George Daugherty
Encyclopedia
George Daugherty is an Irish-American conductor, director, producer
, and writer
.
Daugherty has conducted international ballet companies
and most of America's major symphony orchestras
, and has continuing guest conducting relationships with the Cleveland Orchestra
(with whom he performs both in Severance Hall
and at the Blossom Festival), the Philadelphia Orchestra
, the Los Angeles Philharmonic
(at both the Hollywood Bowl
and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
), the San Francisco Symphony
, the National Symphony, the Seattle Symphony
, the Fort Worth Symphony, and the Houston Symphony. He has guest conducted virtually all of Canada's major symphony orchestras, including numerous performances with the Vancouver Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
, National Arts Centre Orchestra
, Montreal Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
. Internationally, he has conducted often at the Sydney Opera House
, and with such international orchestras as the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra (in London at Royal Festival Hall
, and on tour in the UK, US, and Canada), the Sydney Symphony, the Melbourne Symphony
, the New Japan Philharmonic
, the Orchestra of the Kremlin Palace, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra
during the inaugural season of the acclaimed new DR Koncerthuset, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra
at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas
, and The RTÉ Concert Orchestra in the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Ireland. He has guest conducted a number of major choral ensembles, including the Harvard Glee Club
, The Westminster Symphonic Choir, The San Francisco Symphony Chorus, and The Westminster Concert Bell Choir. As a ballet and opera conductor, he conducted for the American Ballet Theatre
, the Munich State Opera and Ballet, the Teatro Regio Torino
, the Teatro Argentina
Opera House of Rome, the Teatro Municipale Valli di Reggio Emilia
, Mexico's Teatro Bellas Artes and Teatro Juarez opera houses, Venezuela's Teatro Municipal opera house, as well as for ballet galas all over the world. He was Music Director of the Chicago City Ballet from 1981 to 1983, the Louisville Ballet
from 1985 to 1990, and Ballet Chicago from 1987 to 1990. He has collaborated with, and conducted for, a wide range of singers, ranging from Dame Julie Andrews to Etta James
.
Since 1990, he has been notable for creating symphony orchestra concerts which combine film and multimedia with classical music
, with the goal of bringing new audiences to the genre of symphony orchestra music. His most successful concert in this genre, Bugs Bunny on Broadway
, and its 2010 sequel "Bugs Bunny at the Symphony," combines classic Warner Bros.
Looney Tunes
projected on a large screen accompanied by a live orchestra performing the original score. This production has been touring the world continuously since 1990 and has played to a total international audience of almost two million people. He has also won numerous awards as a producer, director, writer, and composer/music director for film and television, including a Primetime Emmy Award
and five Emmy nominations. He has created all of his television and film projects in collaboration with producing partner David Ka Lik Wong. Daugherty currently lives in San Francisco.
, in 1955, the only son of George Daugherty Sr., an Indiana State Policeman who eventually became Commander of the Indiana State Police
, and Charlene Elizabeth Beeson Daugherty, a teacher and educator. Although not from a musical family per se, Daugherty's ancestors included many who pursued their own artistic careers, including his great great great grandfather, American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
.
Daugherty lived in Pendleton for his entire childhood and teenage years, and began studying piano with noted pianist Elizabeth Edmundson at the age of 4. He began cello studies in his teenage years. He attended college at Butler University
's Jordan College of Music, where he studied with cellists Shirley Evans Tabachnick and Dennis McCafferty, conducting with John Colbert, and piano with Martin Marks and Frank Cooper. While at Butler, Daugherty also pursued a double major in journalism, and was the recipient of the prestigious Eugene Collins Pulliam / Hilton U. Brown Journalism Scholarship to Butler. At the age of 20, Daugherty was appointed an assistant conductor of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra
, where he worked and studied under conductor/composer Thomas Bricetti. While there, he also continued his collegiate studies, having transferred from Butler to Indiana University
.
