James DePreist (b. 1936), African American Conductor of Many American Works

[The Firebird Suite; The Rite of Spring; Igor Stravinsky; Oregon Symphony; James DePreist, Conductor; Delos DE 3278 (2001)]

The American conductor James DePreist is the nephew of the great African American singer Marian Anderson. He is profiled at AfriClassical.com and his biography can be found at the Web site JamesDePreist.com:

“James DePreist, newly appointed Permanent Conductor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra is Director of Conducting and Orchestral Studies at the Julliard School and Laureate Music Director of the Oregon Symphony. Widely esteemed as one of America's finest conductors, James DePreist, during the past three decades has served as Music Director of L'Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Sweden's Malmö Symphony, L'Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo and the Oregon Symphony.”

Maestro DePreist's Web site continues its account of his life and professional career:

“Born in Philadelphia in 1936, he studied composition with Vincent Persichetti at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music and earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1962, while on a State Department tour in Bangkok, he contracted polio but recovered sufficiently to win a first prize in the Dimitri Mitropoulous International Conducting Competition. He was selected by Leonard Bernstein to be an assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic for the 1965-66 season. DePreist made his highly acclaimed European debut with the Rotterdam Philharmonic in 1969. In 1971 Antal Dorati chose him to become his Associate Conductor with the National Symphony in Washington, D.C.”

In 1969 James DePreist made his European conducting debut and won a Martha Baird Rockefeller grant. His Web site continues:

“In 1976 DePreist became Music Director of the Quebec Symphony, Canada's oldest orchestra, where he remained until 1983. In 1980 he was named Music Director and Conductor of the Oregon Symphony, which two years later he guided into the ranks of the major United States orchestras.”

To celebrate DePreist's 20th anniversary with the Oregon Symphony, a supporter contributed one million dollars for a five-year recording project from 2000- 2005. DePreist has over 50 recordings to his credit. Among his discs is Delos 3278, which features two important works by Igor Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring and The Firebird Suite.

Music Critic James Reel wrote a cover article on the conductor's career for Fanfare Magazine, Nov.-Dec., 1995. He quoted DePreist on the subject of recording:

“Recording for me is absolutely essential. What we do as musicians normally evaporates as soon as it's created. That's the nature of concerts.”

Maestro DePreist was awarded the 2000 Ditson Conductor's Award:

“In addition to inspired performances of standard works, you are especially admired for your consistent, effective, and passionate advocacy of music by American composers. In your tenure with the Oregon Symphony, you have conducted more than 80 different American works, by more than 50 different composers; many of these performances were premieres, and many have subsequently been recorded under your direction.

For this devotion to the cause of American music, often by younger or less well-known composers, Columbia University is honored to present you with the Ditson Conductor's Award for 2000.”

Among Maestro DePreist's many recordings which explore American compositions is: American Trombone Concertos; Paul Creston, Gunther Schuller, George Walker, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich ; Christian Lindberg, trombone; Malmö Symphony Orchestra; James DePreist, conductor; BIS CD-628 (1993).

In 2005 James DePreist was notified by the National Endowment for the Arts that he was to be honored with the National Medal of Arts for his contribution to American musical life as a distinguished conductor. He received the medal in an Oval Office ceremony at the White House in November, 2005.

James+DePreist" rel="tag">James DePreist
Black+Conductor" rel="tag">Black Conductor
classical+music" rel="tag">classical music
African+American" rel="tag">African American
American+Compositions" rel="tag">American Compositions
Racial+Heritage" rel="tag">Racial Heritage