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John Morris Russell, one of North America’s most celebrated symphony orchestra conductors, has agreed to serve as principal guest conductor for the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra for the 2011-2012 season, which begins in October.
“We are thrilled for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a major international talent like Maestro Russell come to our community,” said Edward Parrish, chairman of the board for the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra. “When we learned of his interest in leading our orchestra, we realized it would mark a major step forward for us.”
Maestro Russell has won international praise for his extraordinary music-making, visionary leadership and educational and outreach programming, for which he’s been cited as one of North America’s leaders.
For the past 10 years, Russell has served as Music Director of the Windsor (Ontario) Symphony Orchestra. In Canada, Russell is credited with having fostered a decade of unprecedented artistic growth in the musical life of the Windsor-Essex region. He is a two-time recipient of Ontario’s Award for the Arts. During his tenure, the Windsor Symphony Orchestra made 17 national broadcasts on Canadian Broadcasting Radio, including concerts from the Masterworks and Intimate Classics series.
As a guest conductor, he has led many of North America’s most distinguished ensembles, including the orchestras of Toronto, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Dallas and Louisville. He has also guest conducted the New World Symphony in Miami, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Oregon Symphony, the Colorado Symphony, the New Jersey Symphony, the New York Pops, the New York City Ballet, the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Most recently, Russell was named Conductor Designate of the renowned Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. He begins his tenure as Conductor of Cincinnati Pops in September.
Russell’s orchestral educational programming leadership stems from 12 years as conductor for the “LinkUP!” educational concert series at Carnegie Hall, the oldest and most celebrated series of its kind, made famous by Leonard Bernstein.
An Ohio native, Russell served as associate director of the Savannah Symphony Orchestra in the mid-1990s, where he met his wife, Thea (pronounced Tay-ya) a Georgia native and a professional in the field of historic preservation. They have two children. “John has expressed a sincere interest in returning regularly to this area,” said Mary Briggs, executive director for the HHSO.
“We are hoping that the 2011- 2012 season will be a productive time that will allow our patrons and musicians to see if this will turn into a positive ongoing relationship.”
Briggs said that as principal guest conductor Russell will conduct four concerts during the 2011-2012 season, as well as the March 2012 International Piano Competition and the April 2012 “Symphony Under the Stars.” The remainder of the season will be filled out with additional guest conductors.
Briggs said that making the announcement now will allow Maestro Russell to provide creative direction for the 2011-2012 season, which typically begins in March.