In 1975 at the age of 20, he also founded his own orchestra, The Pendleton Festival Symphony, and upon securing grants from the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts
, the ensemble became a professional summer festival orchestra in 1976, and continued for the next 10 years. He made his professional conducting debut with that orchestra in 1976, at the age of 21, conducting for Metropolitan Opera
leading soprano Roberta Peters
, who would become a mentor and good friend of the young conductor. Despite his very young age, he was able to bring an impressive array of international talent to appear under his baton at the Pendleton Festival, including violinist Eugene Fodor
, Metropolitan Opera leading mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias
, international soprano Nancy Shade
, the Harvard Glee Club
, and ensembles of principal dancers from American Ballet Theatre
, the New York City Ballet
, the Royal Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada
, and the Joffrey Ballet
. One of his major Pendleton Festival productions, a tribute on the 100th birthday of the legendary Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, went on to appear at New York's Lincoln Center Festival, and became a Canadian Broadcasting Company television special starring Leslie Caron
and an international cast of dancers.
In 1977, Daugherty was accepted as an advanced opera conducting student at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
, where he studied conducting and opera coaching/accompanying with conductor Kelly Hale, and studied opera repertoire and interpretation with famed Italian basso Italo Tajo
. He left the University of Cincinnati in late 1979, when he had the unexpected opportunity to begin conducting for American Ballet Theatre prima ballerina Gelsey Kirkland
, which eventually resulted in a position with ABT itself. His major symphony orchestra conducting debut took place in that same year, in November 1979, with his first performance with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
in the Eastman Theatre
.
for the ABC Television Network. This new production combined live-action and animation to tell Sergei Prokofiev
's musical tale, and featured animated characters designed by Warner Bros. Looney Tunes icon Chuck Jones
, and vocal and live-action performances by Kirstie Alley
, Lloyd Bridges
, and Ross Malinger
. Daugherty was also nominated for an additional Emmy for Music Direction of the production, and he and co-writer Janis Diamond received a Writers Guild of America Award
nomination for its script. Peter and The Wolf also took the top prize at both the Chicago International Film Festival
, and the Houston International Film Festival, and received major awards from the Parents' Choice Awards, Kids First, and the National Film Advisory Board. Daugherty's first Emmy nomination came in 1987, for Music Direction of the PBS television special of Johann Strauss
' Die Fledermaus
. He also received two Emmy nominations for Rhythm & Jam, his series of music education specials for the ABC Television Network. In addition, he has received many other awards for his work in music and music education, including the Indiana State Governor's Arts Award in 1999; the Sagamore of the Wabash
, also awarded by the Governor of Indiana (and also awarded to his mother Charlene Daugherty for her lifelong work in education); the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonel for his work while Music Director of the Louisville Ballet (which included over 150 performances with the Louisville Orchestra
); and a Special Legislative Resolution of Recognition awarded by the Indiana State Senate. His work has also been recognized by the San Francisco Public Library
, which named him a "Library Laureate" in 2006, and by the Library of Congress
National Film Archives, which honored him in 2007.
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
, and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Daugherty has conducted international ballet companies
Ballet company
A ballet company is a group of dancers who perform ballet, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round basis, except in the United States, where contracts for part of the year are the norm...
and most of America's major symphony orchestras
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, and has continuing guest conducting relationships with the Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
(with whom he performs both in Severance Hall
Severance Hall
Severance Hall is a concert hall located in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. The hall has been the home of the Cleveland Orchestra since its opening on February 5, 1931...
and at the Blossom Festival), the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
, the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
(at both the Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center . The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall.The Pavilion has 3,197 seats spread over four tiers, with chandeliers, wide curving stairways and rich décor...
), the San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
, the National Symphony, the Seattle Symphony
Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra's season runs from September through July, and serves as the pit orchestra for most productions of the Seattle Opera in addition to its own concerts...
, the Fort Worth Symphony, and the Houston Symphony. He has guest conducted virtually all of Canada's major symphony orchestras, including numerous performances with the Vancouver Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra, based in Calgary, Alberta. The orchestra gives the majority of its performances in the Jack Singer Concert Hall of the EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts...
, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Its primary concert venue is the Centennial Concert Hall, and the orchestra also performs throughout the province of Manitoba.-History:...
