Thomas Dausgaard

Thomas Dausgaard (Danish: [ˈtsʰʌmæs ˈtɑwˀsˌkɒˀ]; born 4 July 1963 in Copenhagen) is a Danish conductor.

Biography

Dausgaard studied conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in Copenhagen and with Norman Del Mar at the Royal College of Music in London. He subsequently participated in conducting masterclasses with Franco Ferrara, Leonard Bernstein and Hiroyuki Iwaki.

In Scandinavia, Dausgaard became chief conductor of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra from 1997. From 2001 to 2004, he was Principal Guest Conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra (DNSO), and became Chief Conductor in 2004, the first Danish conductor to hold the post. He concluded his principal conductorship of the DNSO at the close of the 2010–2011 season, and subsequently became the orchestra's æresdirigent (honorary conductor). Dausgaard concluded his tenure as chief conductor of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra at the close of the 2018-2019 season, and subsequently took the title of conductor laureate with the orchestra.^[1]

Dausgaard first guest-conducted the Seattle Symphony in March 2003. In 2013, the orchestra named him as its next principal guest conductor, effective with the 2014–2015 season, with an initial contract of 3 years,^[2] later extended for another three years to the 2019–2020 season.^[3] He became the symphony's music director in the 2019–2020 season, with a 4 season contract.^[4] However, on 3 January 2022, Dausgaard resigned from the Seattle Symphony via e-mail, with immediate effect,^[5] citing a hostile work environment with the Seattle Symphony organisation.^{[6] [7]}

In March 2015, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (BBC SSO) announced the appointment of Dausgaard as its next Chief Conductor, effective with the 2016–2017 season.^[8][9] In January 2018, the BBC SSO announced the extension of Dausgaard's contract as Chief Conductor through the 2021–2022 season.^[10] Dausgaard concluded his tenure as chief conductor of the BBC SSO at the close of the 2021-2022 season.^[11]

In March 2024, the RTVE Symphony Orchestra announced the appointment of Dausgaard as its next principal guest conductor, effective with the 2024-2025 season.^[12] In April 2024, the Copenhagen Philharmonic announced the appointment of Dausgaard as its new æres-gæstedirigent (honorary guest conductor), effective with the 2024-2025 season, with an initial contract of four seasons.^[13]

Dausgaard has been a regular conductor of the music of Per Nørgård, and is the dedicatee of Nørgård's composition Terrains Vagues. With the DNSO, he has recorded extensively for Chandos, EMI, Virgin and DaCapo labels, including Danish and other Scandinavian music, like works by Per Nørgård,^[14][15] symphony cycles of Johan Svendsen, Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann, Rued Langgaard,^[16] Dag Wirén, Franz Berwald, works by August Enna^[17] and Asger Hamerik, as well as by Carl Nielsen. With the Swedish Chamber Orchestra Dausgaard has recorded the complete orchestral works by Ludwig van Beethoven for Simax, and for BIS they have recorded works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Richard Wagner, Anton Bruckner, Antonín Dvořák, Felix Mendelssohn, Johann Sebastian Bach, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Steve Mackey, Anders Hillborg, Olga Neuwirth, Uri Caine, Brett Dean, as well as complete symphony cycles of Robert Schumann, Franz Schubert and Johannes Brahms, including Dausgaard's own orchestrations of 18 Hungarian Dances by Brahms.^[18][19] For the Seattle Symphony Media Label, Dausgaard has recorded symphonies by Carl Nielsen and Gustav Mahler as well as works by George Walker, Richard Strauss, Alexander Scriabin and Rued Langgaard of which several have been nominated for a Grammy.

Dausgaard has three sons from his past marriage to Helle Hentzer.^[20][21] The marriage ended in divorce.^[7] He currently lives in Denmark with his wife, Alissa Rossius Dausgaard. Dausgaard has been awarded the Cross of Chivalry by the Queen of Denmark, and elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.^[22]

References

1. "Martin Fröst blir ny Chefsdirigent för Svenska Kammarorkestern" (Press release). Swedish Chamber Orchestra. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
2. Tom Keogh (2 October 2013). "Danish maestro named SSO principal guest conductor". Seattle Times. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
3. Molleson, Kate (12 March 2015). "Dane chosen as chief conductor designate of BBC Scottish". The Herald. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
4. Melinda Bargreen (3 October 2017). "Seattle Symphony picks Thomas Dausgaard to succeed Ludovic Morlot as music director". Seattle Times. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
5. Payne, Patti (7 January 2022). "Seattle Symphony music director abruptly steps down". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
6. Javier Hernandez (11 January 2022). "Seattle Maestro Resigns by Email and Says He Felt 'Not Safe'". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
7. Douglas McLennan (14 January 2022). "Seattle Symphony Debacle: Inside the Sudden Departure of Thomas Dausgaard". Post Alley. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
8. "BBC SSO new Chief Conductor announced at launch of orchestra's 2015/16 season" (Press release). BBC Media Centre. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
9. Kate Molleson (8 March 2016). "BBC Scottish have recruited a fan of their homeland". The Herald. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
10. Katy Wright (12 January 2018). "Thomas Dausgaard renews BBC SSO contract". Classical Music Magazine. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
11. "BBC SSO Spring 2022" (Press release). BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
12. "Thomas Dausgaard, nombrado director principal invitado de la Orquesta y Coro RTVE desde la Temporada 2024-2025" (Press release). RTVE. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
13. "Copenhagen Phil appoints Thomas Dausgaard as Honorary Guest Conductor" (Press release). IMG Artists. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
14. Andrew Clements (20 September 2002). "Norgard: Symphony No 6; Terrains Vagues: Danish National Symphony/Dausgaard". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
15. Andrew Clements (3 April 2009). "Nørgård: Symphonies Nos 3 and 7; Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Choir & SO/Dausgaard". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
16. Andrew Clements (18 August 2006). "Langgaard: Antikrist, Byriel/ Dahl/ Gjerris/ Elming/ Nylund/ Danish National SO and choir/ Dausgaard". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
17. Andrew Clements (2 June 2006). "Enna: The Little Match Girl; Zemlinsky: The Mermaid, Dam-Jensen/ Kihlberg/ Danish National Choirs and SO/ Dausgard". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
18. Tim Ashley (23 February 2007). "Schumann: Symphonies Nos 2 & 4; Julius Caesar Overture; Overture to Scenes from Goethe's Faust, Swedish Chamber Orchestra/ Dausgaard". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
19. Andrew Clements (25 January 2008). "Schumann: Symphony No 1; Overture, Scherzo and Finale; etc, Swedish Chamber Orch/ Dausgaard". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
20. Dorte Washuus Bundgaard (9 September 2010). "En passioneret dirigent". Kristeligt Dagblad. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
21. Melinda Bargreen (6 September 2019). "Meet Thomas Dausgaard, Seattle Symphony's new music director". Seattle Times. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
22. "Ledamöter". Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien (in Swedish). Retrieved 12 November 2024.

External links

• IMG Artists agency biography of Thomas Dausgaard
• Chandos page on recording of Per Nørgård's Symphony No. 6 and Terrains vagues
• Los Angeles Philharmonic biography of Thomas Dausgaard

Cultural offices
Preceded by (no predecessor)	Principal Conductor, Swedish Chamber Orchestra 1997–2019	Succeeded by Martin Fröst
Preceded by Gerd Albrecht	Principal Conductor, Danish National Symphony Orchestra 2004-2011	Succeeded by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Preceded by Donald Runnicles	Chief Conductor, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra 2016–2022	Succeeded by Ryan Wigglesworth