NEW APPRENTICE CONDUCTOR JOINS OREGON SYMPHONY
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Portland, Ore. … Aspiring conductor Jonathan Pasternack will be immersed in the conducting experience when he joins the Oregon Symphony this season to study under Music Director James DePreist and Resident Conductor Murry Sidlin, as well as Oregon Symphony guest conductors, guest artists, principal musicians and staff. Founded and directed by Sidlin, the Oregon Symphony Conducting Apprenticeship Program is developed and run in collaboration with Pacific University of Forest Grove, Ore., and Faith Gablenick, president of the university.

The conducting program gives the apprentices the opportunity to study under DePreist and Sidlin, meet with the concertmaster, principal players and staff while learning repertoire and gaining orchestra experience. Pasternack will be given numerous conducting opportunities with the Oregon Symphony in a variety of rehearsals and concerts each season, Sidlin said. (The average has been 12 performances of single compositions, partial concerts, entire concerts on subscription events, Youth, Bank of America Pops, Symphony Sunday, and Special Event concerts.)

A native of New York City, Pasternack studied trombone, piano, violoncello and violin before beginning his conducting studies, and has performed extensively as a solo, orchestral and chamber musician. Previous posts include Music Director of the MIT Chamber Orchestra and Assistant Conductor to Peter Eros at the University of Washington School of Music. Currently he is also Assistant Conductor of the Olympia Symphony Orchestra in Washington.

The Oregon Symphony Conducting Apprenticeship Program is the first conducting program sponsored jointly by a university and professional orchestra in which the program director and principal teacher (Sidlin) is a professional conductor on the staff of the orchestra and a full professor at the sponsoring University. Following the training they receive through the program, Oregon Symphony apprentice conductors go on to important conducting positions; graduate Adam Flatt recently accepted a position as Associate Conductor of the Colorado Symphony.

Jonathan Pasternack

Jonathan Pasternack is Apprentice Conductor of the Oregon Symphony for the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 seasons and is also Assistant Conductor of the Olympia Symphony Orchestra in Washington. Mr. Pasternack has been music director of the MIT Chamber Orchestra and has conducted the Sofia Festival Orchestra, Parnu City Orchestra, Aspen Concert Orchestra, Brevard Repertory Orchestra, Seattle Junior Youth Symphony, Arcadia Chamber Orchestra, Northwest Mahler Festival Orchestra and Lake Union Chamber Orchestra. His opera conducting experience includes productions of Rossini's "The Barber of Seville," Britten's "The Turn of the Screw," Poulenc's "Dialogues of the Carmelites", Massenet's "Cendrillon," Verdi's "Falstaff," Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel" and Ravel's "L'enfant et les sortileges."

From 1998-2001, he served as Assistant Conductor to Peter Eros at the University of Washington School of Music, where he led numerous performances of the University Symphony, Opera, Chamber Orchestra, Chorus and Contemporary Group. In the course of his conducting studies, he has been invited to attend several prestigious festivals, including the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Brevard Music Festival, and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana. He has also studied privately and in master classes with such conductors as Neeme Jarvi, Hans Vonk, Gerard Schwarz, Jorma Panula, Murry Sidlin, David Zinman, Gunther Schuller and David Effron. A native of New York City, Mr. Pasternack studied trombone, piano, violoncello and violin before beginning his conducting career, and has performed extensively as a solo, orchestral and chamber musician. In addition to having earned graduate music degrees from the University of Washington, he also has pursued studies at the Manhattan School of Music and the Mannes College of Music and received a bachelors degree in political science from MIT.