BIOGRAPHIES

The Northwest Sinfonietta

The Northwest Sinfonietta was founded in 1991 by Christophe Chagnard and Kathryn Habedank on the occasion of the Mozart Bicentennial. Held as one of the Northwest's finest professional orchestras, it features thirty-five members from amongst the region's foremost instrumentalists. It performs a wide range of repertoire from Baroque to contemporary composers in the three main orchestral disciplines: symphonic, opera and ballet.

The Northwest Sinfonietta has shared the stage with such distinguished soloists as Richard Stoltzman, Lynn Harrell, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Awadagin Pratt, Lara St. John and Ilia Gringolts. In 1996, The World Harp Congress, Inc. contracted Maestro Chagnard and the Northwest Sinfonietta to perform 15 concertos with some of the world's finest harpists at its Sixth Congress. The Northwest Sinfonietta has also performed highly successful opera productions including Dido and Aeneas, The Abduction from the Seraglio and Don Giovanni.

Based in Tacoma, the Northwest Sinfonietta performs at the Rialto Theater and has also become a strong regional presence, with performances in Seattle, Kirkland, Port Townsend, Olympia, Bremerton, and Astoria, Oregon. The Northwest Sinfonietta is regularly broadcast on KING-FM 98.1 and has recorded 3 CDs featuring music by Mozart and Debussy. It also produced a DVD "The Making of Exodus" exploring its creative process in preparation for a concert.

A champion of music education, the Northwest Sinfonietta has developed five programs to enrich and inspire our youth with the great classical-music tradition. They include special family concerts, customized educational presentations, on sight master-classes, a youth concerto competition and "The Orchestra in The Living Room", a children's book published in August 2005.

"…among the best classical-music organizations in the Northwest" The Seattle Times

Christophe Chagnard

One of the most sought-after conductors in the Pacific Northwest, French conductor Christophe Chagnard is an all-around musician acclaimed for his finely-etched performances and charismatic approach to music. Mr. Chagnard received his musical training in Composition and conducting from Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory where he graduated with Academic Honors. From 1992-1994, Mr. Chagnard served on the faculty of the Berklee College of Music and in 1994, he became the first Music Director of the New England String Ensemble in Boston. His repertoire includes chamber, symphonic, and operatic works of all styles and periods, and he has gained a distinguished reputation as a coach, educator and lecturer. He is also an active composer whose works have been heard widely in the USA and Europe. Mr. Chagnard has been featured on NPR's "Performance Today" and broadcast live on KING FM in Seattle.

As co-founder of the Northwest Sinfonietta, in a few short years Mr. Chagnard has built the "finest chamber orchestra" in the Northwest and performs regularly with some of the biggest names in music such as Richard Stoltzman, Lynn Harrell, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Awadagin Pratt and Lara St. John. Mr. Chagnard is also Music Director of the Lake Union Civic Orchestra and Director of Orchestras at the University of Puget Sound. His international guest appearances include performances in Russia and Japan and in May 2008, he will make his conducting debut with the Philippines Philharmonic Orchestra in Manila. Mr. Chagnard's awards include the Richard Levy Award for outstanding musicianship for three consecutive years, the Sigma Alpha Iota National arts Associate Award and the 2006 Outstanding Achievement in the Arts Award bestowed by Arts Fund.

A gifted communicator, Mr. Chagnard draws audiences into a piece of music with a direct approach that is compelling and distinctly his own. He has been praised by
The News Tribune as an "intensely musical conductor given sometimes to attempting unconventional performances." With a repertoire that cuts across the symphonic, opera, ballet and choral repertories, Mr. Chagnard brings the finely-honed sensibilities of the chamber musician to orchestral performance. A commitment to music of our time, cross-genre collaborations, a keen interest in mentoring and encouraging young musicians, and an easy manner in front of audiences help make him the complete musician.

"The most notable aspect of the performance was Chagnard's architectural conception, from the first measure through the end. With him, this is not simply gorgeous music, which, of course, it is, it is music with a point." Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Chagnard… drove his orchestra with almost reckless abandon. The result was spectacular, even heroic." Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"In addition to his obvious talents on the podium, Chagnard has a natural gift for programming." Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"His visions are clear, his musicianship real." The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Chagnard inspired his players to their best"
The Salem Evening News

"Chagnard qualifies as one of the day's finest young conductors." The News Tribune

"A conductor to watch." Seattle Weekly