October 13, 2011
Israeli composer Daniel Barenboim is named as the musical director of Milan, Italy’s La Scala Opera House.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1942, Barenboim moves to Israel in 1952 with his family. Beginning to study classical music and the art of conducting at the age of 14, he is quickly recognized as a child prodigy by German conductor and composer Wilhelm Furtwangler, an influential figure who played a pivotal role in his early education and career. A skilled pianist, Barenboim makes his conducting debut in 1966 in London, which establishes him as a premiere “Maestro,” in demand all over the globe.
Making his operatic debut in 1973, with a performance of Mozart’s “Don Giovani,” Daniel Barenboim’s prestige as a top tier classical conductor is further reinforced with the broadening of his repertoire, culminating with his appointment as musical director for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a position he holds until 2006. Turning down a position as music director for the New York Philharmonic in 2009, Daniel Barenboim eventually accepts the position with La Scala in Milan.
