©Steve J. Sherman

安德魯．李頓

安德魯．李頓，紐約市立芭蕾舞團的音樂總監，同時也是明尼蘇達夏日音樂節藝術總監、科羅拉多交響樂團首席客座指揮、英國伯恩茅斯交響樂團桂冠指揮、挪威卑爾根愛樂的桂冠音樂總監，最近，他也被新加坡交響樂團邀請，自今年秋天開始，擔任該團的首席客座指揮。

1994至2006年，李頓以音樂總監的身份帶領達拉斯交響樂團進行了值得紀念的巡演，演出地點包括了卡內基廳、BBC逍遙音樂節、柏林愛樂廳，以及維也納音樂協會大樓。他在達拉斯交響為年輕族群所製作的「驚奇音樂」系列錄影被廣泛使用在全美與海外的學校教育中。他也經常帶領與客座世界各地的樂團與歌劇院，錄製了超過130張專輯，並獲得美國葛萊美獎、法國金音叉獎等榮譽。

李頓去年客席指揮許多樂團，包括駐大會堂的荷蘭愛樂、蘇格蘭皇家管絃樂團、西班牙加利西亞交響樂團、墨爾本交響樂團，以及新加坡交響樂團，其許多演出都透過媒體轉播。

這個樂季，除了在紐約市立芭蕾舞團指揮30場演出外，李頓也與明尼蘇達管絃樂團、國立臺灣交響樂團、新加坡交響、溫哥華交響、卑爾根愛樂、科羅拉多交響、伯恩茅斯交響，以及加利西亞交響樂團

憑藉著對歌劇的熱切與敏銳的戲劇感，李頓指揮足跡遍及世界各地的歌劇院，包括大都會歌劇院、英國皇家柯芬園歌劇院、柏林德意志歌劇院，在挪威，他是國立卑爾根劇院的重要創建者，他曾在那指揮過許多備受讚譽的製作，包括了《托斯卡》、《卡門》、《飄泊的荷蘭人》、《波希米亞人》等。李頓亦經常以半舞臺（semi-stage）形式與喜愛接受劇目改變的交響樂團來演出，長久以來，他指揮明尼蘇達管絃樂團夏日音樂節的閉幕演出，以滿座的歌劇來作結，例如本樂季的理查‧史特勞斯《莎樂美》。

李頓與紐約市立芭蕾舞團的合作贏得了觀眾、舞蹈家、評論家，乃至觀眾的一致讚譽，使這個芭蕾舞團的管絃樂團得到全新的注目。李頓第一次的芭蕾經驗是在他尚為茱莉亞音樂院學生時，在舞臺上以鋼琴家的身份與紐瑞耶夫、馬卡洛娃、辛西亞·古格里等名家合作演出。

李頓亦作為一位鋼琴合作演奏者，經常身兼鋼琴獨奏與領奏指揮的角色，他亦參與交響樂團團員在世界各地舉行的室內樂演出。

李頓是公認的蓋希文專家，他以鋼琴家與指揮的身份廣泛地演出並灌錄蓋希文作品，同時也是密西根大學蓋希文資料館的顧問。在帶領柯芬園首演蓋希文《波吉與貝絲》後，他重新改編了這部作品為音樂會組曲，目前已於世界各地演出。2014年，李頓發行了其首張鋼琴獨奏專輯─《向奧斯卡‧彼得森致敬》，證明他對爵士樂的熱情，尤其是來自如此偉大鋼琴家的音樂。

出身紐約，李頓畢業於菲爾德斯頓文理學校，於茱莉亞音樂院取得鋼琴及指揮的學位。他曾於斯卡拉歌劇院，以及在羅斯托波維奇帶領的美國國家交響樂團裡以助理指揮的身份工作。其眾多的獲獎紀錄中包括了耶魯的史丹佛獎、艾爾加協會獎章，以及伯恩茅斯的榮譽博士學位。挪威國王哈拉爾五世亦曾授封李頓皇家勳章，以表彰他在卑爾根愛樂的貢獻。

Andrew Litton, Music Director of the New York City Ballet, also is Artistic Director of Minnesota Orchestra’s Sommerfest, Principal Guest Conductor of the Colorado Symphony, Conductor Laureate of Britain’s Bournemouth Symphony and Music Director Laureate of Norway’s Bergen Philharmonic. Recently named Principal Guest Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, he begins his new duties this fall. Litton led the Dallas Symphony as Music Director from 1994 to 2006, leaving a legacy of touring including Carnegie Hall, the BBC Proms, the Berlin Philharmonie, and Vienna’s Musicverein. His Dallas Symphony series of young people’s “Amazing Music” video recordings is in use throughout schools in the United States and abroad. He regularly guest conducts leading orchestras and opera companies around the globe and adds to his discography of almost 130 recordings, which have garnered America’s Grammy Award, France’s Diapason d’Or and other honors.

Litton’s guest appearances last season included the Netherlands Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia of Spain, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and the Singapore Symphony. Many of Litton’s concerts are audio and video cybercast live.

This season, besides conducting over 30 ballets at the New York City Ballet, Litton appears with the Minnesota Orchestra, National Taiwan Orchestra, Singapore Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Bergen Philharmonic, Colorado Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia.

An avid Opera conductor with a keen theatrical sense, Litton has led major opera companies throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera Covent Garden, and Deutsche Oper Berlin. In Norway, he was key to founding the Bergen National Opera, which he led in critically acclaimed performances of Tosca, Carmen, The Flying Dutchman, and La Bohème. Litton often conducts semistaged Opera programs with symphony orchestras who enjoy the change of repertoire. He always concludes the Minnesota Orchestra Sommerfest with a sold-out Opera performance - this season Strauss’ “Salome”.

Litton’s work with New York City Ballet has earned praise from critics, dancers, and audiences, bringing new prominence to the Ballet’s Orchestra. Litton’s first work in ballet began while he was still a Juilliard student, performing as on-stage pianist for Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova, and Cynthia Gregory. An accomplished pianist, Litton often performs as piano soloist, conducting from the keyboard. He participates with orchestra colleagues throughout the world in chamber music concerts.

Litton, an acknowledged expert on George Gershwin, has performed and recorded Gershwin widely as both pianist and conductor and serves as Advisor to the University of Michigan Gershwin Archives. After leading the Covent Garden debut of Porgy and Bess, he arranged his own concert suite of that work, which is now performed around the world. In 2014 he released his first solo piano album, A Tribute to Oscar Peterson, testimony to his passion for jazz, particularly the music of that great pianist.

Born in New York City, Litton is a graduate of New York’s Fieldston School. Litton earned degrees from the Juilliard School in piano and conducting. He served as assistant conductor at La Scala and at the National Symphony under Rostropovich. Among his numerous awards are Yale’s Sanford Medal, the Elgar Society Medal, and an honorary Doctorate from the University of Bournemouth. For his work with the Bergen Philharmonic, Norway’s King Harald V knighted Litton with the Norwegian Royal Order of Merit.