Paul Lustig Dunkel
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Paul Lustig Dunkel is an American flutist and conductor. Since 1983, he has served as music director of the Westchester Philharmonic.
Dunkel was born and raised in New York City. His mother, Johanna Lustig, was a pianist from Vienna, Austria and his father Eugene Dunkel was a scenic designer born in Russia.
Dunkel attended The High School of Music & Art in New York City. He studied flute with Robert DiDomenica and William Kincaid. In 1966, Dunkel took the silver medal at the Birmingham (England) International Woodwind Festival; James Galway took the gold.
As music director of the Westchester Philharmonic, Dunkel has developed a reputation for presenting new works and promoting new artists. In honor of his 15th year with the orchestra, a composition by Melinda Wagner was commissioned. Concerto for Flute, Strings, and Percussion was subsequently awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1999.
In 2006, Dunkel announced he would retire from the Philharmonic after his 25th anniversary season. In November, 2007, the orchestra announced acclaimed violinist Itzhak Perlman would succeed Dunkel as artistic director and principal conductor.