, National Arts Centre Orchestra
National Arts Centre Orchestra
The National Arts Centre Orchestra is an orchestra in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's capital. It is a classically-sized ensemble currently conducted by Pinchas Zukerman.-Description:Since 1998, Pinchas Zukerman has been the Music Director. Mario Bernardi C.C...
, Montreal Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony is a Canadian orchestra based in the twin cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario. Its home venue is Centre In The Square in Kitchener, Ontario. Music Directors and Principal Conductors have included Raffi Armenian , Chosei Komatsu , Martin Fischer-Dieskau and...
. Internationally, he has conducted often at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
, and with such international orchestras as the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra (in London at Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
, and on tour in the UK, US, and Canada), the Sydney Symphony, the Melbourne Symphony
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
, the New Japan Philharmonic
New Japan Philharmonic
The is a symphony orchestra based in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1972 with Seiji Ozawa as honorary conductor laureate. The Philharmonic's primary concert venue is the Sumida Triphony Hall. Since 2003, its music director is Christian Arming....
, the Orchestra of the Kremlin Palace, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra
Danish National Symphony Orchestra
The Danish National Symphony Orchestra , is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The DNSO is the principal orchestra of DR...
during the inaugural season of the acclaimed new DR Koncerthuset, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra
Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra
The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra is a Malaysian orchestra, resident at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas in Kuala Lumpur. The orchestra gives concerts throughout Malaysia and also in Singapore....
at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas
Dewan Filharmonik Petronas
Dewan Filharmonik Petronas is Malaysia's first purpose built concert hall for classical music by Malaysia's oil company, Petronas. It is the home of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Since then, this hall has hosted many of the world's leading artists and orchestras...
, and The RTÉ Concert Orchestra in the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Ireland. He has guest conducted a number of major choral ensembles, including the Harvard Glee Club
Harvard Glee Club
The Harvard Glee Club is a 60-voice, all-male choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1858 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest collegiate chorus in the US. The Glee Club is part of the Holden Choruses of Harvard University, which also include the...
, The Westminster Symphonic Choir, The San Francisco Symphony Chorus, and The Westminster Concert Bell Choir. As a ballet and opera conductor, he conducted for the American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today...
, the Munich State Opera and Ballet, the Teatro Regio Torino
Teatro Regio Torino
The Teatro Regio is a prominent opera house and opera company in Turin, Italy. Its season runs from October to June with the presentation of eight or nine operas given from five to twelve performances of each....
, the Teatro Argentina
Teatro Argentina
The Teatro Argentina is an opera house and theatre located in the Largo di Torre Argentina, a square in Rome, Italy. It is one of the oldest theatres in Rome, and was inaugurated on January 31, 1732 with Berenice by Domenico Sarro....
Opera House of Rome, the Teatro Municipale Valli di Reggio Emilia
Teatro Municipale di Reggio
The Teatro Municipale is a theatre in Reggio Emilia, Northern Italy. Following the destruction by fire of the 1741 Teatro Cittadella in April 1851, the new theatre was designed by the architect Cesare Costa and connstructed in the neoclassic style between 1852 and 1857...
, Mexico's Teatro Bellas Artes and Teatro Juarez opera houses, Venezuela's Teatro Municipal opera house, as well as for ballet galas all over the world. He was Music Director of the Chicago City Ballet from 1981 to 1983, the Louisville Ballet
Louisville Ballet
The Louisville Ballet is a ballet school and company based in Louisville, Kentucky and is the official state ballet of The Commonwealth of Kentucky. More than 100,000 people attend the company's productions annually of which most are accompanied by the Louisville Orchestra...
from 1985 to 1990, and Ballet Chicago from 1987 to 1990. He has collaborated with, and conducted for, a wide range of singers, ranging from Dame Julie Andrews to Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
.
Since 1990, he has been notable for creating symphony orchestra concerts which combine film and multimedia with classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, with the goal of bringing new audiences to the genre of symphony orchestra music. His most successful concert in this genre, Bugs Bunny on Broadway
Bugs Bunny on Broadway
Bugs Bunny on Broadway is a concert musical featuring Looney Toons characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd. The production was conceived by George Daugherty with music by Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn.The musical, and its 2010 sequel Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, combines classic...
