Guest Conductor
A dynamic presence in the orchestral world, Peter Oundjian just completed his sixth season as music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO). Known for his communicative gifts on and off the podium, Mr. Oundjian created the now-annual Mozart Festival and the New Creations Festival. His probing musicality, collaborative spirit, and engaging personality have earned him accolades from musicians and critics alike.
News of Mr. Oundjian and the TSO continues to spread worldwide through the documentary Five Days in September: The Rebirth of an Orchestra, which has won numerous awards at major international film festivals and been released on DVD.
In addition to his post in Toronto, Mr. Oundjian continues to serve as principal guest conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He has also played a major role at the Caramoor International Music Festival in New York for over a decade. From 1998 to 2003, Mr. Oundjian served as music director of the Nieuw Sinfonietta in Amsterdam, and recorded an impressive CD of Beethoven for the BIS label.
During the 2009-10 season, Mr. Oundjian conducted the Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Budapest Festival orchestras. In May 2009, he received an honorary doctorate from the San Francisco Conservatory.
Born in Toronto, Mr. Oundjian was educated in England, where he studied the violin with Manoug Parikian. He then attended the Royal College of Music in London, where he was awarded the Gold Medal for Most Distinguished Student and a Stoutzker Prize for excellence in violin playing. Mr. Oundjian completed his violin training at Juilliard, where he studied with Ivan Galamian, Itzhak Perlman, and Dorothy DeLay. He went on to serve as first violinist of the renowned Tokyo String Quartet for 14 years. Mr. Oundjian is now in his 29th year as a visiting professor at the Yale School of Music.