James Allen Gähres

James Allen Gähres (born August 5, 1943 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)[1] is an American conductor, based in Germany.

James Allen Gähres
James Allen Gähres in 2011
Born (1943-08-05) August 5, 1943
Harrisburg, United States of America
Education
Occupations
Years active1969–present
StyleClassical music

Biography

Gähres studied music, conducting, composition and piano at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, where he was musical assistant of the Peabody Symphony Orchestra in his final study year, and as a Fulbright-Fellowship holder with Hans Swarovsky at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. He attended Master classes with Bruno Maderna in Salzburg.[2]

He began his conducting career began after several years as a freelance composer and pianist in southern Germany. Gähres worked as a conductor at several opera houses in Germany, including 10 years as first Kapellmeister at the Staatsoper Hannover.[3] Then he was engaged as the first conductor at the Staatstheater Braunschweig for three years. His work in Germany included conducting the German premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Candide, in the Scottish Opera version, at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, at the invitation of Götz Friedrich. He also worked regularly with the Lower Saxony Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Saarland on concert tours, in Israel, Spain, the United States, France, Great Britain and Canada.[4][5]

Gähres worked repeatedly as guest conductor at the New York City Opera, the Heidelberger Schlossfestspiele,[6] the Polish Grand Theatre, Poznan, with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Radio Symphony Orchestra Hannover, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, as well as at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, at the Opernhaus Dortmund, the Staatsoper Stuttgart, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich,[7] and at the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples.

James Allen Gähres conducting a philharmonic concert (2011)

From 1994 to 2011, Gähres was Generalmusikdirektor (General Music Director, GMD) at the Theater Ulm, which also encompassed the post of chief conductor of the Ulm Philharmonic Orchestra.[8] During his Ulm tenure, Gähres founded the tradition of the New Year's concerts and of the Herbert von Karajan Memorial concerts. He recorded more than 15 CDs as chief conductor in Ulm.

Gähres was also guest conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the Leipzig Opera, the Meiningen Court Orchestra in Meiningen, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra in Charleston, West Virginia[9]as well as of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Theater für Niedersachsen in Hildesheim.

James Allen Gähres after conducting a philharmonic concert

Selected discography

References
  1. Harrisburg Telegraph from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, page 6 (August 9, 1943) Announcements Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  2. Schniederjürgen, Axel. Kürschners Musiker-Handbuch (Kürschner's German Music Handbook), 2006, page 130, Publisher: De Gruyter Gähres, James Allen Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  3. Hammer, Sabine. Oper in Hannover, 1990, Publisher: Schlütersche Verlagsgesellschaft, ISBN 3-87706-298-9 Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  4. Jugendsinfonieorchester Niedersachsen "Bisherige Dirigenten" Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  5. Landes-Jugend-Symphonie-Orchester-Saar "Bisherige Dirigenten" Archived 2016-05-25 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  6. Archiv Theater Heidelberg Heidelberger Schlossfestspiele - Conductor Retrieved May 18, 2023
  7. Schniederjürgen, Axel. Kürschners Musiker-Handbuch (Kürschner's German Music Handbook), 2006, page 130 Gähres, James Allen Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  8. Jürgen Kanold (2013-08-03). "James Allen Gähres feiert 70. Geburtstag". Südwest Presse. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  9. Charleston Daily Mail (August 2, 1999) Guest conductor puts on a great concert Retrieved 23 May 2016
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