John Neal Axelrod (born March 28, 1966, in Houston, Texas) is a Swiss/American conductor. In 2024, Axelrod was named Music Director and Principal Conductor of the newly created Swiss National Orchestra. Axelrod was elected Principal Conductor of the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra in a unique open ended contract in 2022. From 2019 to 2023 He was Principal Guest Conductor of the City of Kyoto Symphony Orchestra. He was also elected Artistic and musical director of the Royal Symphony Orchestra of Seville in 2014(ABC de Sevilla).Retrieved 2014-11-26. and is Principal Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, "Giuseppe Verdi", also known as "LaVerdi". Between 2009 and 2013, Axelrod was music director of l'Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, based in Nantes and Angers, France;(April 6, 2009) Un American en… Pays de la Loire! , Qobuz. Retrieved December 16, 2009. and from 2009 to 2011, Axelrod served as music director of "Hollywood In Vienna" Gala Concerts with the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vienna.http://hollywoodinvienna.com/en/people/john-axelrod Festival der Filmmusik, Hollywood in Vienna. Retrieved August 6, 2013. He has also served as music director and Chief Conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra from 2004 to 2009,(Strings Magazine) and from 2001 to 2009 as Principal Guest Conductor of Sinfonietta Cracovia.Artists, John Axelrod. . Orchestra Sinfonietta Cracovia. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
Early life Axelrod was born in Houston, Texas, on March 28, 1966. From the age of 5, Axelrod studied piano with Jacquelyn Harbachick and Roberto Eyzaguirre. At the age of 16 he was accepted as a student by Leonard Bernstein,Katie Connolly (July 10, 2009). John Axelrod: Leonard Bernstein tweaked my nipple – and other stories Guardian.co.uk. Retrieved December 1, 2009. during the premiere of his final opera, A Quiet Place, for Houston Grand Opera.Donal Henahan (June 20, 1983). OPERA: BERNSTEIN’S ‘QUIET PLACE’ OPENS IN HOUSTON, The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2009. Axelrod graduated cum laude in 1984 from St. John's School and went on to Harvard University, where he completed a bachelor's degree in music in 1988. After a summer jazz course in 1985 he continued his jazz piano and improvisation studies with Craig Najjar at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. Axelrod moved to Los Angeles following his studies, working as an A&R Executive for Atlantic and RCA/BMG Records until 1991. He worked briefly as an artist manager for Iron John Management, started his own production company, "Ivy League Records", and eventually became Director of the Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Center in Costa Mesa, California, in 1994. After deciding to return to music in 1995, he studied conducting at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia with Ilya Musin. In 1996 Axelrod founded Houston's former Orchestra X, where he served as artistic director and Conductor.Marene Gustin (April 5, 2001). Beat Ahead Houston Press. Retrieved December 1, 2009. He also studied with then Houston Symphony Music Director Christoph Eschenbach and became his assistant in 1999 at the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival and for Parsifal, at Bayreuth in 2000.Parsifal conductors in Bayreuth Wagneropera.net. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
Conductor In 2004, Axelrod was named Chief Conductor of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester and music director of the Luzern Theater in Switzerland.Luzerner Sinfonieorchester Wikipedia. Retrieved December 16, 2009. During his 5-year tenure he appeared at the Lucerne Festival each summer, performing in both concert and opera.
In April 2009 Axelrod was elected as music director of the l'Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (ONPL), based in Nantes and Angers, France.(November 2009). Le Directeur Musical Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire. Retrieved December 4, 2009. He assumed the title of Music Director Designé with the 2009–2010 season, and began his full duties as music director for the 2010–2011 season.
In July 2009, Axelrod was appointed music director of the Hollywood in Vienna Gala Concert with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna. The first of his concert performances was on October 14, 2009, in the Konzerthaus of Vienna.Hollywood in Vienna 2009 – a review Youtube. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
From the 2011/12 season, he is the Principal Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi also known as "laVerdi".(Gramophone Magazine).article. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
In November 2014, Axelrod was elected Artistic and musical director of the Royal Symphony Orchestra of Seville.