, and its 2010 sequel "Bugs Bunny at the Symphony," combines classic Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
projected on a large screen accompanied by a live orchestra performing the original score. This production has been touring the world continuously since 1990 and has played to a total international audience of almost two million people. He has also won numerous awards as a producer, director, writer, and composer/music director for film and television, including a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
and five Emmy nominations. He has created all of his television and film projects in collaboration with producing partner David Ka Lik Wong. Daugherty currently lives in San Francisco.
Family life, education, and early career
Daugherty was born in Pendleton, IndianaPendleton, Indiana
Pendleton is a town in Fall Creek Township, Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, in 1955, the only son of George Daugherty Sr., an Indiana State Policeman who eventually became Commander of the Indiana State Police
Indiana State Police
The Indiana State Police is the statewide law enforcement agency for the state of Indiana. Indiana was the 12th state to offer protection to its citizens with a state police force.-History:...
, and Charlene Elizabeth Beeson Daugherty, a teacher and educator. Although not from a musical family per se, Daugherty's ancestors included many who pursued their own artistic careers, including his great great great grandfather, American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
.
Daugherty lived in Pendleton for his entire childhood and teenage years, and began studying piano with noted pianist Elizabeth Edmundson at the age of 4. He began cello studies in his teenage years. He attended college at Butler University
Butler University
Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
's Jordan College of Music, where he studied with cellists Shirley Evans Tabachnick and Dennis McCafferty, conducting with John Colbert, and piano with Martin Marks and Frank Cooper. While at Butler, Daugherty also pursued a double major in journalism, and was the recipient of the prestigious Eugene Collins Pulliam / Hilton U. Brown Journalism Scholarship to Butler. At the age of 20, Daugherty was appointed an assistant conductor of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra
Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra
The Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra is a professional orchestra based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The current Music Director is Andrew Constantine, whose contract began July 1, 2009. The orchestra's Artistic Advisor from 2008 to 2009 was Jaime Laredo, a native of Bolivia...
, where he worked and studied under conductor/composer Thomas Bricetti. While there, he also continued his collegiate studies, having transferred from Butler to Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
.
In 1975 at the age of 20, he also founded his own orchestra, The Pendleton Festival Symphony, and upon securing grants from the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, the ensemble became a professional summer festival orchestra in 1976, and continued for the next 10 years. He made his professional conducting debut with that orchestra in 1976, at the age of 21, conducting for Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
leading soprano Roberta Peters
Roberta Peters
Roberta Peters is an American coloratura soprano.One of the most prominent American singers to achieve lasting fame and success in opera, Peters is noted for her 35-year association with the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York...
, who would become a mentor and good friend of the young conductor. Despite his very young age, he was able to bring an impressive array of international talent to appear under his baton at the Pendleton Festival, including violinist Eugene Fodor
Eugene Fodor
Eugene Nicholas Fodor, Jr. was the first American violinist to win the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.Fodor was born in Denver, Colorado. His first ten years of study were with Harold Wippler...
, Metropolitan Opera leading mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias
Rosalind Elias
Rosalind Elias is an American mezzo-soprano, a rich-voiced singer of fine musicianship who enjoyed a long and distinguished career at the Metropolitan Opera.-Life and career:...
, international soprano Nancy Shade
Nancy Shade
Nancy Shade is a celebrated spinto soprano, best known as a singing-actress. She made her formal debut as Leonora in Il trovatore, in Louisville, in 1967. In 1971, she made her first of many appearances at the New York City Opera, as Musetta in La bohème...
, the Harvard Glee Club
Harvard Glee Club
The Harvard Glee Club is a 60-voice, all-male choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1858 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest collegiate chorus in the US. The Glee Club is part of the Holden Choruses of Harvard University, which also include the...
, and ensembles of principal dancers from American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today...
, the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
, the Royal Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada
National Ballet of Canada
The National Ballet of Canada is Canada's largest ballet troupe. It was founded by Celia Franca in 1951 and is based in Toronto, Ontario. Based upon the unity of Canadian trained dancers in the tradition and style of England's Royal Ballet, The National is regarded as one of the premier classical...
