Hugh Wolff

Among American conductors focused on chamber ensembles, Hugh Wolff ranks as the most prominent while also forging a substantial presence at the helm of larger symphony orchestras. His birth occurred in Paris to American parents. Academic training took him to Harvard University and the Peabody Conservatory in the United States, where Leon Fleisher and Leonard Shure guided his piano work and George Crumb along with Leon Kirchner oversaw his composition lessons. Additional preparation unfolded at the Paris Conservatoire under the direction of Charles Bruck for conducting and Olivier Messiaen for composition.

Conducting engagements commenced in 1979 when he joined the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C., as assistant to Mstislav Rostropovich. The orchestra advanced him to Associate Conductor in 1982, and three years later he assumed the post of Music Director with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra appointed him Principal Conductor in 1988 and elevated him to Music Director in 1992. That leadership produced more than twenty compact-disc releases, a total surpassing any previous SPCO conductor, and encompassed a widely praised European tour. He has since appeared with virtually every major American orchestra as well as the Czech Philharmonic, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Israel Philharmonic.

An unanticipated proposal drew him in 1997 to the position of Chief Conductor at the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra, where he continued until 2006. He disclosed his plan to retire from the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra upon completion of the 1999-2000 season.