's production
of Carlisle Floyd's opera Susannah. In the 1998–1999 season, Mr. Colaneri
continued his work with young artists and audience outreach through Western
Opera Theater, conducting thirty-five performances of La traviata
throughout the United States, and with emphasis in the western region. He
returned to Western Opera Theater in summer 2000 to conduct Rigoletto
and Die Fledermaus, and in summer 2001 to conduct the double bill of Gianni
Schicchi and Suor Angelica. Mr. Colaneri, a frequent speaker on opera, gave
a number of educationally oriented talks to new audiences while on tour. In
New York, he resumed his annual series of Saturday Opera Seminars at New York
University where he is a guest lecturer, and spoke with audiences on opera at
Mannes College of Music.
With uncommon dedication for an active conductor, Joseph Colaneri
continues to thrive in preparing and guiding young vocalists in the
early years of their professional careers. This commitment has led
naturally to Joseph Colaneri's appointment as Artistic Director of
the Opera Program at Mannes College of Music in New York. Mr. Colaneri
enjoys his work with his faculty colleagues as they mould a program
best suited to help these emerging artists prepare for the demands of
professional careers. He also frequently gives master classes with
apprentices at companies such as Opera North and Chautauqua Opera.
Building on the success of the annual opera scenes program at the
Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse in New York, two years ago he initiated
fully-staged productions which he conducts. The first production
was La bohème directed by Jay Lesenger, followed by a fully-staged
Don Giovanni directed by Robin Guarino. He has also conducted the
Mannes Orchestra in a concert at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall.
The recipient of the 1994 Distinguished Alumni Award from Westminster
Choir College in Princeton (NJ), Joseph Colaneri entered the professional
field as an organist and choral conductor. Having held a number of
sacred music posts, he made his opera debut as Chorus Master of the
New Jersey State Opera, and continued his choral-conducting career
as Chorus Master of the New York City Opera from 1983 to 1996. At
the New York City Opera he prepared choruses for over 100 New York
City Opera productions, including Schoenberg's demanding Moses und
Aron and the Grammy-Award-winning recording of Bernstein's Candide.
Maestro Colaneri is a popular guest conductor at the Berkshire Choral
Festival with many re-engagements since his debut in 1995. He returned
to the Berkshires in summer 2001 to lead a performance of the Verdi
Requiem, which marked the Festival's 20th anniversary. His Canadian
conducting debut was with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in
performances of Handel's Messiah. He has also appeared as a guest
conductor at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz,
Austria.
Joseph Colaneri is a graduate of New York University and
holds the Master of Music degree from Westminster Choir College.
Mr. Colaneri resides in his home state of New Jersey with his wife
and daughter.
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