ALEXANDER MICKELTHWATE, Assistant Conductor

The newly-appointed Assistant Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Alexander Mickelthwate will conduct ASO education, parks, and other concerts and "cover" (be ready to step in and conduct in case of emergency) additional concerts as required.

Mr. Mickelthwate was born in Germany and grew up in a musical family, as his grandmother was an opera singer. His own passion for music was manifested early: he played cello in various youth orchestras and chamber groups, won prizes as a piano accompanist, played organ, and was a member of a professional choir. He earned his bachelor's degree in conducting and piano performance at the Musikhochschule in Karlsruhe. During his student years he worked as pianist for the Frankfurt Chamber Opera and the Karlsruhe Opera Studio. He also studied for two summers at the Eötvöes Institute in Hungary.

After winning a Peabody merit scholarship, Mr. Mickelthwate came to America to study with Frederik Prausnitz at the Peabody Institute of Music in Baltimore. Other teachers include Robert Spano, Leonard Slatkin, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Seji Ozawa. Following his graduate studies he moved to New York to work as assistant conductor of the Eos orchestra. He also became music director of the Greater Newark Youth Orchestra and the Scarsdale Youth Orchestra, New York.

Mr. Mickelthwate was soon sponsored by the Emory and Geraldine Ford Foundation, which specializes in supporting young and gifted conducting talents. His awards also include a conducting fellowship for the Tanglewood Music Festival in the summer of 2000 and a fellowship with the National Conducting Institute in Washington, D.C., which concluded in his debut with the National Symphony Orchestra. Earlier this year he was invited to work as cover conductor for Maestro Slatkin and the National Symphony for several concerts.

Last year Mr. Mickelthwate toured America as conductor of the American Russian Young Artist Players. He also has guest conducted the Baltimore Symphony, the New Jersey Symphony, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Eos Orchestra, and the Cleveland Chamber Symphony.

His interest in opera is reflected in his work as conductor and pianist at the legendary Amato Opera in New York and as assistant conductor of the Baltimore Opera, the Florida Grand Opera, and the El Paso Opera.