, and the Joffrey Ballet
Joffrey Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet is a dance company in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1956. From 1995 to 2004, the company was known as The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. The company regularly performs classical ballets including Romeo & Juliet and The Nutcracker, while balancing those classics with pioneering modern...
. One of his major Pendleton Festival productions, a tribute on the 100th birthday of the legendary Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, went on to appear at New York's Lincoln Center Festival, and became a Canadian Broadcasting Company television special starring Leslie Caron
Leslie Caron
Leslie Claire Margaret Caron is a French film actress and dancer, who appeared in 45 films between 1951 and 2003. In 2006, her performance in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit won her an Emmy for guest actress in a drama series...
and an international cast of dancers.
In 1977, Daugherty was accepted as an advanced opera conducting student at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
The University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music is the performing arts college of the University of Cincinnati and is one of the nation's leading music conservatories. In its most recent rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Cincinnati sixth nationally among university programs...
, where he studied conducting and opera coaching/accompanying with conductor Kelly Hale, and studied opera repertoire and interpretation with famed Italian basso Italo Tajo
Italo Tajo
Italo Tajo was an Italian operatic bass, particularly associated with Mozart and Rossini roles.Tajo was born in Pinerolo, Piedmont, and studied violin and voice at the Music Conservatory of Turin with Nilde Stichi-Bertozzi. He made his stage debut in 1935, as Fafner , under Fritz Busch...
. He left the University of Cincinnati in late 1979, when he had the unexpected opportunity to begin conducting for American Ballet Theatre prima ballerina Gelsey Kirkland
Gelsey Kirkland
Gelsey Kirkland is an American ballerina. Kirkland joined the New York City Ballet in 1968 at age fifteen, at the invitation of George Balanchine. She was promoted to soloist in 1969 and principal in 1972...
, which eventually resulted in a position with ABT itself. His major symphony orchestra conducting debut took place in that same year, in November 1979, with his first performance with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is an American orchestra based in the city of Rochester, Monroe County, New York. Its primary concert venue is the Eastman Theatre at the Eastman School of Music....
in the Eastman Theatre
Eastman Theatre
The Eastman Theatre is the main building of the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, located in downtown Rochester, New York....
.
Awards
Daugherty won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1996 as executive producer of Peter and the WolfPeter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf , Op. 67, is a composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936 in the USSR. It is a children's story , spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra....
for the ABC Television Network. This new production combined live-action and animation to tell Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
's musical tale, and featured animated characters designed by Warner Bros. Looney Tunes icon Chuck Jones
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
, and vocal and live-action performances by Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Alley
Kirstie Louise Alley is an American actress known for her role in the TV show Cheers, in which she played Rebecca Howe from 1987–1993, winning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1991...
, Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Vernet Bridges, Jr. was an American actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. Bridges is best known for his role of Mike Nelson in Sea Hunt, the most-popular syndicated American TV series in 1958...
, and Ross Malinger
Ross Malinger
Ross Aaron Malinger is an American actor who co-starred as Jonah Baldwin in the 1993 romantic film Sleepless In Seattle. He starred in the 1997 comedy Toothless, along with Kirstie Alley, portraying the second main character of the film...
. Daugherty was also nominated for an additional Emmy for Music Direction of the production, and he and co-writer Janis Diamond received a Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
nomination for its script. Peter and The Wolf also took the top prize at both the Chicago International Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
, and the Houston International Film Festival, and received major awards from the Parents' Choice Awards, Kids First, and the National Film Advisory Board. Daugherty's first Emmy nomination came in 1987, for Music Direction of the PBS television special of Johann Strauss
Johann Strauss II
Johann Strauss II , also known as Johann Baptist Strauss or Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, or the Son , was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas...
' Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus
Die Fledermaus is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée.- Literary sources :...
. He also received two Emmy nominations for Rhythm & Jam, his series of music education specials for the ABC Television Network. In addition, he has received many other awards for his work in music and music education, including the Indiana State Governor's Arts Award in 1999; the Sagamore of the Wabash
Sagamore of the Wabash
The Sagamore of the Wabash is an honorary award created by the state of Indiana during the term of Governor Ralph F. Gates . A tri-state meeting was to be held in Louisville with officials from Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Aides to Gates learned that the governor of Kentucky was preparing...
