Role

:

Conductor

Birth

:

in Anaheim, CA

 

Christopher Rountree is a renowned conductor, composer, and music director who has made a significant impact on the classical music scene. Born in 1983 in Anaheim, California, Rountree grew up in a family of musicians and was exposed to music from a young age. His father was a jazz pianist, and his mother was a singer, which inspired him to pursue a career in music. Rountree began his musical journey by learning to play the piano and the trumpet. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music composition. During his time at UCLA, Rountree was a member of the UCLA Philharmonia Orchestra and the UCLA Wind Ensemble. He also studied conducting with Neal Stulberg and David Alan Miller. After completing his undergraduate studies, Rountree went on to earn a Master of Music degree in conducting from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). While at CalArts, he studied with Mark Menzies and David Rosenboom and was the recipient of the prestigious Paul Creston Award for Outstanding Musicianship. Rountree's career as a conductor began to take off after he founded the experimental music ensemble, wild Up, in 2010. The group quickly gained a reputation for their innovative and boundary-pushing performances, which often incorporated elements of theater, dance, and visual art. Rountree served as the artistic director and conductor of wild Up for over a decade, during which time the group performed at some of the most prestigious venues in the world, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Barbican Centre, and the Kennedy Center. In addition to his work with wild Up, Rountree has also conducted numerous other orchestras and ensembles, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He has collaborated with a wide range of artists, from indie rock bands to contemporary composers, and has been praised for his ability to bring a fresh perspective to classical music. Rountree's talents as a composer have also been widely recognized. He has written works for a variety of ensembles, including orchestras, chamber groups, and solo performers. His compositions have been performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra, and the Calder Quartet, among others. In 2015, he was awarded a grant from the New Music USA Commissioning Fund to create a new work for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Throughout his career, Rountree has received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to classical music. In 2012, he was named one of the "30 Under 30" by Forbes magazine, which recognizes young leaders in various fields. He was also awarded the ASCAP Foundation's Leonard Bernstein Award in 2014, which recognizes outstanding young composers and conductors. In recent years, Rountree has continued to push the boundaries of classical music through his work as the music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Under his leadership, the orchestra has expanded its repertoire to include more contemporary and experimental works, while still maintaining a commitment to the classical canon. Rountree has also been involved in a number of educational initiatives, including the LACO Sound Investment program, which allows donors to commission new works by emerging composers. In addition to his work as a conductor and composer, Rountree is also a passionate advocate for social justice and environmental causes.

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