US musicians mourn a formative Scottish conductor
RIPGlimmerglass Opera has announced the death of Stewart Robertson, its music director from 1988 to 2006.
A Glaswegian, Robertson was music director of Zurich Ballet before moving to the US.
Along with Glimmerglass, from 1998 to 2009, he was artistic director and principal conductor of Florida Grand Opera in Miami.
Message fromGlimmerglass:
Stewart and his wife Meryl joined the company just as it moved from the Cooperstown High School into the Alice Busch Opera Theater, the same year it launched the Young American Artists Program. Stewart was a brilliant musician and passionate educator, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm not only with the artists of the stage and pit, but also with every intern and community member he met.
Stewart had a particular affinity for the works of Britten and Mozart—works that seemed especially well-suited for our jewel-box opera house—and he led a number of unforgettable performances of both canonic works and little-known gems, from “Don Giovanni” to “La finta giardiniera”, from “The Turn of the Screw” to “Paul Bunyan”. Stewart was also a champion of living composers, leading world premieres by William Schuman, David Carlson, Robert Beaser, Deborah Drattell, Michael Torke, and Stephen Torke.
UPDATE: Bruce Duffie interview here.
Despite his essentially minor appointments, he was an excellent and conscientous conductor who was able to pull exceptional performances at times out of mediocre talent.
I agree with this! I enjoyed working with him very much
Stewart was a special friend. One of his lesser known posts was Music Director of the Inland-Empire Symphony in California. He will be missed, but certainly remembered in many hearts.
Lovely man, lovely musician — a pleasure to work with.
Stewart was also the MD of a small but excellent chamber orchestra in South Florida for several years. He was a terrific musician with an encyclopedic knowledge of repertoire, which enabled him to introduce new works to reluctant audiences with wit, insight and clarity. He was a wonderful colleague, and will be missed by those musicians who had the great privilege of working with him.
The Atlantic Classical Orchestra. 2005-2008.
I had the great good fortune of collaborating with Stewart on over a dozen operas at Glimmerglass and Miami. His talent encompasses a great variety of composers, from Britten to Puccini to Mozart and Massenet, among others. I loved and truly valued having him at my side throughout the staging process.
Not just a good conductor, but a very capable administrator who managed the fortunes of Opera Pacific as well as Glimmerglass with wisdom and charm.
In his latter years, he and his wife bought and were restoring a castle just outside Glasgow. I suggested him as Music Director at Scottish Opera, a position that was vacant at the time, thinking that it would prove a lovely coda to a rather distinguished overseas career.
I remember playing under him in youth orchestras in the 70s. A really great guy with that thick Glasgow accent.
He was great working with young people.
What ever happened to the MTA?
Stewart Robertson was a marvelous musician and a nuce man. His 2005 recording of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett’s The Mines of Sulphur was magnificent. When Bennett was composer in residence at Glimmerglass, we went to the final afternoon dress rehearsal of Britten’s Dearh In Venice, and also that evening’s performance. That was a lot of music in one day, and something that I’ll never forget.