Massachusetts Symphony - Conductors

Massachusetts Symphony                  Conductors

 

Myron Romanul
Principal Conductor

Myron Romanul is Kapellmeister of the State Theatre in Munich, Germany, as well as Guest Conductor at His Majesty’s Theater, Perth, Australia. Previously he was First Conductor of Aalto Musiktheater Essen in Germany, and also Music Director of the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, First Conductor and Associate Music Director of the Staatstheater Mainz, Conductor and Solo Pianist of the Stuttgart Ballet and Second Conductor and Assistant Music Director of the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe. Previous appointments include Principal Conductor of the Boston Ballet and Assistant Conductor of the Boston Lyric Opera.


Born in Baltimore, Romanul comes from a musical family and is the grandson of Stella Roman, former leading soprano at La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera. He grew up in Boston listening to and performing with great musicians. At age 11, he was the youngest competitor ever to win the Harry Dubbs Memorial Award and made his debut as a piano soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has performed extensively as soloist with orchestras in Europe and the Americas. Under Arthur Fiedler, his conducting mentor, he was soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra for many seasons.


He holds a bachelor of Music Degree from Boston University School of Music and attended the New England Conservatory of Music. He studied conducting at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood and has studied with renowned conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Gunther Schuller, Joseph Silverstein, and Gustav Meier.


As pianist with the New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble, he won the 1973 Grammy Award for best classical chamber music performance. As one of the few cimbalom players in the United States, he has performed and recorded with such groups as Speculum Musicae under Pierre Boulez and has also recorded the film score of Gorky Park.


Mr. Romanul's guest conducting appearances include performances at the Nationaltheater in Munich, and the opera houses of Stuttgart, Essen, Mainz, Karlsruhe, Bonn, and Heidelberg. He has conducted the Genoa Opera Orchestra, the Ankara State Opera and Ballet (Turkey) , and the Kluj Philharmonic (Romania). He was guest conductor of the Tokyo New City Philharmonic, the symphony orchestras of Buffalo, Fort Lauderdale, and San Antonio, and the opera orchestras of Beijing, Buenos Aires, Rio De Janeiro, Caracas, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.


Since 1994, Mr. Romanul has been a most highly regarded Principal Conductor of the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra.

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Jorge Soto
Principal Guest Conductor

Jorge Soto is a Venezuelan conductor and violinist with an active and diverse career both in North and South America. Currently, he is the Principal Conductor of the New Philharmonia Orchestra, the Principal Guest Conductor of the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra, and the Music Director of the Sistema Side-by-Side Orchestra at Longy School of Music. In addition to his regular posts, Mr. Soto has collaborated with several orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Also a passionate educator, he has worked with orchestras at Assumption University and Clark University.


Born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Mr. Soto is a product of El Sistema, an innovative program that uses classical music as a vehicle for social change. He began his musical studies in Venezuela at the Vicente Emilio Sojo State Conservatory, later studying violin at the Latin American Academy of Violin under Rhio Sanchez and José Francisco Del Castillo. A founding member of the Simón Bolívar National Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, he has also performed with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas. He remains very active in El Sistema in Venezuela, where he teaches violin, coaches chamber music, and conducts orchestras around the country, including serving as a guest conductor with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Soto graduated with a Master of Music degree in conducting from the New England Conservatory.