Emil de Cou
NSO @ Wolf Trap Festival Conductor
The American conductor Emil de Cou is currently the music director of the Pacific Northwest Ballet as well as the NSO @ Wolf Trap Festival Conductor. He has had a close relationship with the National Symphony Orchestra since his debut at Wolf Trap in 2000 having led the orchestra on national tours and at the US Capitol Building. He has remained a regular figure at the Kennedy Center since his first performance there in 1988.
For his performances with the NSO @ Wolf Trap the Washington Examiner remarked “the biggest and brightest star was conductor Emil de Cou who lovingly led the orchestra in an evening of solid entertainment and brought the audience to its feet at the end to clap, shout approvingly, and roar for several moments, hungry for more music.” As part of his work as musical consultant for NASA he has conducted several successful collaborations with the nation's space agency including the Wolf Trap premiere of NASA's “The Planets” narrated by Leonard Nimoy, and the July 18, 2009 "Salute to Apollo, the Kennedy Legacy" at the Kennedy Center in honor of the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. In May of 2011 Mr. de Cou conducted his 8th performance in collaboration with NASA for “The Kennedy Legacy: Human Spaceflight” at the Kenendy Center Concert Hall.
In 2007 de Cou conducted a concert with the NSO @ Wolf Trap in collaboration with NASA. It was a program titled "Fantastic Planet - a symphonic video spectacular" and incorporated the first ever in-time downloadable podcast (available on iTunes) to accompany a symphony orchestra concert. NASA's images spanned from the creation of the Earth and deep space to videos of life underwater, glaciers crashing into frozen seas, western deserts and canyons, volcanoes and hurricanes which were projected overhead with music performed by the NSO and the Soldier's Chorus of the United States Army Field Band. The Washington Post wrote in an article in the Technology section; "De Cou was conducting another of his multimedia experiments aimed at supercharging the classical concert experience and drawing in new listeners. As the NSO's Wolf Trap conductor, he has mounted two wildly successful concerts of video-game music in the past year, and last summer performed the music to "The Wizard of Oz" as the film played on a huge screen above the orchestra. The shows drew thousands of new listeners". For his performance of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony at Wolf Trap de Cou produced the first ever use of live in-time Twitter program notes to accompany an orchestral performance. The event was covered throughout the national and international media.
Emil de Cou was recently a guest lecturer on the Smithsonian’s LECTURE SERIES and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. In September 2012 he will lead a special multi media performance in coproduction with PNB and NASA at the Seattle Opera House to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the World’s Fair.
De Cou recorded “Debussy Rediscovered” for Arabesque, which includes the world premiere recording of de Cou’s reconstruction of the original 1887 version of Printemps-Suite Symphonique, for wordless chorus and orchestra he also conducted the world premiere performance it with the NSO at the National Cathedral. In May, 2012 he will conduct the world premiere of Debussy’s overture and one act operatic scene “Diane au Bois” which he completed with the BSO’s President, Paul Meecham. A champion of American music, Mr. de Cou has edited and performed several unpublished works by Charles T. Griffes including the world premiere recording of The Kairn of Koridwen, issued by Koch International.
Emil de Cou has appeared with some of the countries leading orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, San Francisco Symphony, and the Boston Pops. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2006 with the New York Pops Orchestra. He makes his home in San Francisco and Seattle.
