Internationally renowned for his masterful interpretations and graceful conducting style, Zdenek Macal has led many of the world's most prestigious orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Orchestra della Scala, the Chicago Symphony, the Munich Philharmonic and the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. During his tenure as Music Director of the Czech Philharmonic from 2003 to 2007, he conducted the orchestra on a number of major international tours and made a series of critically acclaimed recordings on the Exton label that include cycles of the symphonies of Mahler, Tchaikovsky and Dvorak.
After his American debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1972, Mr. Macal formed close relationships with leading orchestras throughout North America, frequently conducting the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra and the symphony orchestras of Montreal and Toronto, among others ... read full bio
Internationally renowned for his masterful interpretations and graceful conducting style, Zdenek Macal has led many of the world's most prestigious orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de France, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Orchestra della Scala, the Chicago Symphony, the Munich Philharmonic and the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. During his tenure as Music Director of the Czech Philharmonic from 2003 to 2007, he conducted the orchestra on a number of major international tours and made a series of critically acclaimed recordings on the Exton label that include cycles of the symphonies of Mahler, Tchaikovsky and Dvorak.
After his American debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1972, Mr. Macal formed close relationships with leading orchestras throughout North America, frequently conducting the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra and the symphony orchestras of Montreal and Toronto, among others.
Music Director of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra from 1986 to 1995, he oversaw a period of substantial artistic growth and increased national and international prominence for the orchestra for the orchestra. During his tenure in Milwaukee Mr. Macal made widely praised recordings for the Koss label, took the orchestra on a tour of Japan, appeared at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center and conducted the MSO on numerous national radio broadcasts. He also served as Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony from 1993 to 2002 and, as part of an exclusive contract with Delos International, made six recordings that elicited wide critical acclaim, one of which-a disc featuring Dvorak Requiem and Symphony No. 9-was awarded a Grammy in 2001.
Born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, Mr. Macal began violin studies with his father at the age of four. He went on to study conducting at the Brno Conservatory and then at the Janácek Academy of Music, where he graduated with highest honors in 1960. He first received international attention by winning two prestigious contests: the 1965 International Conducting Competition in Besançon, France, and the 1966 Dmitri Mitropoulos Competition in New York, chaired by Leonard Bernstein. Mr. Macal has served as Music Director of the Cologne Radio Symphony and the Radio Orchestra of Hannover, Chief Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Conductor of the Prague Symphony Orchestra and Chicago's Grant Park Summer Festival. Mr. Macal has also appeared at the major opera houses of Prague, Cologne, Geneva, Turin and Bologna. In May 1998, the Westminster Choir College honored Mr. Macal with an honorary doctorate. Mr. Macal is an American citizen and currently lives in Europe.
