California finds a music director
OrchestrasThe Philadelphia-based conductor Nicholas Hersh has been named music director of the Modesto Symphony.
He’s former associate conductor of the Baltimore Symphony, agented by Opus3.
Here’s the rest of his CV:
Hersh grew up in Evanston, Illinois and started his musical training as a cellist. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Stanford University and a Master’s Degree in Conducting from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, studying with David Effron and Arthur Fagen. In 2011 and 2012, he was a Conducting Fellow with the prestigious American Academy of Conducting at Aspen, studying with mentors Robert Spano, Hugh Wolff, and Larry Rachleff, and has participated in masterclasses with Bernard Haitink and Michael Tilson Thomas. Hersh is also a two-time recipient of the Solti Foundation Career Assistance Award.
Nicholas lives in Philadelphia with his wife Caitlin and their two cats, and in his free time enjoys baking (and eating) sourdough bread.
Imagine if Herbert von Karajan’s bio ended with “… with his wife Eliette and their two cats, and in his free time enjoys baking (and eating) sourdough bread.”
Karajan was wealthy enough to afford higher-priced (and similarly publicized) hobbies — like piloting his aircraft — than a young conductor can afford.
You mean a pastime relatable to mere mortals?
SD previously noted Hersh’s 2019 last-minute substitution at the National Symphony for a Debussy-Ravel program. Effective and well-received.
In Baltimore he did a lot of different things (presumably with Alsop’s encouragement), giving him a strong grounding in various kinds of things orchestras do these days.
A true match made by heaven! Modesto couldn’t do any better than Nicky Hersh — what a superbly talented musical treasure!
Congrats, Nicholas!
“agented by Opus3”…Since when is “agent” a verb? Last I heard, it was only a noun. Whatever…language is as lost as classical music.
The show business newspaper, Variety, uses the word “repped” to indicate that an actor is “represented” by a certain agent.
Indeed. “Represent” is a perfectly adequate verb to indicate what an agent does for a client.
So is “rep”. If you don’t like it, don’t use it, and mind your own business.
Last you heard was too long ago. It’s a verb since anyone wants to make it one, exploiting the beautiful versatility of our almost uninflected language. Unlike classical music, language never dies, except in the minds of those who are dead to its true nature.
First impressions last, and I can’t help remember how shy and awkward he seemed on the podium 10 years ago and even had a noticeable stutter. Maybe he’s developed. I’m sure this comment will get a lot of thumbs down, but if you had only seen him back then.
I played for him when we were both students and found him intelligent, sensitive, and easy to follow. His humble and sincere manner (and the absence of snake oil in his behavior) set him apart from the vast majority of young conductors. I wish him and Modesto great success.
These comments are spot-on.
Excellent command on the podium. I’m in the NSO and have enjoyed his appearances each and every time he conducts.
Saw him conduct combined Baltimore Symphony and their Orchestra Academy forces several times. Seems to be the real thing. I wish him well!
Wasn’t the first choice, but good for him. The Modesto Symphony is in pretty dire financial straits – word on the street is that they’re 500k in the red. Hopefully he can turn things around.
It’s everyone’s responsibility there to “turn things around.”
Not bloody likely. Great small town with a lot of music in the schools and support from the community for music, but the symphony is aloof, effete, and unwilling to really engage with the community members.
Not his job.
Let the overpaid executives do theirs.
She’s not capable….
He’s wonderful. They’re very lucky. (From a Baltimorean.)
They give a concert about once a month between September and May, much of it pops oriented. If California had the same number of full times orchestras per capita as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Czechia, or Finland, it would have about 40 instead of 3.