Victoria Ellen Bond (born 6 May 1945) is an American conductor and composer in New York City.

Early life

Victoria Bond was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, the daughter of operatic bass and medical doctor Philip Bond (a vocalist with the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

) and concert pianist Jane Courtland, who studied with

Bela Bartok Bela may refer to: Places Asia *Bela Pratapgarh, a town in Pratapgarh District, Uttar Pradesh, India *Bela, a small village near Bhandara, Maharashtra, India *Bela, another name for the biblical city Zoara * Bela, Dang, in Nepal * Bela, Janakpur ...

. Her grandfather was Samuel Epstein, a composer, conductor and double bass player. Bond married Stephan Peskin in 1974.

Education

Bond attended University of California Los Angles and

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

, studying voice with

William Vennard William Vennard (January 31, 1909 Normal, Illinois – January 10, 1971, Los Angeles, California) was a famous American vocal pedagogist who devoted his life to researching the human voice and its use in singing. He was one of the driving fo ...

and composition with

Ingolf Dahl Ingolf Dahl (June 9, 1912 – August 6, 1970) was a German-born American composer, pianist, conductor, and educator. Biography Dahl was born Walter Ingolf Marcus in Hamburg, Germany, to a German Jewish father, attorney Paul Marcus, and his Swed ...

. She received her doctorate at the Juilliard School of Music, where she studied composition with

Roger Sessions Roger Huntington Sessions (December 28, 1896March 16, 1985) was an American composer, teacher and musicologist. He had initially started his career writing in a neoclassical style, but gradually moved further towards more complex harmonies and ...

and conducting with Jean Morel and

Sixten Ehrling Evert Sixten Ehrling (3 April 1918 – 13 February 2005) was a Swedish conductor and pianist who, during a long career, served as the music director of the Royal Swedish Opera and the principal conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, a ...

. She took masterclasses with

Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan (; born Heribert Ritter von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, wit ...

. She also studied with Herbert Blomstedt at

Aspen Music Festival and School The Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) is a classical music festival held annually in Aspen, Colorado. It is noted both for its concert programming and the musical training it offers to mostly young-adult music students. Founded in 1949, the ...

. While a student at Juilliard, Bond served as assistant to

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mont ...

Mstislav Rostropovitch Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was wel ...

and

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

. She was the first woman to be awarded a doctoral degree in Orchestral Conducting from Juilliard in 1977.

Awards

She is the recipient of the Victor Herbert Award, the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

’ Walter Hinrichsen Award, the Perry F. Kendig Award and the Miriam Gideon Prize. She has been awarded honorary doctorates from Hollins and

Roanoke College Roanoke College is a private liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia. It has approximately 2,000 students who represent approximately 40 states and 30 countries. The college offers 35 majors, 57 minors and concentrations, and pre-professional pr ...

s, and

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexingto ...

Conductor

Bond was music director and conductor of

Roanoke Symphony Orchestra The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, also known as the "RSO", was established in 1953 by Gibson Morrissey and a number of other music lovers. Gibson Morrissey served as the conductor until his death in 1975. The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra has professi ...

from 1986 to 1995 and artistic director of Opera Roanoke from 1989 to 1995. In addition, she held the following conducting and artistic positions: *

Pittsburgh Symphony 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, Pittsburgh, Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Sy ...

: Exxon/Arts Endowment Conductor (1978-1980) * Pittsburgh Youth Symphony: music director and conductor (1978-1980) * New Amsterdam Symphony: artistic director (1978-1980) * Albany Symphony: guest conductor (1980-1985) * Empire State Youth Orchestra: music director (1980-1985) * Bel Canto Opera Company (New York): artistic director *

: assistant conductor (1985) * Southwest

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Opera: artistic director *

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

Opera: artistic director *

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

orchestral concerts (national and international tours): conductor (1986-2003) * Wuhan Symphony: music advisor (1994) * Southwest Virginia Opera: music director (1997) *

Opera: music director (1997-2002) * Chamber Opera Chicago: principal guest conductor (2005) She was the first American woman to conduct and record in China with the Shanghai Symphony (1994), the Central Opera (2004) and to be appointed Music Advisor to the Wuhan Symphony (1994).

Composer and Performer

Bond began her professional performing career as a soprano, and was the featured soloist in the premiere performance and recording on Columbia Masterworks of

Harry Partch Harry Partch (June 24, 1901 – September 3, 1974) was an American composer, music theorist, and creator of unique musical instruments. He composed using scales of unequal intervals in just intonation, and was one of the first 20th-century com ...

’s opera Delusion of the Fury. She has composed operas including ''Mrs. President'' about

Victoria Woodhull Victoria Claflin Woodhull, later Victoria Woodhull Martin (September 23, 1838 – June 9, 1927), was an American leader of the women's suffrage movement who ran for President of the United States in the 1872 election. While many historians ...

