NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC’S MICHAEL ADELSON JOINS DCINY ROSTER FULL-TIME AS ASSISTANT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC’S MICHAEL ADELSON JOINS DCINY ROSTER FULL-TIME AS ASSISTANT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

New York, NY (January 10, 2019) — Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY), under the leadership of Jonathan Griffith, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor and General Director Iris Derke, are pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Adelson to Assistant Artistic Director. 

Conductor, composer, writer and educator, Adelson has been a faculty member of DCINY’s Conductor Mentoring Program since its inception in 2012. He made his first appearance conducting a major American orchestra in 1992, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has served on the conducting staff of the New York Philharmonic and has also conducted the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Finnish and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestras, and many other ensembles in Europe and America. Equally at home in the opera house, Mr. Adelson has conducted Scandinavian productions of Puccini's Turandot and La Bohème, Mozart's Der Schauspieldirektor, and at the Stockholm Folkopera, the world premiere production of Qu Xiao-Song's Oedipus.

“All of us at DCINY are thrilled to have Michael join us. Along with a passion for music and education, he brings a breadth of knowledge and experience unparalleled to most,” comments Jonathan Griffith, DCINY Artistic Director, and Principal Conductor. General Director Iris Derke adds: “As we have known Michael through our Mentoring Program for the past seven years, his transition to full-time Artistic Staff adds a new layer of involvement and artistry to the organization. Michael has already been part of the DCINY family and now we can make it official. It’s truly an exciting time at DCINY.”

In addition to teaching conducting worldwide, Adelson leads workshops in orchestral technique for young musicians and music educators. He is a Conductor-Clinician for the New York Philharmonic and has served on the faculties of the Mannes College of Music, the State University of New York at Purchase, and Connecticut College. In addition, he has also conducted at the Manhattan School of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Harvard, Columbia and Brandeis Universities. He served as Chief Conductor of the Helsinki University Symphony Orchestra in Finland, and as the Principal Conductor of the first annual Rencontres Musicales Européennes in France, he led a festival orchestra which included students from France, Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic. He conducted a workshop for composers at the Venice Biennale, taught chamber music at Helsinki University, and led opera, orchestral, and chamber music master classes at the Accademia di Musica in Sassari, Italy. Mr. Adelson has written and conducted young people’s concerts with the New York, Helsinki, and Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestras.

As Assistant Artistic Director, Adelson will manage the Mentoring Workshop for Conductors, coordinate and oversee the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra, manage rehearsals and participate in development activities. He will embark on new and forward reaching educational endeavors both in New York City and beyond. “I am honored and humbled to be named Assistant Artistic Director at DCINY. I am truly excited to work alongside such an incredible team to change lives through the power of performance,” states Adelson.

Distinguished Concerts International New York is a leading producer of classical music programs. Founded in 2007 by Iris Derke and Jonathan Griffith, with its first public performance in January 2008, the organization is celebrating its 10th anniversary this season. Since its inception, over 50,000 musicians representing 47 countries and all 50 states have participated in DCINY productions. DCINY has produced 17 world premieres and more than 200 concerts for over 200,000 audience members.

Outside of choral works, DCINY has presented film premieres, dance performances, jazz concerts and international concert tours including the 2013 Eric Whitacre Singers North American Debut Tour and the Jonathan Griffith Singers tour to China in 2009, presenting the China Premiere of The Armed Man in Beijing and Shanghai, tour to Turkey with the TURKSOY organization in 2013, tour to South America - Argentina and Uruguay in 2011, and tour to Barcelona in 2017.  

The organization has been selected four times for Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies and received national recognition with multiple American Prizes: Jonathan Griffith a Winner of the American Prize in Conducting in 2014, 2015 and 2016, and Iris Derke and the DCINY Team were Winners of the American Prize in Arts Marketing in 2015 and 2017. DCINY also received the Michael Korn Founders Award for Philanthropic Contribution to the Arts from Chorus America in June of 2018, a Letter of Recognition from New York City Mayor for their 9/11 Concert at Lincoln Center, a Letter of Recognition from the New York City Affiliate of Susan G. Komen For The Cure, the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation Honor and The Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps (LGBAC) of New York City named DCINY as recipient of the prestigious, “Profile in Leadership” Award.

For more information on DCINY, please visit www.DCINY.org.

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