William J. Gillespie Music Director Chair
Music Director for Pacific Symphony

In 09-10, Pacific Symphony's Music Director Carl St.Clair marks the start of his 20th anniversary with the orchestra. During his tenure, St.Clair has become widely recognized for his musically distinguished performances, his commitment to building outstanding educational programs and his innovative approaches to programming. St.Clair's lengthy history with the Symphony solidifies the strong relationship he has forged with the musicians and the community. His continuing role also lends stability to the organization and continuity to his vision for the Symphony's future. Few Orchestras can claim such rapid artistic development as Pacific Symphony - the largest orchestra formed in the U.S. in the last 40 years - due in large part to St.Clair's leadership.

St.Clair and the Symphony launch the 2009-10 season surrounded by internationally celebrated artists with whom he has developed close relationships. The season includes inventive, forward-thinking programming, including a new series of concerts, "Music Unwound," featuring multi-media, varied formats and ancillary events. Other highlights include four world premieres and the critically acclaimed American Composers Festival, in its 10th year under St.Clair, entitled "The Greatest Generation."

This past season, St.Clair celebrated another milestone - the 30th anniversary of Pacific Symphony. In 2006-07, St.Clair led the orchestra's historic move into its home in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. The move came on the heels of the landmark 2005-06 season that included St.Clair leading the Symphony on its first European tour - nine cities in three countries playing before capacity houses and receiving extraordinary responses. The Symphony received rave reviews from Europe's classical music critics - 22 reviews in total.

At the start of 2008-09, St.Clair added to his portfolio the role of general music director of the Komische Oper Berlin, a prestigious opera company located in Berlin, Germany, with a history that dates back to 1892. He recently concluded his tenure as general music director and chief conductor of the German National Theater and Staatskapelle (GNTS) in Weimar, Germany, where he recently led Wagner's "Ring Cycle" to great critical acclaim. St.Clair was the first non-European to hold his position at the GNTS; the role also gave him the distinction of simultaneously leading one of the newest orchestras in America and one of the oldest orchestras in Europe.

St.Clair's international career has him conducting abroad numerous months a year, and he has appeared with orchestras throughout the world. He was the principal guest conductor of the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart from 1998-2004, where he successfully completed a three-year recording project of the Villa-Lobos symphonies. He has also appeared with orchestras in Israel, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and South America, and summer festivals worldwide.

St.Clair's commitment to the development and performance of new works by American composers is evident in the wealth of commissions and recordings by Pacific Symphony. St.Clair has led the orchestra in numerous critically acclaimed albums including two piano concertos of Lukas Foss on the harmonia mundi label. Under his guidance, the orchestra has commissioned works which later became recordings, including Richard Danielpour's An American Requiem on Reference Recordings and Elliot Goldenthal's Fire Water Paper: A Vietnam Oratorio on Sony Classical with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Other composers commissioned by St.Clair and Pacific Symphony include William Bolcom, Philip Glass, Zhou Long, Tobias Picker, Frank Ticheli and Chen Yi, Curt Cacioppo, Stephen Scott, Jim Self (the Symphony's principal tubist), Christopher Theofandis and James Newton Howard.

In North America, St.Clair has led the Boston Symphony Orchestra, (where he served as assistant conductor for several years), New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the San Francisco, Seattle, Detroit, Atlanta, Houston, Indianapolis, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver symphonies, among many.

Under St.Clair's dynamic leadership, the Symphony has built a relationship with the Southern California community by understanding and responding to its cultural needs. A strong advocate of music education for all ages, St.Clair has been essential to the creation and implementation of the symphony education programs including Classical Connections, arts-X-press and Class Act.