Thierry Fischer (born 28 September 1957) is a Swiss orchestra conductor and

flutist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

Early life and education

Fischer was born in the

Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation or CAF, was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the self-governing British colony of Southern Rhodesia and the B ...

(Zambia) to Swiss parents. He studied flute with

Aurèle Nicolet Aurèle Nicolet (22 January 1926 – 29 January 2016) was a Swiss flautist. He was considered one of the world's best flute players of the late twentieth century. He performed in various international concerts. A number of composers wrote music ...

and began his musical career as Principal Flute in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

and at the Zurich Opera, where he studied scores with

Nikolaus Harnoncourt Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt or historically Johann Nikolaus Graf de la Fontaine und d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt; () (6 December 1929 – 5 March 2016) was an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music ...

Career

Fischer's conducting career began in his 30s, conducting his first concerts with the

Chamber Orchestra of Europe The Chamber Orchestra of Europe (COE), established in 1981, is an orchestra based in London. The orchestra comprises about 60 members from across Europe. The players pursue parallel careers as international soloists, members of chamber groups a ...

, where he was principal flute under

Claudio Abbado Claudio Abbado (; 26 June 1933 – 20 January 2014) was an Italian conductor who was one of the leading conductors of his generation. He served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the London Symphony ...

. From 1997 to 2001, Fischer was chief conductor of the Netherlands Ballet Orchestra (''Nederlands Balletorkest''). In 2001, Fischer became principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, a role he held until 2006. In September 2006, he became principal conductor of the

BBC National Orchestra of Wales The BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) ( cy, Cerddorfa Genedlaethol Gymreig y BBC) is a Welsh symphony orchestra and one of the BBC's five professional radio orchestras. The BBC NOW is the only professional symphony orchestra organisatio ...

(BBC NOW), and concluded his BBC NOW tenure after the 2011-2012 season. During this period, he performed at the BBC Proms every year, and also toured internationally. Outside of Europe, Fischer was chief conductor of the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra from April 2008 through February 2011. He now has the title of Honorary Guest Conductor with the Nagoya Philharmonic. In September 2016, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra announced the appointment of Fischer as its principal guest conductor, effective January 2017, with an initial contract of 3 years. In the USA, Fischer became music director of the Utah Symphony in September 2009, initially with a contract term of 4 years. In February 2012, the Utah Symphony announced the extension of Fischer's initial contract through the 2015-2016 season. In May 2014, the orchestra further extended his contract through the 2018-2019 season. In May 2017, the orchestra announced his most recent Utah contract extension through the 2021-2022 season. In May 2019, the Utah Symphony announced that Fischer is to conclude his tenure as its music director at the end of his current contract, at the close of the 2021-2022 season. However, in October 2020, the Utah Symphony announced a revision to the scheduled conclusion of Fischer's contract as its music director, with a new one-year extension through August 2023, to supersede the May 2019 announcement. In October 2016, Fischer first guest-conducted the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (OSESP). In June 2019, OSESP announced the appointment of Fischer as its next music director, effective in 2020, with an initial contract through 2024. Fischer has made several recordings, most notably of Swiss composer Frank Martin's orchestral music for

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

, which was nominated for a

Gramophone Award The Gramophone Classical Music Awards, launched in 1977, are one of the most significant honours bestowed on recordings in the classical record industry. They are often viewed as equivalent to or surpassing the American Grammy award, and refe ...

. He has also recorded several CDs for the Hyperion label, including Complete symphonies of Camille Saint Saëns, music of

Florent Schmitt Florent Schmitt (; 28 September 187017 August 1958) was a French composer. He was part of the group known as Les Apaches. His most famous pieces are ''La tragédie de Salome'' and ''Psaume XLVII'' (Psalm 47). He has been described as "one of th ...

and Jean Françaix; he recorded

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

for Signum and Orfeo; and has recorded a disc of music by

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

for Aparte. His 2012 recording of Frank Martin’s opera '' Der Sturm'', with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, received the International Classical Music Award. He has also recorded Mahler's Symphony No. 1 and Symphony No. 8 with the Utah Symphony and the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir, acting as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ...

on Reference Records.

Personal life

Fischer and his wife have three children. The family make their home in Switzerland.

Selected recordings

* Rare French Works for Violin and Orchestra,

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...

, Violin Concerto in D minor op.14, Camille Saint-Saëns, Morceau de Concert Op.62,

Édouard Lalo Édouard-Victoire-Antoine Lalo (27 January 182322 April 1892) was a French composer. His most celebrated piece is the '' Symphonie espagnole'', a five-movement concerto for violin and orchestra, which remains a popular work in the standard repe ...

, Fantaisie Norvégienne, Guitare Op.28, Joseph Canteloube, Poème, Ernest Guiraud, Caprice, Philippe Graffin, violon, The Ulster Orchestra conducted by Thierry Fisher. CD Hyperion 2001 *

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...

, Symphony n°1 in E flat major Op.2, Symphony in A major, Le Carnaval des Animaux, Utah Symphony, conducted by Thierry Fisher. CD Hyperion 2019 *Camille Saint-Saëns, Symphony in F major “Urbs Roma”, Symphony n°2 op.55, La Danse macabre Op.40, Utah Symphony, conducted by Thierry Fisher. CD Hyperion 2019 * Camille Saint-Saëns, La Foi, 3 Tableaux symphoniques Op.130, Symphony n°3 in C minor Op.78, Paul Jacobs, organ, Utah Symphony, conducted by Thierry Fisher. CD Hyperion 2018

References

External links

Thierry Fischer – Official Website

Intermusica biography of Thierry Fischer
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Thierry 1957 births Living people Swiss conductors (music) Male conductors (music) Swiss classical flautists 21st-century conductors (music) 21st-century male musicians 21st-century flautists