Stefan Sanderling

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Stefan Sanderling (born 1964, in the former East Berlin, Germany)[1] is an orchestra conductor. His parents are the conductor Kurt Sanderling and the double-bass player Barbara Sanderling[2]. His half-brother is the conductor Thomas Sanderling. His brother Michael Sanderling is a cellist.

In his youth, Sanderling played the piano and clarinet. His early university experience was in Halle, Germany. At the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, Sanderling studied with the conductors Leonard Slatkin, Yuri Temirkanov, Edo de Waart and John Nelson. He later attended the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and studied with Daniel Lewis. He also studied with Kurt Masur at the Leipzig conservatory.

Sanderling's first professional position was in Potsdam, Germany. In addition, he has been the Music Director of the Staatstheater and the Philharmonic Orchestra Mainz. In 1996, he became chief conductor of the Orchestre de Bretagne and served in this capacity until the end of the 2003-2004 season. He has also been the Artistic Advisor of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra.

In May 2002, Sanderling was appointed the Music Director of the Florida Orchestra[3], and he officially assumed this position in the 2003-2004 season. In June 2006, Sanderling extended his contract with the Florida Orchestra through the 2010-2011 season[4].

Sanderling is married to the cellist Isabelle Besancon, who formerly played in the Orchestre de Bretagne, where they met. They were married in November 2002. On 31 December 2002, there was an incident at the Raymond James Stadium where the couple was supposed to meet the Tampa businessman David Harbert at an American football game, as guests. A security guard stopped Besancon from entering the stadium because of her oversized purse, a consequence of heightened security concerns after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The incident escalated because a security guard was reported to have stated that he "couldn't risk letting the couple inside because they were foreigners". The matter resolved in a letter of apology from Barbara Casey, director of communications for the Tampa Sports Authority, to Sanderling[5].

[edit] References

  1. ^ John Fleming, "Tearing down the walls". St. Petersburg Times, 21 September 2003.
  2. ^ John Fleming, "Sanderling to conduct his family". St. Petersburg Times, 4 March 2005.
  3. ^ John Fleming, "Seeking a home in key of charm". St. Petersburg Times, 19 July 2002.
  4. ^ Vivien Schweitzer, "Stefan Sanderling Extends Contract with Florida Orchestra". Playbill Arts, 8 June 2006.
  5. ^ John Fleming, "Maestro’s football outing hits sour note". St. Petersburg Times, 1 January 2003.

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Claude Schnitzler		 Principal Conductor, Orchestre de Bretagne
1996–2004		 Succeeded by
no successor as of 2007
Preceded by
Jahja Ling		 Music Director, Florida Orchestra
2003–		 Succeeded by
incumbent
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