Overview

Maestros in America: Conductors in the 21st Century provides short biographical and critical essays of over 100 American conductors-and conductors in America-in the twenty-first century. Roderick L. Sharpe and Jeanne Koekkoek Stierman made their selections based on three categories of persons: American-born; naturalized US citizens; and foreign conductors holding a permanent appointment in the US. In addition, all individuals included had to have been active as conductors at the start of the new millennium. These criteria allowed the authors to incorporate up-and-comers as well as those more established, offering an extensive cross-section of the upper echelons of the conducting profession focused on the present, recent past, and future. Each entry is a biographical essay containing essential facts of the conductor's life and work, as well as assessment and commentary gleaned from articles, interviews, reviews, and, in some cases, personal observation. The entries conclude with the conductor's website, a list of further reading, and selected recordings. These sketches of currently or recently practicing conductors provide insight into the state of orchestral music-making in the US as it is, has been, and may become, highlighting the efforts these conductors made to ensure its survival. Complete with two appendixes and an index, this important reference will be beneficial to music students and faculty, reference librarians, orchestral administrators, and music lovers alike.

Full Product Details

9780810860223

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Reviews

This book...addresses a gap in current conductor biographies.... This book serves not only as an update and expansion of other studies...but as a vital source of concise yet detailed essays concerning some of today's most influential musicians.... Well-rounded.... Reader-friendly.... Maestros in America is an admirable, practical, and relatively comprehensive reference work.... This collection then, should serve not only as a valuable biographical resource, but also as a catalyst for further study.--Michael Mauskapf Notes, March 2009

Maestros in America is a welcome source on current conductors. American Reference Books Annual This book...addresses a gap in current conductor biographies... This book serves not only as an update and expansion of other studies...but as a vital source of concise yet detailed essays concerning some of today's most influential musicians... Well-rounded... Reader-friendly... Maestros in America is an admirable, practical, and relatively comprehensive reference work... This collection then, should serve not only as a valuable biographical resource, but also as a catalyst for further study. -- Michael Mauskapf Notes: The Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association, March 2009 A very useful reference book... The writing and usage are good (and that is unusual these days!). American Record Guide, May/June 2009

Maestros in America is a welcome source on current conductors. * American Reference Books Annual * This book...addresses a gap in current conductor biographies.... This book serves not only as an update and expansion of other studies...but as a vital source of concise yet detailed essays concerning some of today's most influential musicians.... Well-rounded.... Reader-friendly.... Maestros in America is an admirable, practical, and relatively comprehensive reference work.... This collection then, should serve not only as a valuable biographical resource, but also as a catalyst for further study. -- Michael Mauskapf * Notes: Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association, March 2009 * A very useful reference book.... The writing and usage are good (and that is unusual these days!). * American Record Guide, May/June 2009 *

Author Information

Roderick L. Sharpe and Jeanne Koekkoek Stierman are the music and reference librarians respectively at Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL. They are co-authors (with John P. Stierman and Kathleen E. Joswick) of Professional Ethics & Insignia, 2nd Edition (Scarecrow Press, 2000).

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