Gregory Vajda

Gregory Vajda (born Gergely Vajda; August 13, 1973) is a Hungarian clarinetist, composer and conductor.

He was born in Budapest in 1973 to bassoonist József Vajda (1947-2016) and operatic soprano Veronika Kincses. Vajda studied conducting at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music under Professor Ervin Lukács. He was also a conducting and composition pupil of well-known composer and conductor, Péter Eötvös.

Hailed as a "young titan" by the Montreal Gazette after conducting the Montreal Symphony in Bartok’sBluebeard’s Castle and Schoenberg’s Erwartung, Gregory Vajda has fast become one of the most sought-after conductors on the international scene. Reflecting his growing presence and demand in North America, he has been appointed in 2011 the sixth music director of the Huntsville Symphony. After concluding his 3-year tenure as Principal Conductor he was named Principal Guest Conductor of the Hungarian Radio Symphony (MR Symphony) in 2014. Mr. Vajda is also the Artistic Director of the International Armel Opera Festival.

In addition to his duties with these organizations, upcoming guest-conducting engagements during 2015-16 season include the Danubia Symphony, the Hungarian State Opera, the Pannon Philharmonic, the Szeged Symphony, the Launaudiere Festival and the Portland Festival Symphony among others.

In 2014/15 Vajda was engaged by the Hamilton Philharmonic, the Omaha Symphony and Symphony Silicon Valley, the Rochester Philharmonic; in 2013/14 by the Phoenix Symphony, Symphony Silicon Valley, Calgary Philharmonic and the Columbus Symphony. In 2012/13 he led the Edmonton Symphony, Kalamazoo Symphony and Santa Barbara Symphony. In Hungary he conducted the Pannon Philharmonic in a semi-staged version of Ligeti's opera Le Grand Macabre, and lead two performances of Lohengrin as part of the Budapest Wagner Days with the Hungarian National Opera Orchestra. In July he concluded his Artistic Director and Conductor position with Music in the Mountains, CA – a position held since 2009.

The 2011/12 season combined he returned to the Seattle Symphony and Edmonton Symphony with his debut leading the Toledo Symphony, while highlights of 2010/11 included a subscription series with the Oregon Symphony featuring the US premiere of his work "Duevoe," a return to Atlanta Opera conducting La bohème, and re-engagements to the Baltimore Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Symphony Silicon Valley and Round Top Festival. Debuts with the Louisiana Philharmonic and Huntsville Symphony rounded out the season.

Vajda’s 2009/10 season began with a stint at the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, followed by his first return to the Hungarian State Opera since emigrating to the US. In his adopted country he led subscription concerts with the Oregon Symphony, debuts with the Seattle, Grand Rapids and Memphis symphonies, and returned to the San Antonio Symphony and Symphony Silicon Valley.

...
Wikipedia