Victoria Bond

Victoria Ellen Bond (born 6 May 1945) is an American conductor and composer.

Life

Victoria Bond was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of operatic bass Philip Bond and concert pianist Jane Bond. Her grandfather was also a liturgical composer. The family later moved from California to New York, and Bond studied piano at the Mannes School of Music with Nadia Reisenberg. She continued her studies in composition with Ingolf Dahl and voice with William Vennard at the University of Southern California, and in conducting with Leonard Slatkin at Aspen. She was accepted into the Juilliard School of Music, where she studied composition with Roger Sessions and conducting with teachers including Herbert von Karajan. She graduated with a doctoral degree in conducting.^[1]

Bond married Stephan Peskin in 1974.^[2] She recorded vocals with Bethany Beardslee and for Harry Partch’s Delusion of the Fury. She also assisted film composer Paul Glass in creating filmscores for Universal and Metromedia Studios.

Bond became an Exxon/Arts Endowment Conductor with the Pittsburgh Symphony in 1978, and in 1986 was invited to conduct the Houston Symphony for the premiere of her work Ringing. She has served as artistic director of the Bel Canto Opera Company in New York, music director and conductor of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and artistic director of the Southwest Virginia Opera, the Harrisburg Opera and the New Amsterdam Symphony.^[3] She also composed the opera "Mrs. President" about Victoria Woodhull, which premiered in 2012 in Anchorage, Alaska.^[4]

Works

Selected works include:

• Frescoes and Ash, 2009
• Seduction and Sanctification, Triple Concerto for flute, viola, harp and orchestra, 2007
• Sacred Sisters for violin and harp, 2005
• Woven for violin and viola, or 2 flutes, or 2 violins, 2005
• A More Perfect Union, 2002
• Ancient Keys for chamber orchestra, 2002
• Mrs. President, chamber opera, 2001
• Jasmine Flower (茉莉花; Moli Hua) for viola solo, 1999
• A Modest Proposal for tenor and orchestra, 1999
• Insects for solo electric viola, 1996
• Travels, 1994
• Dreams of Flying for string quartet, 1994
• Urban Bird, alto sax concerto, 1993
• Molly ManyBloom for soprano and string quartet, 1990
• The Frog Prince for narrator and orchestra
• What’s the Point of Counterpoint? for narrator and orchestra
• Black Light for piano and orchestra, 1988
• Great Galloping Gottschalk for American Ballet Theater, 1981^[5]
• Journal for chamber orchestra, 1981
• Trio: Other Selves for Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, 1979
• Equinox for the Pennsylvania Ballet, 1976
• Conversation Piece for viola and vibraphone, 1975
• Duet for flute and viola, 1969
• Mirror, Mirror for soprano, flute and viola, 1969

References