In concert, conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya has developed an unusual habit that is endearing him to audiences: He turns around and speaks. “Conductors are faceless artists,” says the Peruvian native in a telephone interview from Germany, where he is guest-conducting with the Munich Philharmonic. “Our backs face
the audience except [to bow] at the end. There’s nothing that connects us with them. I like to establish a connection with audiences, and demystify the notion of classical music.”

Harth-Bedoya goes a step further, and likens his role to that of a chef. “I compare it to the chef’s special on a menu. He explains to you what it is and makes it sound appetizing. I explain why I do certain music, so that it appeals to them.

“We have an obligation to our audience to provide entertainment, to teach people to appreciate music, and give them an escape.”

Known for his dynamic and passionate performances, and telenovela star looks, Harth-Bedoya is gaining an international reputation as one of the most exciting conductors of his generation. And, at 36, he is certainly one of the youngest of the few Latin American conductors performing today.

As music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in Texas since 2000, the rising star of the orchestral scene is credited with a dramatic transformation of the 72-piece orchestra.

A critic in a 2003 review in the Dallas Morning News noted: “Harth-Bedoya has his orchestra playing on a level never even approached in any other production,” while another for the same daily later wrote: “The transformation of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra under music director Miguel Harth-Bedoya continues to amaze.”

By respecting their work, trusting in their abilities and not appearing overly demanding, the young conductor has encouraged his musicians, even those in their 70s, to push themselves to deliver flawless performances. He has managed to accomplish his goal, even as he juggled concurrent stints last year as associate director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music director of the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand.

Harth-Bedoya began his music career in Lima as a child, when he sang in his mother’s chorus formed by the employees of AeroPeru. The group performed music from every country on the airline’s routes, and the boy and his sister traveled with them as singers and folk dancers.
At 15, his future was sealed when he took an after-school job, doing odds and ends at a local opera house. “That was the turning point,” he recalls. “I had heard so much operatic repertoire that I knew I wanted to be involved with opera. I couldn’t sing or play an instrument, so I wanted to conduct. I wanted to control everything, and I like working with people. Conducting is a communal activity.”

When the young man found that no conducting programs existed in Latin America, he wrote to schools around the world, searching for an appropriate place to study. A reply came from Philadelphia, where the then 19-year-old studied and received a bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute. Following graduation, he left for New York to complete a master’s degree from the renowned Juilliard School.

His first professional job was as music director of the New York Youth Symphony. One day, while rehearsing with the symphony at the Juilliard School, the novice conductor’s passion and energy caught the attention of Michal Schmidt, a New York-based manager, who offered to guide his career, and helped him acquire posts in Eugene, Oregon; Los Angeles; Auckland, and his current position in Fort Worth. Recently, the Fort Worth symphony extended his contract through 2008.

“He brings vitality, leadership and the highest level of artistic ability paired with being a warm and caring guy,” says Ann Koonsman, executive director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. “The musicians respect him so much. He has inspired them to stretch themselves and to reach their full potential. They arrive to rehearsal prepared and ready to work.”

Perhaps a reason Harth-Bedoya relates so well on a personal level to audiences, whether here or abroad, is his fluency in five languages—English, Spanish, German, Italian, French and Russian.

“Connecting with people is very powerful,” he says, adding that he often meets with the audience during intermission to answer their questions.

Judging by his impressive list of guest appearances, Harth-Bedoya has established a rapport with thousands of music lovers. Since his New York Philharmonic debut in 2000, he has guest-conducted many of North America’s top orchestras, including the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as the Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Seattle, St. Paul and Toronto symphonies.

In Europe, he has led the Bamberg Symphony, London Concert Orchestra, NDR Orchester in Hamburg and the Swedish Radio Orchestra. An experienced opera conductor, Harth-Bedoya has directed numerous productions with the New Opera Company of Peru, including La Boheme, Le nozze di Figaro, Xerxes, Die lustige Witwe and La Sonnambula.

Winner of the 2002 Seaver/NEA Conductors Award, he has also collaborated with such distinguished soloists as Joshua Bell, James Galway, Gary Graffman, Midori, Garrick Ohlsson, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gil Shaham, Isaac Stern and Dawn Upshaw.

The sought-after artist humbly admits that the success of his career has taken him by surprise. He never imagined he would one day wave his baton in premier concert halls around the world. “Growing up in Peru, I didn’t know this career existed,” he says. “I just wanted to learn conducting, and to do everything the best I can.”

An active member of the communities where he works, Harth-Bedoya bonds with his neighbors by volunteering for Habitat for Humanity house projects, and conducting neighborhood concerts and leading programs to expose children to classical music. It is his desire to make classical music popular to all ages.

“If you [listen to it] as a child, it becomes part of your system,” he says. “The simpler we go about presenting music [to children], the simpler it will be for them to understand.”

When not globetrotting, Harth-Bedoya is content to be at home with his Chilean wife, Maritza Cáceres, and 2-year-old daughter, Elena. He cooks, irons, washes dishes and does the laundry. The family man also has a liking for soccer, sailing, fly-fishing and woodwork. In fact, the desk, shelves and CD shelf in his home office are hecho a mano—his hands, that is. The same used to make sweet music.

