Guest Conductor
George Manahan is music director of the New York City Opera. During his 12-year tenure, the New York City Opera has earned a reputation for maintaining the highest musical standards. Mr. Manahan is especially well known for his leadership of diverse productions such as La fanciulla del West, Daphne, Ermione, Dialogues of the Carmelites, and Die tote Stadt, and for three "Live from Lincoln Center" telecasts: La Bohème, Lizzie Borden, and Tosca. NYCO also toured Little Women in Japan under Mr. Manahan's direction.
Mr. Manahan has been a frequent guest conductor with Seattle Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and the Santa Fe Opera, and was principal conductor with the Minnesota Opera from 1988 to 1996. His other appearances include Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Opéra National de Paris, Opera Australia, Teatro de Comunale de Bologna, Verona Filarmonico, the Bergen Festival (Norway), and the Casals Festival (Puerto Rico).
Under Mr. Manahan's leadership as music director from 1987 to 1998, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra (Virginia) recorded the music of Ginastera and Castelnuovo-Tedesco, and was honored four times by the American Society of Composers and Publishers for its commitment to 20th century music.
Mr. Manahan served as acting music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra from 1982 to 1985 and has since been a regular guest conductor. He has made frequent appearances with Manhattan School of Music, the Juilliard Orchestra, and the Aspen Music Festival and School. Other appearances include engagements with the Atlanta Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, the National Symphony, and the Jerusalem Symphony.
His recordings include Edward Thomas' Desire Under the Elms with the London Symphony, which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2003, Steve Reich's Tehillim on the EMI-Warner Brothers label, and two albums of 20th century concertos for clarinet featuring Richard Stolzmann.
Mr. Manahan received his formal musical training at Manhattan School of Music, studying conducting with Anton Coppola and George Schick, and was appointed to the faculty of the school upon his graduation in 1976. After the Juilliard School awarded him a fellowship as an assistant conductor with the American Opera Center, he began his professional activities as a pianist and coach at the Santa Fe Opera in 1978.
In 1980 Mr. Manahan was chosen as the Exxon Arts Endowment Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony. That same year he made his Santa Fe Opera conducting debut in the American premiere of Arnold Schoenberg's opera Von Heute auf Morgen. Within short order, debuts followed with other leading North American opera companies and orchestras.