Thierry Fischer (born 28 September 1957) is a Swiss orchestra conductor and

flutist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

Early life and education

Fischer was born in the

Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation or CAF, was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the Self-governing colony, self-governing British colony of Southe ...

(Zambia) to Swiss parents. He studied flute with

Aurèle Nicolet Aurèle Nicolet (22 January 1926 – 29 January 2016) was a Swiss flautist. He was considered one of the world's best flute players of the late twentieth century. He performed in various international concerts. A number of composers wrote music ...

and began his musical career as Principal Flute in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

and at the Zurich Opera, where he studied scores with Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

Career

Fischer's conducting career began in his 30s, conducting his first concerts with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, where he was principal flute under

Claudio Abbado Claudio Abbado (; 26 June 1933 – 20 January 2014) was an Italian conductor who was one of the leading conductors of his generation. He served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the London Symphony ...

. From 1997 to 2001, Fischer was chief conductor of the Netherlands Ballet Orchestra (''Nederlands Balletorkest''). In 2001, Fischer became principal conductor of the

Ulster Orchestra The Ulster Orchestra, based in Belfast, is the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. The orchestra plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall. It also gives concerts across the United K ...

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, a role he held until 2006. In September 2006, he became principal conductor of the

BBC National Orchestra of Wales The BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) ( cy, Cerddorfa Genedlaethol Gymreig y BBC) is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional radio orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisatio ...

(BBC NOW), and concluded his BBC NOW tenure after the 2011-2012 season. During this period, he performed at the BBC Proms every year, and also toured internationally. Outside of Europe, Fischer was chief conductor of the

Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra The is a symphony orchestra based in Nagoya, Japan, founded in 1966. The orchestra gives concerts primarily at the Aichi Prefectural Arts Theater Concert Hall and the Chukyo University Center for Culture & Arts Aurora Hall. The orchestra gave ...

from April 2008 through February 2011. He now has the title of Honorary Guest Conductor with the Nagoya Philharmonic. In September 2016, the

Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) is a South Korean orchestra based in Seoul. Founded in 1948, it is one of the oldest orchestras in South Korea. Its first foreign tour came on a 1965 trip to Japan, followed by performances in Southeast Asia ...

announced the appointment of Fischer as its principal guest conductor, effective January 2017, with an initial contract of 3 years. In the USA, Fischer became music director of the

Utah Symphony The Utah Symphony is an American orchestra based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The orchestra's principal venue is Abravanel Hall. In addition to its Salt Lake City subscription concerts, the orchestra travels around the Intermountain West serving c ...

in September 2009, initially with a contract term of 4 years. In February 2012, the Utah Symphony announced the extension of Fischer's initial contract through the 2015-2016 season. In May 2014, the orchestra further extended his contract through the 2018-2019 season. In May 2017, the orchestra announced his most recent Utah contract extension through the 2021-2022 season. In May 2019, the Utah Symphony announced that Fischer is to conclude his tenure as its music director at the end of his current contract, at the close of the 2021-2022 season. However, in October 2020, the Utah Symphony announced a revision to the scheduled conclusion of Fischer's contract as its music director, with a new one-year extension through August 2023, to supersede the May 2019 announcement. In October 2016, Fischer first guest-conducted the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (OSESP). In June 2019, OSESP announced the appointment of Fischer as its next music director, effective in 2020, with an initial contract through 2024. Fischer has made several recordings, most notably of Swiss composer Frank Martin's orchestral music for

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

, which was nominated for a

Gramophone Award The Gramophone Classical Music Awards, launched in 1977, are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the classical record industry. They are often viewed as equivalent to or surpassing the American Grammy award, and refer ...

. He has also recorded several CDs for the Hyperion label, including Complete symphonies of Camille Saint Saëns, music of

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 th ...

and

Jean Françaix Jean René Désiré Françaix (; 23 May 1912, in Le Mans – 25 September 1997, in Paris) was a French neoclassical composer, pianist, and orchestrator, known for his prolific output and vibrant style. Life Françaix's natural gifts were encour ...

; he recorded

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

for Signum and

Orfeo Orfeo Classic Schallplatten und Musikfilm GmbH of Munich was a German independent classical record label founded in 1979 by Axel Mehrle and launched in 1980. It has been owned by Naxos since 2015. History The Orfeo music label was registered ...

; and has recorded a disc of music by

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

for Aparte. His 2012 recording of Frank Martin’s opera ''

Der Sturm ''Der Sturm'' () was a German avant-garde art and literary magazine founded by Herwarth Walden, covering Expressionism, Cubism, Dada and Surrealism, among other artistic movements. It was published between 1910 and 1932. History and profile ' ...

'', with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, received the

International Classical Music Award The International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) are music awards first awarded 6 April 2011. ICMA replace the Cannes Classical Awards (later called MIDEM Classical Awards) formerly awarded at MIDEM. The jury consists of music critics of magazines ...

. He has also recorded Mahler's Symphony No. 1 and Symphony No. 8 with the

and the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir, acting as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ov ...

on Reference Records.

Personal life

Fischer and his wife have three children. The family make their home in Switzerland.

Selected recordings

* Rare French Works for Violin and Orchestra,

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...

, Violin Concerto in D minor op.14, Camille Saint-Saëns, Morceau de Concert Op.62,

Édouard Lalo Édouard-Victoire-Antoine Lalo (27 January 182322 April 1892) was a French composer. His most celebrated piece is the '' Symphonie espagnole'', a five-movement concerto for violin and orchestra, which remains a popular work in the standard repe ...

, Fantaisie Norvégienne, Guitare Op.28,

Joseph Canteloube Marie-Joseph Canteloube de Malaret (; 21 October 18794 November 1957) was a French composer, musicologist, and author best known for his collections of orchestrated folksongs from the Auvergne region, '' Chants d'Auvergne''. Biography Canteloub ...

, Poème,

Ernest Guiraud Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor *Ernest, M ...

, Caprice, Philippe Graffin, violon, The Ulster Orchestra conducted by Thierry Fisher. CD Hyperion 2001 *

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...

, Symphony n°1 in E flat major Op.2, Symphony in A major, Le Carnaval des Animaux, Utah Symphony, conducted by Thierry Fisher. CD Hyperion 2019 *Camille Saint-Saëns, Symphony in F major “Urbs Roma”, Symphony n°2 op.55, La Danse macabre Op.40, Utah Symphony, conducted by Thierry Fisher. CD Hyperion 2019 * Camille Saint-Saëns, La Foi, 3 Tableaux symphoniques Op.130, Symphony n°3 in C minor Op.78, Paul Jacobs, organ, Utah Symphony, conducted by Thierry Fisher. CD Hyperion 2018

References

External links

Thierry Fischer – Official Website

Intermusica biography of Thierry Fischer
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Thierry 1957 births Living people Swiss conductors (music) Male conductors (music) Swiss classical flautists 21st-century conductors (music) 21st-century male musicians 21st-century flautists