Music Director
John Page, Music Director
John Page's conducting career began with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland in 2000. Prior to this he attended King's College London, University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and Harvard University. He studied conducting with Gerhard Markson and at the renowned Canford summer school with George Hurst. In Ireland, his 2002 performances of Viktor Ullmann's The Emperor of Atlantis with Opera Theatre Company garnered the prestigious Irish Times Opera of the Year award and he was subsequently invited to give a Lyric FM broadcast concert with the NSOI.
In 2003 Mr Page moved to the US and was appointed Zander Fellow to the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. He became Music Director of the NEC Youth Chorale in 2004 and developed close links with the Walnut Hill School conducting three of their annual Gala performances in Boston and New York. From 2005 to 2009 he was Assistant Conductor to the Boston Philharmonic.
While living in England, John Page worked with Modern Band at the Royal Opera House and Surrey Opera. He also assisted Benjamin Zander in his Philharmonia recordings of Mahler's First, Third and Sixth Symphonies and the Grammy-nominated recording of Bruckner's Fifth Symphony all released by Telarc.
In 2006 Mr Page joined the Faculty of New England Conservatory as Resident Conductor and Music Director of the NEC Sinfonietta and later, NEC Symphony. Highlights included collaboration with Maxim Shostakovich in a performance of his father's Ninth Symphony in 2006, a gala performance of Stravinsky's 1919 Firebird Suite in 2007 in conjunction with Boston Ballet and conducting the Boston premiere of Gunther Schuller's Five Etudes for Orchestra in 2010.
More recently, John Page was Director of Large Ensembles for the New York City based Mimesis Ensemble, a group dedicated to the performance of music by living composers. He has performed with them in the Kennedy Center, Washington DC, and Symphony Space, New York, as well as conducting numerous studio recordings. In 2009 he travelled home to his native Northern Ireland to conduct the BBC Ulster Orchestra.
In spring 2011 Mr Page was a Visiting Associate Professor at Boston University assuming the duties of Director of Orchestral Activities. He was appointed Music Director of the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra, New Hampshire in 2011 and has been invited to conduct the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Maine. He is also the Artistic Director of the newly formed PARMA Orchestra which began an ongoing series of recordings in June 2011.
John Page returns frequently to Ireland to record with the Irish Film Orchestra; among his most recent recordings is the platinum disc winning PBS show, Celtic Woman. In December 2011 Mr. Page will conduct the first Celtic Woman Symphony Tour visiting thirteen US cities and many major American orchestras including the Atlanta Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony and Colorado Symphony.
