James Feddeck
Assistant Conductor
Elizabeth Ring and William Gwinn Mather Endowed Chair
The Cleveland Orchestra
Music Director
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra
The 2011-12 season marks James Feddeck's third year as Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. He was appointed in March 2009 by Franz Welser-Möst and made his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra in August 2009 at Blossom Music Festival. His Severance Hall subscription debut was in March 2009 conducting the fully-staged production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni as a last-minute substitute for Mr. Welser-Möst.
With both the Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, Mr. Feddeck has led a number of new initiatives. In May 2011, he conducted the “Italian Masterworks” concert series which explored the connections between music and the visual arts through an innovative collaboration between the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Museum of Art. With the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, he has presented performances throughout Northeast Ohio, including a performance at the Cleveland Clinic’s “Music and the Brain” symposium in January 2010. Together with the youth orchestra, he will embark on a concert tour of Europe in June 2012—the first tour of its kind in the youth orchestra’s twenty-six year history.
Before Cleveland, James Feddeck served as Assistant Conductor of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra for two seasons. During the summer of 2009, Mr. Feddeck served as Assistant Conductor at the Aspen Music Festival and School. Previously he was a conducting fellow for three summers at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen, where he was a protégé of David Zinman. He received the Aspen Conducting Prize in 2008 and was awarded the Robert J. Harth Conductor Prize in 2007. He was the unanimous winner of the Sixth Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition and, at twenty-two, its youngest participant. In addition, he was recognized by the Solti Foundation U.S. as the recipient of a Career Assistance Award, aimed at providing support to talented young American conductors at the start of their professional careers.
Mr. Feddeck was admitted to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in four areas: piano, oboe, organ, and conducting. While at Oberlin, he was music director and conductor of Mozart’s Così fan tutte. After earning undergraduate and graduate degrees from Oberlin, he continued his studies in conducting at the University of Michigan. In September 2010, Mr. Feddeck was recognized by Oberlin as the first recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award for professional achievement and contributions to society. He has participated in conducting masterclasses at Aspen with Murry Sidlin, Patrick Summers, Harry Bicket, and James Conlon. In April 2010, Mr. Feddeck participated in a masterclass with David Zinman in Zurich, Switzerland, where he made his conducting debut with the Tonhalle Orchestra.
Mr. Feddeck has performed organ recitals throughout Europe and North America, has won competitions sponsored by the American Guild of Organists, and has been featured on the nationally syndicated radio program Pipedreams. As an oboist, he has taken interest in new music, having commissioned and premiered works including Daniel Pinkham’s Oboe Quartet.
Recent and upcoming conducting engagements include appearances at the Aspen Music Festival, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (with soloist Yo-Yo Ma), Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra (for performances in the Ballet Across America Festival), Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Elizabeth Ring and William Gwinn Mather Endowed Chair
The Cleveland Orchestra
Music Director
Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra
The 2011-12 season marks James Feddeck's third year as Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. He was appointed in March 2009 by Franz Welser-Möst and made his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra in August 2009 at Blossom Music Festival. His Severance Hall subscription debut was in March 2009 conducting the fully-staged production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni as a last-minute substitute for Mr. Welser-Möst.
With both the Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, Mr. Feddeck has led a number of new initiatives. In May 2011, he conducted the “Italian Masterworks” concert series which explored the connections between music and the visual arts through an innovative collaboration between the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Museum of Art. With the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, he has presented performances throughout Northeast Ohio, including a performance at the Cleveland Clinic’s “Music and the Brain” symposium in January 2010. Together with the youth orchestra, he will embark on a concert tour of Europe in June 2012—the first tour of its kind in the youth orchestra’s twenty-six year history.
Before Cleveland, James Feddeck served as Assistant Conductor of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra for two seasons. During the summer of 2009, Mr. Feddeck served as Assistant Conductor at the Aspen Music Festival and School. Previously he was a conducting fellow for three summers at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen, where he was a protégé of David Zinman. He received the Aspen Conducting Prize in 2008 and was awarded the Robert J. Harth Conductor Prize in 2007. He was the unanimous winner of the Sixth Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition and, at twenty-two, its youngest participant. In addition, he was recognized by the Solti Foundation U.S. as the recipient of a Career Assistance Award, aimed at providing support to talented young American conductors at the start of their professional careers.
Mr. Feddeck was admitted to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in four areas: piano, oboe, organ, and conducting. While at Oberlin, he was music director and conductor of Mozart’s Così fan tutte. After earning undergraduate and graduate degrees from Oberlin, he continued his studies in conducting at the University of Michigan. In September 2010, Mr. Feddeck was recognized by Oberlin as the first recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award for professional achievement and contributions to society. He has participated in conducting masterclasses at Aspen with Murry Sidlin, Patrick Summers, Harry Bicket, and James Conlon. In April 2010, Mr. Feddeck participated in a masterclass with David Zinman in Zurich, Switzerland, where he made his conducting debut with the Tonhalle Orchestra.
Mr. Feddeck has performed organ recitals throughout Europe and North America, has won competitions sponsored by the American Guild of Organists, and has been featured on the nationally syndicated radio program Pipedreams. As an oboist, he has taken interest in new music, having commissioned and premiered works including Daniel Pinkham’s Oboe Quartet.
Recent and upcoming conducting engagements include appearances at the Aspen Music Festival, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (with soloist Yo-Yo Ma), Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra (for performances in the Ballet Across America Festival), Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.
