The 2007/2008 season marks Barry Jekowsky’s 21st as founder and Music Director of the California Symphony. In 07/08, he also began his 10th and final season as Music Director of The Reno Philharmonic. Barry Jekowsky is considered one of America’s most exciting and innovative conductors on the international music scene. In May 2005, Readers Digest chose Mr. Jekowsky and the California Symphony as “Best in America,” because of Jekowsky’s innovative programming, setting the CSO apart from all other orchestras in the U.S. In his 10 seasons as Music Director of the Reno Philharmonic, the orchestra has more than doubled their budget, concert season, subscribers and they usually perform for capacity crowds. In addition, Mr. Jekowsky has helped the orchestra establish a tradition of budget surplus, bucking the National trend of dwindling audiences and budget deficits.
Among his many accomplishments with the RPO over the past ten years, Mr. Jekowsky has established and strengthened the Philharmonic's presence and support in the Lake Tahoe region. With his innovative approach to programming and because of his strong support of American Music and our Western Culture, he sparked the idea of a collaboration between the Reno Philharmonic and the Reno Rodeo Association giving birth to "Rhythm and Rawhide" the Philharmonic's most successful fundraiser. Mr. Jekowsky also created the orchestras unique holiday concerts which in only 3 years and because of popular demand doubled its performances.
From 1994 to 1998 he held the much sought after post of Associate Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. where his performances were met with enthusiastic critical praise. During his tenure he led the orchestra in Subscription, Family and Young People’s Concerts at the Kennedy Center, summer programs at Wolf Trap, and on a number of successful tours through Maine, Texas, Montana, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Alabama as part of the orchestra’s American Residencies Program. He also appeared with the NSO on segments for CBS Sunday Morning and The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.
The winner of a Leopold Stokowski Conducting Prize, Barry Jekowsky has appeared as guest conductor with many ensembles throughout North America and Europe including those at the Tanglewood, Britt and Aspen Music Festivals, the London Philharmonic, the City of London Sinfonia, Manchester’s (UK) Halle Orchestra, and the Detroit, St. Louis, Louisville, Jacksonville, Oregon, Richmond (VA), Pacific, Maryland, Delaware, Akron, Kalamazoo and Oklahoma Symphonies.
In 1997, Barry Jekowsky led the California Symphony to international recognition when he and the orchestra recorded their first compact disc, “Lou Harrison: A Portrait,” an 80th Birthday tribute to American composer Lou Harrison featuring Al Jarreau, on the Decca/Argo label. The recording has received International critical acclaim including selection as Gramophone magazine’s “Recording of the Month” for August 1998. It is a perfect testimony to Mr. Jekowsky’s unique passion and support for American music. This same CD was featured prominently in the 2005 award winning, critically acclaimed feature length Documentary Film “Deacon of Death” by Dutch Film Maker, Jan van den Berg.
Indeed, Barry Jekowsky has earned a national reputation for his innovative and visionary ideas, including the presentation of a work by an American composer on every California Symphony concert. In 1991, he created the California Symphony’s Young American Composer-in-Residence Program (YACR), which has garnered International attention for its “orchestra-laboratory” forum and supportive cooperation between musicians, Conductor and composer during the creative process. The program concept is unique in the world. In true partnership, the Symphony gives the young composer numerous opportunities to work cooperatively with the orchestra in the creation of world premiere compositions. Award-winning young composers who have passed through the program include Kamran Ince, Chris Theofanidis, Kevin Puts, and Pierre Jalbert. Each of these composers has won the prestigious Rome Prize. In October 2001, Mr. Jalbert won the coveted “Master Prize” and once again in 2003, Chris Theofanidis won the “Master Prize,” the most prestigious international competition for composers with over 65 countries represented. No other orchestra’s Composers in Residence program have had such success. Kevin Beavers, the present YACR finishes his residency in September 2005. In recognition of their “Visionary and Passionate Support of Young American Composers,” the BMI Foundation, Inc. awarded Maestro Jekowsky and the California Symphony a 2002 “Special Citation Award.”
Long before it became a trend, Barry Jekowsky began giving extraordinarily talented young performers their first professional concert appearances in the United States, in the process earning the respect and admiration of many in the orchestra world. At the California Symphony and Reno Philharmonic, he has worked hard to build a larger and more diverse audience for classical music by introducing many young prodigies including violinist Sarah Chang, cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianists Helen Huang and Joyce Yang, who just won the Silver Medal in the 2005 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
Barry Jekowsky’s concern for music education and his recognition of the special role an orchestra can play in the community inspired the design and implementation of the California Symphony’s Music-in-the-Schools Program. As a unique, fulfilled musical and educational resource, the orchestra’s ensembles present special in-depth programs in elementary schools throughout Contra Costa County, teaching an inspired understanding and appreciation of music. Early in his tenure with the Reno Philharmonic he inspired and helped to create a second Youth Orchestra because of the great popularity and success of the first orchestra. Considered an authority on prodigiously gifted children, Mr. Jekowsky was featured prominently in the critically acclaimed 2004 book, “Genius Denied” by Jan and Bob Davidson, published by Simon and Schuster.
At the age of five, Barry Jekowsky began studying the piano and later trumpet, violin and percussion. At eight he entered The Juilliard School where he ultimately earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. He studied conducting with Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, Kurt Masur, Erich Leinsdorf, and Leonard Slatkin and also has an extensive background in jazz and popular music, having appeared and toured with some of the legendary names in the industry. After serving as principal timpanist of the San Francisco Symphony, Barry Jekowsky left that post in 1995 to concentrate full-time on his conducting career.
In recognition of his leadership role in the local arts community, the Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County honored Maestro Jekowsky in 1996 with its first Arts Recognition Award. He has served on the music panel of the National Endowment of the Arts and the board of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras.
Barry Jekowsky lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and their three children.
January 2008
