Wayne Marshall to remain Principal Conductor of the WDR Radio Orchestra until summer 2020

Cologne (ots) - Following six years as Principal Conductor of the
WDR Radio Orchestra Cologne, the British conductor, organist and
pianist Wayne Marshall now wants to dedicate himself more to his
international career as of summer 2020. Under his direction, the
light orchestra discovered the dazzling works of Gershwin and
Bernstein in a totally new way. His unique interpretations and
Marshall's grandiose improvisational skills thrilled audiences in NRW
and all over Germany.

Wayne Marshall: The decision to bring the contract to an end was
not an easy one for me, because I love being Principal Conductor of
the WDR Radio Orchestra. The WDR Radio Orchestra is such a versatile
orchestra that plays at the highest level, so that as its Principal
Conductor you must devote a great deal of time to it. On the other
hand, as a musician and conductor, I also must travel very frequently
to concerts in Europe and internationally. I want to focus on that in
the future. But I would very much like to continue to return as a
regular guest to this orchestra which has grown so dear to my heart.

With "Symphonic Jazz", Wayne Marshall has set a major focal point
of emphasis in the programme. In this series, tailored completely to
Marshall, his love of improvisation and his soft spot for American
composers are combined.

The successful WDR 3 web series "Wayne is interested" has already
been running for over a year now. In the videos he improvises, talks
about and explains music from baroque to jazz.

Valerie Weber, WDR Radio Director: I respect the decision. Even
though I personally regret very much that we will no longer have this
outstanding musician, this wonderful organist and charismatic
entertainer with us as the Principal Conductor. He has inspired the
WDR Radio Orchestra and made it so well-known that there are now
waiting lists for the subscriptions for this season. I look forward
to every production that he is prepared to take over as guest
conductor in 2020.

The British conductor, organist and pianist Wayne Marshall (Born
in 1961 in Oldham) has been Principal Conductor of the WDR Radio
Orchestra since the 2014/2015 season.

Wayne Marshall has been organist in residence at Bridgewater Hall
in Manchester since 1996. As an organist and pianist he is especially
interested in the music of 20th century American composers, such as
Gershwin and Bernstein, his interpretations of them are celebrated.
He has recorded extensively for numerous labels, his CD "Gershwin
Songbook" was rewarded with the award of the ECHO.

He has performed under the direction of such legendary conductors
as Simon Rattle or Claudio Abbado among others, with the Berlin
Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles
Philharmonic Orchestra, and has given concerts in Vienna's
Konzerthaus, the Konzerthaus Dortmund, the Walt Disney Concert Hall,
the Royal Albert Hall, the National Grand Theater in Beijing and the
Cathedrals of Florence and Paris (Notre Dame), among others. Wayne
Marshall also regularly works together with top-class soloists such
as Wynton Marsalis, Diane Reeves or Sabine Meyer.

In 2007 he became first guest conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica
di Milano Giuseppe Verdi. On his appearances as a guest conductor, he
met top orchestras from all over the world, such as the Royal
Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra,
the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and
the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Invitations have taken him on
several occasions to the BBC Proms and to opera houses in Washington,
Dallas, Montreal, Paris and Berlin.

In 2004, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Bournemouth
University. In 2010, he became a "Fellow of the Royal College of
Music".

Wayne Marshall lives with his wife and two children in Valletta,
Malta.

Contact:
Barbara Feiereis
WDR Cologne
Phone: +49 (0)221 220 7122
Barbara.Feiereis@wdr.de
www.wdr.de

Original-Content von: WDR Westdeutscher Rundfunk, übermittelt durch news aktuell