, which premiered in 2012 in Anchorage, Alaska, and ''Clara'' about the life of Clara Schumann, which premiered in 2019 at the Berlin Philharmonic Easter Festival. Other operas include ''The Adventures of Gulliver'' commissioned by American Opera Project through Opera America’s grant to Female Composers (2016); ''The Miracle of Light'' commissioned by The Young Peoples Chorus of New York City and premiered by Chamber Opera Chicago (2017), ''Sirens'', commissioned by the Roger Shapiro Fund and premiered by Cygnus (2017); ''Travels'' premiered by Opera Roanoke (1995). She assisted film composer

Paul Glass Paul Eugène Glass (born November 19, 1934) is a Swiss-American composer. Life Born in Los Angeles, California, Glass is the son of silent film actor and film executive Gaston Glass. He was educated at the University of Southern California (BM) ...

and Hugo Friedhofer in orchestrating and ghost-writing film scores for

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

and Metromedia Studios. Ms. Bond is Artistic Director o
Cutting Edge Concerts New Music Festival
in New York, which she founded in 1998, and is a frequent lecturer at the

Metropolitan Opera Guild The Metropolitan Opera Guild was established in 1935 to broaden the base of support for the Metropolitan Opera, promote greater interest in opera, and develop future audiences by reaching out to a wide public and serving as an educational resource ...

and has lectured for the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

Works

Selected works include: *''Blue and Green Music'' string quartet, 2019 *''Binary'' 4-hand version, 2019 *''Simeron Kremate'' piano, 2017 *''Sirens'' opera, chorus, chamber ensemble, actors, 2017 *''The Adventures of Gulliver'' opera, 2016 *''Clara'' opera, 2015 *''Soul of a Nation'' Concerto for Violin and String Ensemble, 2015 *''The Reluctant Moses'' Oratorio; bass-baritone, double bass, orchestra, chorus SATB, 2015 *''The Crowded Hours'' Concerto for Trumpet and Wind Ensemble, 2015 *''Bridges'' Five-Movement Orchestral version , 2014 *''How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place'' Chorus, organ, 2014 *''The Indispensable Man'' Concerto for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble, 2012 *''The Miracle of Light'' Hanukkah opera, 2011 *''Pater Patriae'' Concerto for Flute and Wind Ensemble, 2011 *''Leopold Bloom's Homecoming'' tenor, piano, 2011 *''Br’er Rabbit and the Wolves’ Party'' narrator, violin, cello, banjo, 2011 *''There Isn’t Time'' Harry Partch Instruments, 2010 *''Instruments of Revelation" flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano. 2011 *''Frescoes and Ash'' Chamber Ensemble, 2009 *''Coqui'' string quintet + woodwind quintet, 2009 *''Binary'' one piano version, 2008 *''Seduction and Sanctification'', Triple Concerto for flute, viola, harp and orchestra, 2007 *''Bridges'' chamber version, 2006 *''Sacred Sisters'' for violin and harp, 2005 *''Woven'' for violin and viola, or 2 flutes, or 2 violins, 2005 *''My Grandfather’s Balalaika'' string quartet, 2003 *''A More Perfect Union'', 2002 *''Ancient Keys'' concerto for piano and orchestra, 2002 *''Mrs. President'', chamber opera, 2001 *''Jasmine Flower'' (茉莉花; Moli Hua) for viola solo, 1999 *''A Modest Proposal'' for tenor and orchestra, 1999 *''Potirion Sotiriu'' for piano, 1999 *''Insects'' for solo electric viola, 1996 *''Travels'', 1994 *''Thinking like a Mountain'' for Narrator and orchestra, 1994 *''Dreams of Flying'' for string quartet, 1994 *''Urban Bird'', concerto for alto saxophone an orchestra, 1993 *''Hot Air'', woodwind quintet, 1991 *''Molly ManyBloom'' soprano and string quartet, 1990 *''Black Light'' for piano and orchestra, 1988 *''What’s the Point of Counterpoint?'' for narrator and orchestra, 1985 *''The Frog Prince'' for piano and orchestra, 1984 *''Great Galloping Gottschalk'' for American Ballet Theater, 1981 *''Journal'' for chamber orchestra, 1981 *''Trio: Other Selves'' for Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, 1979 *''Equinox'' orchestra, 1977 *''Conversation Piece'' for viola and vibraphone, 1975 *Duet for flute and viola, 1969 *''Mirror, Mirror'' for soprano, flute and viola, 1969

External links

Victoria Bond's page at Theodore Presser CompanyOfficial website of Victoria Bond

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bond, Victoria 1945 births Living people 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers American women classical composers American classical composers Musicians from Los Angeles American opera composers Mannes School of Music alumni USC Thornton School of Music alumni Juilliard School alumni Women conductors (music) 21st-century American composers Women opera composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American conductors (music) 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century American musicians 21st-century American women musicians Classical musicians from California 20th-century women composers 21st-century women composers