THE MUSICAL LIFE AND CONDUCTING PEDAGOGY OF PETER ERŐS

Abstract

Maestro Peter Erős led a 54-year career of international distinction as a conductor of symphony orchestras, opera, and ballet. He conducted over one hundred different ensembles in twenty-four countries, spanning six continents, held five professional music directorships, and taught at three conservatories of music. A protégé of legendary conductors George Szell, Ferenc Fricsay, and Otto Klemperer, Peter Erős represents an important link to the Central European tradition of classical music performance. Having joined the faculty of the Amsterdam Conservatory at the age of twenty-seven, and served as Director of Orchestral Activities at the Peabody Conservatory in the early 1980s, Erős dedicated the latter years of his career to teaching conducting and directing the orchestral and operatic activities at the University of Washington School of Music, where he taught dozens of student conductors, orchestral musicians, and opera singers. This dissertation examines Peter Erős' musical life, training, and conducting pedagogy, making available his teachings and approach to musical performance to future generations of musicians.