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Bio |
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Anthony Cofield made his American conducting debut in 2005 with the National Symphony Orchestra in the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Assistant to Kurt Masur at the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, he began his professional career while still a student, conducting numerous orchestras in Austria, Hungary, Romania and in Russia, notably at the head of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. A native of New York City, where he received the essential part of his musical education, Anthony Cofield pursued his conducting training in Austria and France. A student of some of the period’s most eminent conducting pedagogues, he studied with Léon Barzin and Jean Fournet in Paris and with Leopold Hager at the Universität für Musik in Vienna. He attended the courses of the Kurt Thomas Foundation in The Hague, Netherlands, master classes in Russia with Jorma Panula and conducting courses in Austria, Hungary, Romania and Portugal with Erwin Acèl. Recipient of a study grant of the Austrian government, he is a two-time winner (1998, 1999) of the International Conducting Competition organised under the auspices of the Wiener Musikseminar (Vienna). Recipient of a coveted Conducting Fellowship of the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen, he conducted at the Aspen Music Festival where he participated in master classes given by David Zinman and Leonard Slatkin.
Anthony Cofield made his first concert appearances as a pianist at the age of 9. A graduate of the La Guardia High School of Music and Art and the Manhattan School of Music, he studied viola with Lillian Fuchs, Karen Tuttle, Samuel Rhodes and chamber music with members of the Juilliard and Cleveland String Quartets. Mr. Cofield performed during his student years with a number of leading ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic and the American Symphony Orchestra. This extensive experience as an orchestral musician proved to be an invaluable asset in his later endeavors as a conductor. He subsequently enjoyed a most enriching period in Europe, combining his conducting with professional activities as a violist, performing as Assistant Principal viola with the Netherlands Philharmonic in Amsterdam and in Paris with the baroque ensembles “Les Arts Florissants” and “Les Musiciens du Louvre”. He toured extensively on the European continent, performing in numerous international festivals such as those of Aix-en-Provence in France, Spoleto Festival in Italy and the Holland Festival in the Netherlands. Mr. Cofield has recorded for EMI, Erato and Harmonia Mundi. He is, moreover, an accomplished pianist and has a broad experience as an accompanist, an activity begun during his adolescent years. Mr. Cofield currently resides in France.
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