Donald George Johanos (February 10, 1928 – May 29, 2007) was a conductor and music director with the

Dallas Symphony Orchestra The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Dallas, Texas. Its principal performing venue is the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in the Arts District of downtown Dallas. History The orchestra traces its origins to ...

and the

Honolulu Symphony Orchestra The Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, formerly known as Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, was founded in 1900. It is the second oldest orchestra in the USA west of the Rocky Mountains. The orchestra now plays at Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall and the Hawaii The ...

. He was recognized for his support of contemporary

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" al ...

. He performed or conducted on at least 16 recordings. __TOC__

Early life and career

Johanos was born in

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...

, in 1928. He attended 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 ...

, receiving an undergraduate degree in

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

, a master's degree in

music theory Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the " rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (k ...

and a performer's certificate in conducting. After his graduation from Eastman, Johanos played violin for five years in the

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is an American orchestra based in the city of Rochester, New York. Its primary concert venue is the Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music. History George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak Compa ...

, where he received coaching in conducting from the music director,

Erich Leinsdorf Erich Leinsdorf (born Erich Landauer; February 4, 1912 – September 11, 1993) was an Austrian-born American conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a ...

. In 1958, Johanos won the International Conductors Competition run by the Netherlands Radio Union.Playbillarts "Donald Johanos, Former Music Director of Honolulu Symphony, Dies at 79" June 1, 2007
/ref>

Conductor and music director

In 1962, Johanos became the music director and principal conductor with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. During this period, he conducted the orchestra in several recordings. However, he had problems with the musicians during his stint in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, resulting in his departure in 1970.''Dallas Morning News'', "Donald Johanos: DSO conductor 1962-1970" June 1, 1970
/ref> Johanos moved to the

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an America ...

as associate conductor and director of its chamber orchestra. He became the musical director and conductor of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra in 1979. Johanos helped settle the orchestra down after the retirement of Robert la Marchina. He was also known for championing new music, which caused some frictions with the board. Johanos received an award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 1991 for "adventuresome programming of contemporary music". While at Honolulu, Johanos recorded with his own and other orchestras. In 1993, the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra recorded an album, ''Three Works by

Dan Welcher Dan Welcher (born March 2, 1948)Joshua Kosman, "Welcher, Dan (Edward)", ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001)Nicolas Slonimsky, Laura Kuh ...

with the Honolulu Symphony'', under Johanos's baton. Welcher dedicated his ''Symphony No. 1'' to Johanos. The 1993–94 season, which would have been Johanos's last with the Honolulu orchestra, was cancelled due to a labor dispute. ''The Honolulu Advertiser'' "Former Honolulu Symphony conductor Donald Johanos, 79" May 31, 2007
/ref> Johanos retired to

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...

, where he died in 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johanos, Donald 1928 births 2007 deaths American male conductors (music) American people of Greek descent Musicians from Cedar Rapids, Iowa Musicians from Iowa 20th-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American male musicians