Christopher Keene (December 21, 1946 – October 8, 1995) was an American conductor.

Early life and education

Keene was born in 1946 in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

, the son of Yvonne (née Cyr) and Jim Keene. His mother was of

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the desc ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, and Scottish descent. His parents divorced in 1953 and his mother remarried to Jim San Jule in 1954 until their divorce in 1970.Smith, p. 6 He has three siblings: Philip Keene (born 1941),

Elodie Keene Elodie Keene (born April 10, 1949 in Berkeley, California) is an American film director, television director, producer and editor. As a television director, her credits include '' ER'', ''NYPD Blue'', ''The Practice'', '' Ally McBeal'', ''Charm ...

(born 1949), and Tamsen (née San Jule) Calhoon (born 1956). His mother remarried to biochemist

Daniel E. Koshland Jr. Daniel Edward Koshland Jr. (March 30, 1920July 23, 2007) was an American biochemist. He reorganized the study of biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and was the editor of the leading U.S. science journal, ''Science'', from 1985 ...

in 2000, of the Haas family, the owners of

Levi Strauss & Co Levi Strauss & Co. () is an American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's () brand of denim jeans. It was founded in May 1853 when German-Jewish immigrant Levi Strauss moved from Buttenheim, Bavaria, to San Francisco, California, ...

. Keene studied the piano and cello in his youth. A highly self motivated student, he organized neighborhood productions of plays and operas while growing up and directed ensembles at his high school while a student. At the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...

he earned a degree in history instead of music; reasoning that he didn't want to waste his time re-learning skills and content he had already mastered.

Career

Keene made his first foray into opera conducting in a 1965 production of

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

's ''

The Rape of Lucretia ''The Rape of Lucretia'' (Op. 37) is an opera in two acts by Benjamin Britten, written for Kathleen Ferrier, who performed the title role. Ronald Duncan based his English libretto on André Obey's play '. Performance history The opera was fi ...

'' at Berkeley. In 1966 he became Assistant Conductor at the

San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when h ...

under

Kurt Herbert Adler Kurt Herbert Adler (2 April 1905 – 9 February 1988) was an Austrian-born American conductor and opera house director. Biography Adler was born in Vienna, Austria, to a Jewish family; his mother, Ida Bauer, was one of the first patients of ...

, and served in the same capacity at the San Diego Opera in 1967. At Adler's recommendation,

Gian Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept ...

hired Keene to conduct ''

The Saint of Bleecker Street ''The Saint of Bleecker Street'' is an opera in three acts by Gian Carlo Menotti to an original English libretto by the composer. It was first performed at the Broadway Theatre in New York City on December 27, 1954. David Poleri and Davis Cunni ...

'' at the 1968

Spoleto Festival The ''Festival dei Due Mondi'' (Festival of the Two Worlds) is an annual summer music and opera festival held each June to early July in Spoleto, Italy, since its founding by composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958. It features a vast array of conce ...

. He remained associated with the Spoleto Festival for many years, serving as Music Director there from 1972 to 1976. In 1977 he co-founded the

Spoleto Festival USA Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of America's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Due ...

, where he was Music Director from 1977 to 1980. From 1969 to 1971 Keene was Music Director of

Eliot Feld Eliot Feld (born July 5, 1942) is an American modern ballet choreographer, performer, teacher, and director. Feld works in contemporary ballet. His company and schools, including the Feld Ballet and Ballet Tech, are deeply committed to dance and ...

's American Ballet Company. In 1969 he was honored with the Julius Rudel Award for conducting. In 1969, Keene joined the staff of the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

, where he debuted the following year with Ginastera's ''Don Rodrigo'' (with

Salvador Novoa Salvador Novoa (born in Mexico City, Mexico, on October 30, 1937; died on December 7, 2021) was a Mexican dramatic tenor. He was especially known for the operas of Alberto Ginastera. Novoa made his operatic debut with the Instituto Nacional de La ...

). He was to conduct a great array of operas at that theatre, including the world premiere of Menotti's ''

The Most Important Man ''The Most Important Man'' is an opera in three acts with music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti. Commissioned by Julius Rudel for the New York City Opera, the work premiered at Lincoln Center in 1971 in a production directed by Menotti with se ...

'' (with Harry Theyard, 1971), as well as ''La traviata'', ''Le nozze di Figaro'' (with Michael Devlin in the title role), ''The Makropoulos Case'', ''Susannah'', ''Tosca'' (with Marisa Galvany), ''Beatrix Cenci'', ''Faust'', ''Die Zauberflöte'' (with Syble Young as the Queen of the Night), ''L'incoronazione di Poppea'', ''Ariadne auf Naxos'', ''Médée'' (in the Italian version), ''I puritani'' (with

Beverly Sills Beverly Sills (May 25, 1929July 2, 2007) was an American operatic soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s. Although she sang a repertoire from Handel and Mozart to Puccini, Massenet and Verdi, she was especially renowned f ...

), ''Salome'', ''A Village Romeo and Juliet'', ''La fanciulla del West'', ''Andrea Chénier'', ''L'amour des trois oranges'', ''The Turn of the Screw'' (with Phyllis Treigle as Miss Jessel),

Jay Reise Jay Reise (born 1950) is an American composer. Biography Reise spent his childhood surrounded by classical music and jazz, but began his composition studies with Jimmy Giuffre and Hugh Hartwell in 1970. After graduating at Hamilton College in 1 ...

