Music Director and Conductor
Arthur Arnold
Arthur Arnold is “one of the rare conductors that not only possesses a flawless technique, but also is capable of inspiring the orchestra while giving the individual musicians creative freedom.” (Shalom News Moscow)
In his home country, Arnold has conducted Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra, North Netherlands Orchestra, Holland Symfonia, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and Nieuw Ensemble.
Arnold made his debut with Moscow Symphony Orchestra in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam during the summer of 2001. A mere two weeks later it resulted in great reviews and an immediate encore invitation for both Arnold and the orchestra. It was a tremendous success, bringing the acclaim, “Arthur Arnold: a promise—Arnold has a comfortable, extremely musical beat and maintains inspiring eye contact with the musicians.”
After performing expanded Russian repertoire, the national newspaper NRC wrote: “Arthur Arnold radiates serenity and natural authority. He conducted the great repertoire in grand style and in tranquil tempi that allowed the typical Russian sound of the orchestra to flourish, thanks to an excellent balance… Arnold succeeded to immediately achieve a great musical tension and thrilling atmosphere. The musical build up was magisterial.”
Soon after the achievement in Amsterdam, Arnold was appointed principal guest conductor of Moscow Symphony Orchestra. He and the orchestra have been invited back to the Concertgebouw year after year where they perform a wide range of pieces from the Russian symphonic repertoire as well as a concert production of Tchaikovsky’s Jevgeni Onjegin. In Russia they frequently perform for audiences in a number of venues, most notably the historical Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.
Arnold is music director of the Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific (SOAP) in Powell River, BC, Canada. Under his guidance SOAP has grown in richness and breadth, motivating Arnold to invest an increasing portion of his time in Canada, where he also conducted Victoria Symphony and the Orchestra of the Glenn Gould School of Music. Arnold appears in A Single Passion, A Thousand Voices, a documentary by Avanti Pictures about International Choral Kathaumixw. He has been a guest conductor and a jury member for Kathaumixw since 2000.
Arnold has conducted orchestras throughout Europe, North America and Asia, including South Korea where he became principal guest conductor for Seoul National Symphony Orchestra. He has been featured in interviews and live performances on radio with Moscow Symphony Orchestra as well as Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra. He also performed with Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra in a national live radio broadcast from Concertgebouw. The Netherlands national newspaper Telegraaf : “Arnold showed himself as a reputable orchestra leader. He conducted with authority and all of his gestures spoke emotion. In the sixth symphony of Tchaikovsky (Pathetique) Arnold was totally in control. The calm and natural build-up gave all the space to the tragic undertone of this symphony. Moments of excitement could count on a measured dose, never becoming an empty fanfare. Even in the third movement, the perspective was primarily intimate. The unbelievable happened. After this Allegro molto vivace, the traditional applause didn’t occur. Arnold held the tension and with perfect timing started the slow last movement. The lamenting was executed in golden honesty. At the end the conductor first thanked his musicians before turning towards the audience to receive the standing ovation with his hand on his heart.”
In addition to ongoing partnerships in Russia, The Netherlands, South Korea and Canada, Arnold frequents Romania where he conducts Transylvania State Philharmonic Orchestra and Targu Mures State Philharmonic Orchestra. His conducting career has taken him to Italy, Great Britain and Poland. In the United States, he conducted performances at Woodstock Mozart Festival in Illinois and has been invited back to open their 2010 season. Among other scheduled engagements this year are a range of concerts with Moscow Symphony Orchestra and a return engagement with Podlasie Orchestra and Opera in Poland.
Arnold started conducting studies in The Netherlands with Anton Kersjes and continued training internationally with Marcello Viotti, Jean Fournet and Graeme Jenkins. In 1996 he received the Prins Bernhard Foundation award to study at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy with Myung-Whun Chung, and was later honoured with the Busenhart Morgan-Evans award to participate in master classes with Jorma Panula, Diego Masson, and Gianluigi Gelmetti.
Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific
