Richard F. Fletcher is an American conductor, composer
and bassist. He has conducted for orchestras as well as opera and ballet companies.
Early life and education
Fletcher was born in
. He began composing at age ten and subsequently studied piano, double bass, music theory and composition. He was awarded a Bruno Walter scholarship to the Juilliard School in New York where he studied conducting with Sixten Ehrling and Peter Maag, and composition with David Diamond and Roger Sessions. He also studied double bass and conducting at the New England Conservatory in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
where he worked with Frank Battisti and Gunther Schuller, and he studied composition and conducting privately in New York with
Jacques-Louis Monod
Jacques-Louis Monod (25 February 1927 – 21 September 2020) was a French composer, pianist and conducting, conductor of 20th century music, 20th century and Contemporary classical music, contemporary music, particularly in the advancement of th ...
, well-known music theorist and composer.
Career
During the early stages of his career Fletcher performed extensively on the double bass, including regular performances with the
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...
and
Boston Pops Orchestra
The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart.
Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symp ...
. He was awarded the C.D. Jackson prize as an outstanding instrumentalist for two summers as a student at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood.
Fletcher worked in a master class at the Juilliard School with Sir Georg Solti, and on his recommendation was subsequently invited to guest conduct the
Chicago Civic Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...
.
Fletcher was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study conducting in Vienna with Hans Swarovsky. While in Europe he also studied conducting with Kurt Masur, Franco Ferrara and Sergiu Celibidache, and was a prize winner in several International conducting competitions including
in Katowice Poland.
After returning from Europe Fletcher was appointed William Steinberg assistant conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony where he worked with Andre Previn, then assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic where he worked with a number of well known conductors. Later he served on the conducting staff of the Houston Symphony where he worked with Sergiu Comissiona.
He was awarded the Julius Rudel conducting fellowship with the New York City Opera, where he served as Sergiu Comissiona's personal assistant and worked on the conducting staff of the New York City Opera.
Since then he has conducted many orchestras, opera
and dance companies throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. His work received positive reviews from ''The New York Times'' and ''La Nazione'' of Florence Italy.
In North America he has conducted the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, New York City Opera, New York City Ballet, Vancouver Symphony, Houston Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, Syracuse Symphony, Juilliard Orchestra,
and the Music Today Ensemble of New York.
Fletcher has also conducted the Hamburg State Opera, the Royal Danish Theater in Copenhagen, the Helsinki Philharmonic, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Staatstheater Darmstadt, Staatstheater Nürnberg, Staatstheater Hagen, Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie in Koblenz, Germany, Jerusalem Symphony, Spanish Radio & Television Orchestra (RTVE) Madrid,
Salomé, Sinuous Temptress: Seducing Audiences for 100 Years
Florent Schmitt
Florent Schmitt (; 28 September 187017 August 1958) was a French composer. He was part of the group known as Les Apaches. His most famous pieces are ''La tragédie de Salome'' and ''Psaume XLVII'' (Psalm 47). He has been described as "one of the ...
Orchestra of Castille and Leon in Valladolid, "George Enescu" Philharmonic Orchestra Bucharest, Irish Radio Orchestra Dublin, São Paulo State Symphony, and the Silesian State Philharmonic, in Poland.
Fletcher has been the Principal Conductor of the Bremerhaven State Opera (Germany) since 2009. He has taught at the Juilliard School, the New England Conservatory of Music, and the USC Thornton School of Music. He has also composed music for independent films.
References
External links
* https://richardfletcherconductor.com
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX71QR5TMYU
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCIg39A916I
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Richard
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people