Guest Conductor
Renowned as a pianist and conductor, Jeffrey Kahane is recognized by audiences worldwide for his mastery of repertoire ranging from Bach and Beethoven to Gershwin and Golijov. A remarkably versatile artist, he is much in demand as a soloist, conductor, and chamber musician.
A native of Los Angeles, Mr. Kahane began classical piano studies at age 5 with Howard Weisel. At age 14 he was accepted as a scholarship pupil by the great Polish-born pianist Jakob Gimpel, whom he credits with profoundly influencing his vision of music as a vehicle for dramatic narrative, poetic expression, and ethical purpose.
Mr. Kahane took up the guitar around age 10 and learned to play folk and rock music. He spent a good part of the next years dividing his time between practicing the piano and the guitar and dreaming about ways to bring together diverse music forms and audiences.
Mr. Kahane left high school after his sophomore year to attend the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In San Francisco, he played keyboard instruments in the San Francisco Symphony, explored jazz, and played in the pit for a touring Broadway musical. His career took a major turn in 1981 when he was named a finalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Two years later he won the Grand Prize in the Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Israel.
The 2009-10 season is his 13th as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and his fifth as music director of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Under his leadership, both ensembles received 2007 ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming.
Mr. Kahane's belief in the educational and inspirational power of music led him to found the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's Family Concerts series. He also participates in LACO's Meet the Music program, which serves approximately 2,700 Los Angeles elementary students annually. In recognition of his educational efforts with the Santa Rosa Symphony, where he was recently named Music Director Laureate, Mr. Kahane received one of the first MetLife Awards for Excellence in Community Engagement from the League of American Orchestras. In 2005 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of fine arts by Sonoma State University.