ABOUT
CONDUCTOR
Karen Gorden
“An admirable and gifted conductor indeed.”
–American Composers Orchestra
Karen Gorden is attracting attention as one of the most vibrant and compelling conductors on the international classical music scene today.
Described by The American Composers Orchestra as “a conductor for any ensemble that expects to work at a high level of professionalism and looks to make music with creativity and purpose,” Gorden first came to international attention at the 50th Geneva International Conducting Competition (Concours international d’exécution musicale de Genève), where she was awarded the jury’s Special Prize.
In North America, she has been invited to the podiums of leading symphony orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. As a visiting conductor, Gorden holds the distinction of being invited for return concerts by every orchestra she has guest-conducted.
In Europe, Gorden enjoys a rich association with the Orchester Grüner Hügel in Bingen-am-Rhein. The Orchestra, made up of musicians selected from symphony orchestras across Germany, is in residence at the SGI-D Kulturzentrum Villa Sachsen – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
No stranger to the opera house, Gorden was invited to spend two seasons at the Staatsoper Berlin, one of Europe’s oldest opera theatres. A highlight of her time at the Staatsoper was the Berliner Festtage production of Wagner’s Ring cycle.
A champion of 20th- and 21st-century music, she has enjoyed personal collaborations with some of the world’s greatest composers of contemporary classical music such as Elliott Carter and Pierre Boulez.
Karen Gorden’s contributions to music have been recognized with the Prix Nadia Boulanger (France), and the Opera Prize of the State Theater Opava (Czech Republic).
Gorden counts among her most important mentors the great Italian conductor Franco Ferrara. While still a student, she was invited by Kurt Masur to spend a season as Conducting Fellow with the New York Philharmonic. Shortly after, she was awarded conducting internships at the prestigious Bayreuth and Salzburg Festivals. She is a graduate, with top honors, of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon, France and the Yale School of Music.
Born in North America, she spent her childhood in South America, and was educated in Europe and the United States. She considers the world her home.
2024
General Management
Olga Gilson, Director
Gilson Concert Artists
ocgilson@gilsonconcertartists.com
© 2020-2024 Karen Gorden