, also awarded by the Governor of Indiana (and also awarded to his mother Charlene Daugherty for her lifelong work in education); the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonel for his work while Music Director of the Louisville Ballet (which included over 150 performances with the Louisville Orchestra
Louisville Orchestra
The Louisville Orchestra is the primary orchestra in Louisville, Kentucky and has been called the cornerstone of the Louisville arts scene. It was founded in 1937 by Robert Whitney and Charles Farnsley, Mayor of Louisville...
); and a Special Legislative Resolution of Recognition awarded by the Indiana State Senate. His work has also been recognized by the San Francisco Public Library
San Francisco Public Library
The San Francisco Public Library is a public library system serving the city of San Francisco. Its main library is located in San Francisco's Civic Center, at 100 Larkin Street at Grove. The first public library of San Francisco officially opened in 1879, just 30 years after the California Gold...
, which named him a "Library Laureate" in 2006, and by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
National Film Archives, which honored him in 2007.
Composer / music director
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon (1980) (conductor) |
| 1982 | Pavlova: A Tribute To The Legendary Ballerina (conductor, musical director, creative consultant) |
| 1986 | Die Fledermaus (conductor, orchestrator) |
| 1987 | Christmas Every Day (composer) |
| 1987 1987 in film -Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records.... |
Blood Harvest (composer) |
| 1988 | The Canterville Ghost (composer) |
| 1990 | Merrie Melodies: Starring Bugs Bunny and Friends (1990) (composer) |
| 1991 1991 in film The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November... |
(Blooper) Bunny! (conductor, musical director, composer) |
| 1994 1994 in film 1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time... |
Chariots of Fur (conductor, musical director, composer) |
| 1995 1995 in film -Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation.... |
Another Froggy Evening (conductor, musical director, composer) |
| 1996 | Peter and the Wolf (conductor, musical director, off-line video editor) |
| 1996 1996 in film Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:... |
Superior Duck (musical director) |
| 1997 1997 in film -Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*... |
From Hare to Eternity (musical director) |
As producer, writer, and/or director
| 1992 1992 in film The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards... |
The Magical World of Chuck Jones (producer, director) |
| 1993 | Rhythm & Jam (producer, writer, director) |
| 1996 | Peter and the Wolf (producer, writer, director) |
| 2001 | Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat Sagwa is the name of a cat in the children's book Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat by author Amy Tan. Sagwa's popularity with children prompted an educational animated series of the same name on PBS Kids, with production held by French animation studio CineGroupe and Sesame Street creator Sesame... (producer, writer) |
External links
- Full biography at IMG Artists website
- http://www.imgartists.com/?page=artist&id=905
- http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/07/20/WB175273.DTL&hw=George+Daugherty&sn=001&sc=1000
- http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/music/artist_detail.cfm?id=801
- http://www.clevelandorchestra.com/html/Performance/viewByMonth.asp?SiteType=B&m=8&y=2008
- http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entity_id=11874&source_type=A
- http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/1999/SRESP/SR0019.html
- http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=4328
- http://www.aroyalchristmas.com/artists_george_daugherty.html
- http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117477673.html?categoryid=34&cs=1
- http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/About/2005_MRE_BugsBunnyBroadway.aspx
- http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/01/31/1107020318977.html
- http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/07/23/DD221907.DTL&hw=George+Daugherty&sn=005&sc=359
- http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/07/PK80SFOKL.DTL&hw=George+Daugherty&sn=003&sc=504
- http://www.sfsymphony.org/templates/artist.asp?nodeid=597&callid=250&eventid=1005
- http://www.in.gov/arts/2591.htm
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/05/AR2007080501240.html
- http://www.manncenter.org/calendar/calendar/20060714.asp
- http://www.denverpost.com/ci_7866017?source=rssdp
- http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/03/symphony-to-play-the-classic-toons/
- http://www.rte.ie/about/pressreleases/2009/0513/performinggroupsbugsbunny13052009.html
- http://bugsbunnyatthesymphony.net/