{"id":429,"date":"2007-09-15T14:09:46","date_gmt":"2007-09-15T14:09:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/bio\/"},"modified":"2007-09-15T14:12:11","modified_gmt":"2007-09-15T14:12:11","slug":"bio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2007\/09\/15\/bio\/","title":{"rendered":"Bio"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Biography<\/span><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/font>Hailed by the<\/span><\/font> Washington Post <\/span><\/font><\/strong>as an <\/span><\/font>\u201cup-and-coming conductor\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/em><\/strong> and
\na <\/span><\/font>\u201ctrue star\u201d<\/span><\/font><\/em><\/strong> of the podium, Kenneth Woods has built a reputation as a
\nmultifaceted musician whose credits range from the Mahler symphonies to
\ncollaborations with members of James Brown\u2019s classic band. He is currently
\nconductor of the<\/span><\/font> Oregon East Symphony, Surrey Mozart Players<\/span><\/font><\/strong> and the <\/span><\/font>Rose
\nCity Chamber Orchestra.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/strong>Already known in America as one of the most exciting conductors of
\nthe new generation, Kenneth Woods is quickly becoming recognized as major
\ntalent on the international scene. He has worked with many orchestras of
\ninternational distinction including the <\/span><\/font>National Symphony Orchestra, the
\nCincinnati Symphony, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Budapest
\nFestival Orchestra <\/span><\/font><\/strong>and the <\/span><\/font>State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra.<\/span><\/font><\/strong> He has also
\nappeared on the stages of some of the world\u2019s leading music festivals,
\nincluding<\/span><\/font> Aspen, Lucerne, Round Top<\/span><\/font><\/strong> and <\/span><\/font>Scotia<\/span><\/font><\/strong>. His work on the concert
\nplatform and in the recording studio has led to numerous broadcasts on <\/span><\/font>BBC
\nRadio 3, National Public Radio<\/span><\/font><\/strong>, and the <\/span><\/font>Canadian Broadcasting Corporation<\/span><\/font><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

During the 2006-7 season, Kenneth Woods made his first appearances at the
\n<\/span><\/font>Bridgewater Hall, Menuhin Hall, Albert Hall, Royal Concert Hall of Nottingham<\/span><\/font><\/strong>
\nand <\/span><\/font>Bute Hall<\/span><\/font><\/strong>, and was the subject of extensive press coverage in the
\n<\/span><\/font>Gramophone, The Herald<\/span><\/font><\/strong> and a received a major, multi-page feature in <\/span><\/font>The
\nSunday Oregonian<\/span><\/font><\/strong>. His new blog,<\/span><\/font> A View from the Podium<\/span><\/font><\/strong>, became a hit with
\nmusic lovers in the UK, Canada and the US and received wide
\nacknowledgement from the music critics of the <\/span><\/font>New Yorker, Wall Street Journal,
\nIndependent <\/span><\/font><\/strong>and<\/span><\/font> Gramophone<\/span><\/font><\/strong>. 2007-8 sees him making more important UK
\ndebuts, doing extensive studio and concert work for the BBC and making his
\ndebut recording in London for <\/span><\/font>Avie Records<\/span><\/font><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In the spring of 2001, Kenneth Woods was selected by <\/span><\/font>Leonard Slatkin<\/span><\/font><\/strong> as one
\nof four participants in the <\/span><\/font>National Conducting Institute<\/span><\/font><\/strong>. At the completion of the
\nInstitute, he led the National Symphony Orchestra in a debut concert, drawing
\ngreat critical acclaim and a return invitation from the NSO. In the spring of 2000,
\n<\/span><\/font>David Zinman <\/span><\/font><\/strong>selected Kenneth Woods from a pool of over 200 applicants to be
\na fellow in the inaugural class of the <\/span><\/font>American Academy of Conducting at
\nAspen.<\/span><\/font><\/strong> Toronto Symphony Music Director <\/span><\/font>Peter Oundjian<\/span><\/font><\/strong> has praised Woods as
\n<\/span><\/font>\u201ca conductor with true vision and purpose. He has a most fluid and clear style
\nand an excellent command on the podium\u2026 a most complete musician.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/em><\/strong>Kenneth Woods<\/span><\/font><\/strong> has conducted critically praised productions of operas from
\nBritten to Puccini, and ballet scores as diverse as Giselle, the Nutcracker and
\nFirebird. Woods\u2019 work as an active proponent of contemporary music includes
\ncollaborations with composers including <\/span><\/font>John Corigliano, Krystopf Penderecki,
\nPeter Lieberson and Oliver Knussen.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/strong>As music director of the Oregon East Symphony since 2000, he has transformed
\na tiny orchestra in a remote, rural area into possibly the most talked-about
\norchestra in the Pacific Northwest, who have won universal praise for their
\nongoing <\/span><\/font>Mahler cycle <\/span><\/font><\/strong>and their innovative youth programs. In the spring of 2007,
\nthe OES made national news when their offices and music library were burned to
\nthe ground in a devastating fire. Despite the catastrophic losses, Woods initiated
\na fire recovery campaign on the web that mean the orchestra was able to
\ncomplete its season in the black.<\/p>\n

In 2005 he was invited by the <\/span><\/font>Rose City Chamber Orchestra<\/span><\/font><\/strong> to start a new
\ninternational workshop for young conductors, which now attracts top emerging
\nconducting talents from Korea, Japan, Germany, Spain, Argentina, Canada and
\nthe UK as well as the USA.<\/p>\n

As a cellist he has been recipient of the <\/span><\/font>Aspen Fellowship<\/span><\/font><\/strong> (Mr. Woods has
\nreceived the Aspen Fellowship as both a cellist and conductor), the <\/span><\/font>Dale Gilbert
\nAward<\/span><\/font><\/strong> (the only musician to win this award in consecutive years), the <\/span><\/font>Strelow
\nQuartet Fellowship<\/span><\/font><\/strong>, the <\/span><\/font>National Endowment for the Arts Rural Residency
\nGrant <\/span><\/font><\/strong>and has recorded and toured extensively as soloist and chamber
\nmusician. He has played chamber music with members of the <\/span><\/font>Chamber Music
\nSociety of Lincoln Center, the Smithsonian Chamber Players, the Cincinnati,
\nChicago and Toronto symphonies, and the Minnesota, Gewandhaus and
\nConcertgebow<\/span><\/font><\/strong> orchestras. He was founding cellist of the National Endowment
\nfor the Arts recognized Taliesin Trio, and of the Masala Quartet, who have
\nrecorded for Vienna Modern Masters and appeared at festivals and concert
\nseries\u2019 in the US and Europe<\/p>\n

Mr. Woods pursued his advanced conducting studies at the<\/span><\/font> University of
\nCincinnati College-Conservatory of Music<\/span><\/font><\/strong>, and also studied at leading summer
\ninstitutes and workshops around the world. He has studied conducting with
\n<\/span><\/font>Leonard Slatkin, David Zinman, Jorma Panula, and Gerhard Samuel<\/span><\/font><\/strong>. In his
\ncapacity as an assistant, he has collaborated with J<\/span><\/font>ames Conlon, Jesus Lopez-
\nCobos, Paavo Jarvi, Richard Hickox, Robert Spano, Tadaaki Otaka, Jiri
\nBelohlavek and Peter Oundjian.
\n<\/span><\/font><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/p>\n