SCHERMERHORN, KENNETH

A native of Schenectady, New York, Kenneth Schermerhorn was a trumpet player before beginning his conducting career with the United States 7th Army Symphony.

From 1963 until 1965, Kenneth Schermerhorn presided over the New Jersey Symphony as Music Director. Previously, following studies with Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood, he had served as assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic for the 1959-60 season.

Music director of the Milwaukee Symphony from 1968 until 1980, Schermerhorn is credited for its development into one of America's major orchestras. Highlights of his tenure with the Milwaukee Symphony included eight national tours, as well as leading the orchestra in its Carnegie Hall debut and at five return engagements.

During his time as Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, he was credited with dramatically developing and enhancing the orchestra, shaping it into something substantial, as he did in Milwaukee. By the time Schermerhorn left Hong Kong, the orchestra was held by most critical observers to be Asia's finest classical ensemble.

An active opera conductor, Maestro Schermerhorn led the gala celebration of the Metropolitan Opera's Centennial in 1983, which was broadcast worldwide on PBS. He has also conducted the opera companies of San Francisco, San Diego, Edmonton, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Milwaukee (Florentine), and Nashville.

Kenneth Schermerhorn is a most versatile conductor, equally at ease with symphonic repertoire, opera and ballet. Music director of The Nashville Symphony since 1983, he has steered the ensemble to new levels of artistic achievement and public support. On September 25, 2000, he led the Orchestra in its debut performance on the "world's stage," Carnegie Hall. The Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee is named in his honor.

Schermerhorn's career has led him to podiums around the world, including appearances in Australia, China and Japan. In the USA his guest conducting engagements include the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra and the symphony orchestras of San Francisco, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Detroit, New Jersey, San Antonio, Columbus, Delaware, Chattanooga and Seattle.

For Naxos, Kenneth Schermerhorn has conducted the Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra in a recording of Sibelius and latterly his own Nashville Symphony in "American Classics" discs of Hanson (Naxos 8.559072) and Ives (Naxos 8.559076). On Marco Polo he has conducted the Hong Kong Philharmonic in recordings of Glazunov, Villa-Lobos, Richard Strauss and, with Takako Nishizaki as soloist, a particularly well-received recording of Cesar Cui's Suite Concertante Op. 25 (Naxos 8.220308). Schermerhorn also conducts on a disc of works by Chinese composers made by the orchestra on the occasion of the First Contemporary Chinese Composers' Festival held in 1986.

Kenneth Schermerhorn passed away in April 2005.

Albums featuring this artist are available for download from ClassicsOnline.com
101 GREAT ORCHESTRAL CLASSICS, Vol. 7	8.551147
101 GREAT ORCHESTRAL CLASSICS, Vol. 8	8.551148
101 GREAT ORCHESTRAL CLASSICS, Vol. 10	8.551150
AMERICAN CLASSICS SAMPLER	8.559118
BALLADE - Classics Favourites for Relaxing and Dreaming	8.556604
BEACH: Piano Concerto / 'Gaelic' Symphony	8.559139
BEETHOVEN (THE VERY BEST OF)	8.552105-06
BEETHOVEN: Missa Solemnis, Op. 123	8.557060
BERNSTEIN: West Side Story	8.559126
CAFE CLASSICS (AUSTRALIA ONLY)	8.555258-59
CARTER: Piano Concerto / Symphony No. 1 / Holiday Overture	8.559151
CHADWICK: Thalia / Melpomene / Euterpe	8.559117
CINEMA CLASSICS 2004	8.556813
CINEMA CLASSICS, Vol. 2	8.556622
CLASSICAL MARCHES	8.550532DX
Classics at the Movies: Adventure	8.556802
CUI: Suite Concertante Op. 25 / Suite Miniature Op. 20	8.220308
DISCOVER CHAMBER MUSIC	8.558206-07
Discover the Classics, Vol. 2	8.554246-47
EXPLORE AMERICA	8.559187
EXTREME CLASSICS	8.557941-42
FAMOUS SYMPHONIC POEMS, VOL. 1	8.553243
First Contemporary Chinese Composers Festival 1986	8.223915
GLAZUNOV: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1	8.220309
GOULD: Fall River Legend / Jekyll and Hyde Variations	8.559242
GREAT ORCHESTRAL CLASSICS 7 (Australia)	8.570042
GREAT ORCHESTRAL CLASSICS 8 (Australia)	8.570043
GREAT ORCHESTRAL CLASSICS 10 (Australia)	8.570045
HANSON: Symphony No. 1, 'Nordic' / Merry Mount Suite	8.559072
Intermezzo: Intermezzi from Operas	8.554703
Intermezzo: Intermezzos from Carmen, Cavalleria Rusiticana, Pagliacci and more	8.570046
IVES: Symphony No. 2 / Robert Browning Overture	8.559076
MARCHES (FAMOUS)	8.553596
NIGHT MUSIC 4	8.556818
NIGHT MUSIC, VOL. 4	8.551124
NIGHT MUSIC, VOL. 9	8.556823
PILGRIM'S PROGRESS: PIONEERS OF AMERICAN CLASSICAL MUSIC	8.559200
REJOICE - A Vision of Christ Through Music	8.570980
RUBINSTEIN: Violin Concerto / CUI: Suite Concertante	8.555244
SCANDINAVIAN FESTIVAL	8.571098
SIBELIUS (THE BEST OF)	8.556677
SIBELIUS COLLECTION	8.550803
SIBELIUS: Finlandia	8.550103
SOMMER	8.503045
SONATA - CLASSICS FOR RELAXING AND DREAMING	8.556609
SORCERER'S APPRENTICE AND OTHER ORCHESTRAL FAVOURITES	8.554066
STORY OF AMERICAN CLASSICAL MUSIC (THE)	8.558164-65
STRAUSS, R.: Symphony No. 1 in D Minor / Interludio	8.220323
THE BEST OF MARCO POLO	8.223002
ULTIMATE MUSICALS COLLECTION (THE)	8.120854-55
VILLA-LOBOS: Bachianas brasileiras (Complete)	8.557460-62
VILLA-LOBOS: Choros Nos. 8 & 9	8.220322
VILLA-LOBOS: Choros Nos. 8 and 9	8.555241