Wolfgang David, Violinist - Friends

Ward Stare

Ward Stare is quickly establishing himself as one of the most exciting young conductors in America. In the fall of 2008, he assumed the newly created post of Resident Conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, at the invitation of Music Director David Robertson. Mr. Stare also acts concurrently as Music Director of the Saint Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, and is active in music education and outreach programs in the Saint Louis area. He previously served as the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s American Symphony Orchestra League Conducting Fellow and as assistant conductor for the Aspen Music Festival in the summer of 2008.

In August 2007, Mr. Stare made his critically acclaimed debut with the Cleveland Orchestra at the famed Blossom Music Center, followed by concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic on both the Philharmonic's Toyota Symphonies for Youth Series and Neighborhood Concert Series. Highlights of the 2007/08 season also included appearances with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, both in Moscow and on the orchestra's 2007 North American Tour, as well as a special performance with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra as part of the Orchestra's "Great Artists of the World" series to celebrate the 80th birthday of the King of Thailand.

In addition to his concerts with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the 2008/09 season includes Mr. Stare’s debut with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester in Berlin, Germany, as second conductor with Sir Andrew Davis In Ives’ Symphony No. 4. Maestro Davis has also invited Mr. Stare to work with him at the Lyric Opera of Chicago as a cover conductor and a member of the music staff for Lyric’s new production of Berg’s Lulu.

Mr. Stare spent two summers as a member of the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival, studying with Maestro David Zinman, and was awarded both the Robert J. Harth Conductor Prize (2006) and the Aspen Conducting Prize (2007). In addition to his time in Aspen, Mr. Stare has worked with both Janos Furst and Jorma Panula as well as studying composition and musical analysis with Michel Merlet in Paris, France.

www.wardstare.com