In concert, conductor Miguel Harth-Bedoya has developed an unusual habit that is endearing him to audiences: He turns around and speaks.

“Conductors are faceless artists,” says the Peruvian native in a telephone interview from Germany, where he is guest-conducting with the Munich Philharmonic. “Our backs face the audience except [to bow] at the end. There’s nothing that connects us with them. I like to establish a connection with audiences, and demystify the notion of classical music.”

Harth-Bedoya goes a step further, and likens his role to that of a chef. “I compare it to the chef’s special on a menu. He explains to you what it is and makes it sound appetizing. I explain why I do certain music, so that it appeals to them.

“We have an obligation to our audience to provide entertainment, to teach people to appreciate music, and give them an escape.”

Known for his dynamic and passionate performances, and telenovela star looks, Harth-Bedoya is gaining an international reputation as one of the most exciting conductors of his generation. And, at 36, he is certainly one of the youngest of the few Latin American conductors performing today.

As music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in Texas since 2000, the rising star of the orchestral scene is credited with a dramatic transformation of the 72-piece orchestra.

A critic in a 2003 review in the Dallas Morning News noted: “Harth-Bedoya has his orchestra playing on a level never even approached in any other production,” while another for the same daily later wrote: “The transformation of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra under music director Miguel Harth-Bedoya continues to amaze.”

By respecting their work, trusting in their abilities and not appearing overly demanding, the young conductor has encouraged his musicians, even those in their 70s, to push themselves to deliver flawless performances. He has managed to accomplish his goal, even as he juggled concurrent stints last year as associate director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music director of the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand.

Harth-Bedoya began his music career in Lima as a child, when he sang in his mother’s chorus formed by the employees of AeroPeru. The group performed music from every country on the airline’s routes, and the boy and his sister traveled with them as singers and folk dancers.
At 15, his future was sealed when he took an after-school job, doing odds and ends at a local opera house. “That was the turning point,” he recalls. “I had heard so much operatic repertoire that I knew I wanted to be involved with opera. I couldn’t sing or play an instrument, so I wanted to conduct. I wanted to control everything, and I like working with people. Conducting is a communal activity.”

When the young man found that no conducting programs existed in Latin America, he wrote to schools around the world, searching for an appropriate place to study. A reply came from Philadelphia, where the then 19-year-old studied and received a bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute. Following graduation, he left for New York to complete a master’s degree from the renowned Juilliard School.

His first professional job was as music director of the New York Youth Symphony. One day, while rehearsing with the symphony at the Juilliard School, the novice conductor’s passion and energy caught the attention of Michal Schmidt, a New York-based manager, who offered to guide his career, and helped him acquire posts in Eugene, Oregon; Los Angeles; Auckland, and his current position in Fort Worth. Recently, the Fort Worth symphony extended his contract through 2008.

“He brings vitality, leadership and the highest level of artistic ability paired with being a warm and caring guy,” says Ann Koonsman, executive director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. “The musicians respect him so much. He has inspired them to stretch themselves and to reach their full potential. They arrive to rehearsal prepared and ready to work.”

Perhaps a reason Harth-Bedoya relates so well on a personal level to audiences, whether here or abroad, is his fluency in five languages—English, Spanish, German, Italian, French and Russian.

“Connecting with people is very powerful,” he says, adding that he often meets with the audience during intermission to answer their questions.

Judging by his impressive list of guest appearances, Harth-Bedoya has established a rapport with thousands of music lovers. Since his New York Philharmonic debut in 2000, he has guest-conducted many of North America’s top orchestras, including the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as the Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Seattle, St. Paul and Toronto symphonies.

In Europe, he has led the Bamberg Symphony, London Concert Orchestra, NDR Orchester in Hamburg and the Swedish Radio Orchestra. An experienced opera conductor, Harth-Bedoya has directed numerous productions with the New Opera Company of Peru, including La Boheme, Le nozze di Figaro, Xerxes, Die lustige Witwe and La Sonnambula.

Winner of the 2002 Seaver/NEA Conductors Award, he has also collaborated with such distinguished soloists as Joshua Bell, James Galway, Gary Graffman, Midori, Garrick Ohlsson, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gil Shaham, Isaac Stern and Dawn Upshaw.

The sought-after artist humbly admits that the success of his career has taken him by surprise. He never imagined he would one day wave his baton in premier concert halls around the world. “Growing up in Peru, I didn’t know this career existed,” he says. “I just wanted to learn conducting, and to do everything the best I can.”

An active member of the communities where he works, Harth-Bedoya bonds with his neighbors by volunteering for Habitat for Humanity house projects, and conducting neighborhood concerts and leading programs to expose children to classical music. It is his desire to make classical music popular to all ages.

“If you [listen to it] as a child, it becomes part of your system,” he says. “The simpler we go about presenting music [to children], the simpler it will be for them to understand.”

When not globetrotting, Harth-Bedoya is content to be at home with his Chilean wife, Maritza Cáceres, and 2-year-old daughter, Elena. He cooks, irons, washes dishes and does the laundry. The family man also has a liking for soccer, sailing, fly-fishing and woodwork. In fact, the desk, shelves and CD shelf in his home office are hecho a mano—his hands, that is. The same used to make sweet music.