![Alan-pierson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Alan-pierson.jpg)
Alan Emanuel Pierson (born May 12, 1974,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, Illinois) is an American conductor. His parents are Elaine Pierson and Edward S. Pierson, the latter an engineering professor at
Purdue University Calumet.
In Chicago Pierson took piano and composition lessons at the People's Music School, graduating high school at
Francis W. Parker
Francis Wayland Parker (October 9, 1837March 2, 1902) was a pioneer of the progressive school movement in the United States. He believed that education should include the complete development of an individual — mental, physical, and moral. Jo ...
.
Pierson is a 1996 graduate of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
with degrees in music and physics. At MIT, he was a timpanist and an assistant conductor with the MIT Symphony Orchestra, and also a composer.
Pierson continued his studies in music at the
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman.
It offers Bachelor of Music (B.M ...
, where he was a co-founder of the new music ensemble Ossia. Subsequently, he was a co-founder of the related new music ensemble
Alarm Will Sound
Alarm Will Sound is a 20-member chamber orchestra that focuses on recordings and performances of contemporary classical music. Its performances have been described as "equal parts exuberance, nonchalance, and virtuosity" by the ''Financial Times' ...
, which gave its first concert in 2001. Pierson became the first music director of Alarm Will Sound in the same year, and continues to serve in the post.
In January 2011, Pierson was named the artistic director of the former
Brooklyn Philharmonic
There have been several organisations referred to as the Brooklyn Philharmonic. The most recent one was the now-defunct Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, an American orchestra based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, in existence fr ...
. When the orchestra suspended operations in 2013 his contract was not renewed.
Pierson also serves as principal conductor of the
Crash Ensemble
Crash Ensemble is an Irish new music ensemble, which performs a range of contemporary classical music, as well as touring and organising festivals.
History
The group was founded in 1997 by composer Donnacha Dennehy, conductor and pianist Andrew S ...
in Ireland, and has guest conducted with the
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...
,
Chicago Symphony,
Los Angeles Opera
The Los Angeles Opera is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.
Leadersh ...
,
New World Symphony
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
,
Orchestra of St. Luke's
The Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) is an American chamber orchestra based in New York City, formed in 1974.
Orchestra of St. Luke’s presents over 70 concerts, programs, and events in a variety of diverse musical genres every season, including an ...
,
Beth Morrison Projects,
and
Symphoniker Hamburg.
Pierson has resided in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
since 2002. He is currently on faculty at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
and conducts at
Mannes College
Mannes School of Music is a music conservatory in The New School, a private research university in New York City. In the fall of 2015, Mannes moved from its previous location on Manhattan's Upper West Side to join the rest of the New School ca ...
.
In February 2013 Pierson was featured on the Radiolab episode "Speedthoven"
References
External links
Brooklyn Philharmonic artistic director biographyCantaloupe Music biography"Alarm Will Sound's Alan Pierson Named Artistic Director of Brooklyn Philharmonic". ''Nonesuch Journal'', 19 January 2011
1974 births
American male conductors (music)
Living people
MIT Department of Physics alumni
Eastman School of Music alumni
American LGBT musicians
LGBT classical musicians
LGBT people from Illinois
21st-century American conductors (music)
21st-century American male musicians
MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences alumni
21st-century LGBT people
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