's ''Rasputin'', Schoenberg's ''Moses und Aron'', Zimmermann's ''Die Soldaten'', and Stewart Wallace's ''Harvey Milk''. In 1976 Keene conducted the world premiere of

's ''

The Hero The Hero may refer to: Books * "The Hero" (poem), a poem written by Rabindranath Tagore * ''The Hero'' (novel), a science fiction novel by John Ringo and Michael Z. Williamson * '' The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth and Drama'', a book by Fi ...

'' for the

Opera Company of Philadelphia Opera Philadelphia (prior to 2013 Opera Company of Philadelphia (OCP)) is an American opera company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is the city's only company producing grand opera. The organization produces one festival in September (Festival O ...

. He also conducted at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...

during a single season, a double-bill of ''Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' (with

Teresa Stratas Teresa Stratas (born May 26, 1938) is a retired operatic soprano from Canada of Greek descent. She is especially well known for her award-winning recording of Alban Berg's '' Lulu''. Early life and career Stratas was born Anastasia Stratakis t ...

as Nedda) in 1971. From 1974 to 1989, he was Music Director of the Artpark Festival in Buffalo, and from 1975 to 1984 held the same post at the

Syracuse Symphony Orchestra The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra (SSO) was a 79-member orchestra located in Syracuse, New York. In its time it was the 43rd largest orchestra in the United States and performed a variety of programs including the Post-Standard Classics Series and M ...

. He was Founder of the

Long Island Philharmonic The Long Island Philharmonic, based in Melville, New York was founded in 1979 by folk singer Harry Chapin, Maestro Christopher Keene, and a group of Long Island's community and business leaders. On February 8, 2016, an announcement was made th ...

in 1979, and directed it until 1990. In 1976, he led the world premiere of

Carlisle Floyd Carlisle Sessions Floyd (June 11, 1926September 30, 2021) was an American composer primarily known for his operas. These stage works, for which he wrote the librettos, typically engage with themes from the American South, particularly the Post ...

's ''

Bilby's Doll ''Bilby's Doll'' is an opera in three acts composed by Carlisle Floyd. The libretto is based on the 1928 American novel ''A Mirror for Witches'' by Esther Forbes. ''Bilby's Doll'' was Floyd's eighth opera. It had its premiere on February 27, 1976, ...

'' at the

Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is an American opera company located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1955 by German-born impresario Walter Herbert and three local Houstonians,Giesberg, Robert I., Carl Cunningham, and Alan Rich. ''Houston Grand Opera at ...

. At the City Opera, Sills named him Music Director from 1982 to 1986, and he succeeded her as General Director in 1989, a position he held until his death. Keene had undergone treatment for

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomi ...

at the

Betty Ford Center The Betty Ford Center (BFC) is a non-profit, residential treatment center for persons with substance dependence in Rancho Mirage, California. It offers inpatient, outpatient, and residential day treatment for alcohol and other drug addictions, as ...

, and died of

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include en ...

resulting from

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...

, at

New York Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center (previously known as New York Hospital or Old New York Hospital or City Hospital) is a research hospital in New York City. It is part of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and the teaching hospital for Cornell University. ...

. His last performance, at the City Opera, was of Hindemith's ''

Mathis der Maler ''Mathis der Maler'' (''Matthias the Painter'' is an opera by Paul Hindemith. The work's protagonist, Matthias Grünewald, was a historical figure who flourished during the Reformation, and whose art, in particular the Isenheim Altarpiece, i ...

''. He was seen over PBS conducting ''The Consul'' (1977) and ''Vanessa'' (1978) from Spoleto USA, and Frank Corsaro's City Opera productions of ''Madama Butterfly'' (1982) and ''Carmen'' (1984). Keene's discography includes the first recording of

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimalism, being built up from repetitive ...

' ''Satyagraha'' (for CBS/Sony, 1984), and

John Corigliano John Paul Corigliano Jr. (born February 16, 1938) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. His scores, now numbering over one hundred, have won him the Pulitzer Prize, five Grammy Awards, Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, an ...

's score to

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films in the main were liberal adaptation ...

's film, ''Altered States'' (on RCA, 1980). With the Syracuse Symphony, Keene conducted and recorded "

The Celestial Hawk ''The Celestial Hawk'' is an album of contemporary classical music written by Keith Jarrett and performed by Jarrett with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra conducted by Christopher Keene. It was recorded in March 1980Keith Jarrett discographThe Cele ...

", a piano concerto written and performed by

Keith Jarrett Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American jazz and classical music pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also been a ...

(on ECM, 1980); the recording was made at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...

References

External links

*
Christopher Keene interview
by Bruce Duffie, October 17, 1987. {{DEFAULTSORT:Keene, Christopher 1946 births 1995 deaths American male conductors (music) Musicians from Berkeley, California University of California, Berkeley alumni Deaths from lymphoma AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) 20th-century American conductors (music) Classical musicians from California 20th-century male musicians Haas family American people of Acadian descent American people of Scottish descent American people of German descent American opera directors