Brian Salesky is an American

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...

of operatic and orchestral music. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Indiana University, he also studied at The Juilliard School. In the fall of 1978, Salesky first appeared at the New York City Opera, conducting '' Naughty Marietta''. He went on to lead ''

La traviata ''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on ''La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his own 18 ...

'', '' Rigoletto'' (with Pablo Elvíra), ''Falstaff'' (with

Donald Gramm Donald John Gramm (February 26, 1927 – June 2, 1983) was an American bass-baritone whose career was divided between opera and concert performances. His appearances were primarily limited to the United States, which at the time was unusual for an ...

and Muriel Costa-Greenspon, in Sarah Caldwell's production), the world premiere of Stanley Silverman's ''Madame Adare'', ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'', '' Les contes d'Hoffmann'', etc., with the company. In 1980, the City Opera production of '' La cenerentola'' was televised over PBS, with Salesky leading

Susanne Marsee Susanne Marsee (born Susan Irene Dowell; November 26, 1941, San Diego, California) is an American mezzo-soprano of note, particularly acclaimed as a singing-actress. Her principal teacher was Nadine Conner, and her educational background includes ...

, Rockwell Blake, and

Alan Titus Alan Titus (born in New York City, on October 28, 1945) is an internationally celebrated baritone. Life and career Titus studied under Aksel Schiøtz at the Colorado School of Music, and Hans Heinz at The Juilliard School. His official debut w ...

, to much acclaim. In Europe, Salesky has conducted at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu (''

L'elisir d'amore ''L'elisir d'amore'' (''The Elixir of Love'', ) is a ' (opera buffa) in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto, after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's ' (1831). The opera premiere ...

'', with Alfredo Kraus), and then led concerts with Kraus and Renata Scotto, in Madrid and Granada. Elsewhere, he has appeared with Opera Australia (''Adriana Lecouvreur''), the Spoleto Festival (''Falstaff''),

Chicago Lyric Opera Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria C ...

(''Simon Boccanegra''), Cincinnati Opera,

Atlanta Opera The Atlanta Opera is an opera company located in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Founded in 1979, it produces mainstage opera productions and arts education programs for Metropolitan Atlanta and the Southeast. In 2007, The Atlanta Opera moved into ...

Dayton Opera Dayton Opera is an American opera company based in Dayton, Ohio. The company makes its home at the Schuster Performing Arts Center in downtown Dayton where it annually produces three operas and an operatic concert and has an annual budget of appro ...

, Knoxville Opera Company as well as the opera companies of Washington and Montana. He has also led many symphony orchestras. On Broadway, Salesky conducted the revival of ''

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay ''I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes ...

'', with

Raúl Juliá Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies. After ...

, in 1992. As of 2005, he is Executive Director and Conductor of the Knoxville Opera Company.

References

* ''The New York City Opera: An American Adventure'', by Martin L. Sokol, Macmillan Publishing Co, Inc, 1981. American male conductors (music) Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Indiana University alumni Juilliard School alumni 21st-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American male musicians {{US-conductor-stub