In July 2017, Axelrod was elected CEO (Consejero Delegado) in addition to his Artistic and musical director duties of the Royal Symphony Orchestra of Seville.(ABC de Sevilla).Retrieved 2018-01-01.
In January 2020, Axelrod was elected Principal Guest Conductor of the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, in Japan.
In August 2022, Axelrod was elected Principal Conductor of the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra, in Romania.
In December 2023, Axelrod was elected as founding Music Director and Principal of the newly created Swiss National Orchestra.
Guest conductor Axelrod has conducted over 175 orchestras around the world, including many of the world's leading orchestras such as, in Europe: the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonia, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Israeli Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the Hungarian National Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Orchestra, Polish National Radio Orchestra, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra in St. Petersburg, at Vienna's Musikverein and Konzerthaus with the Vienna Radio Symphony, Gürzenich Orchestra Köln, Berlin's Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester, Orchestre National de Lyon, Camerata Salzburg, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, and the Salzburg Mozarteum. In Asia: the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa and City of Kyoto Symphony; and in North America: the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Toronto Symphony. He has also been a regular guest of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Dresden Philharmonic, NDR Radiophilharmonie of Hanover, Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI Torino, Orchestra del Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, Teatro alla Scala, Teatro la Fenice, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Lisbon's Gulbenkian Orchestra.
In 2003, Axelrod premiered with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus at the Ravinia Festival the Samuel Pisar text for the Symphony 3 "Kaddish," by Leonard Bernstein. He recorded this version for Nimbus with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra in 2006 at the Lucerne Festival.
In 2007, Axelrod recorded Holocaust - A Music Memorial Film, directed by James Kent on the grounds of Auschwitz BBC TWO with Sinfonietta Cracovia, performing Mozart's Requiem, Gorecki's Symphony 3, with soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and the Kaiser's aria from Kaiser von Atlantis with baritone Gerald Finley. in 2005, the documentary won an international Emmy Award.
During the summer of 2009 Axelrod made a unique European and North American tour at the invitation of Chinese pianist Lang Lang and legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock,Anfnewsacct (June 3, 2009). Lang Lang & Herbie Hancock World Tour NeuFutur magazine. Retrieved December 2, 2009.Rhim: Sotta voce 2 Capriccio. performing in such venues as the Montreux Jazz Festival Arena di Verona, Royal Albert Hall, the Ruhr Piano Festival, Rotterdam North Sea Jazz, the Ravenna Festival, the Ravinia Festival, the Mann Center, Massey Hall, and the Hollywood Bowl.
From 2009 to 2011, Axelrod was the music director of the annual red carpet broadcast event in the Konzerthaus Vienna Hollywood in Vienna with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, performing film music by such composers as John Williams, Alexandre Desplat, Howard Shore, Alan Silverstri, Max Steiner, Erich Wolfgang Korngold and many more.
In 2017, Axelrod made history walking down the steps dressed as Darth Vader at Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, performing Star Wars by John Williams.
In 2012, Axelrod, as music director of the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, recorded with French Mezzo Soprano Véronique Gens works by Berlioz and Ravel, for Ondine. With the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, he also recorded made the first recording by a French orchestra of L'Eventail de Jeanne for Naxos. With this orchestra, he also recorded with Swiss violinist Rachel Kolly d'Alba works by Chausson and Ravel for Warner Classics, released in 2011.CD french Impressions: . Warner Classics. Released worldwide October 2011. This CD won the "ICMA 2012 Award" in the "concertos" category (International Classical Music Awards).
In 2011, Axelrod achieved critical acclaim for his Salzburg Festival debut with percussionist Martin Grubinger in a reprise of the marathon Concert they performed in 2006 in Vienna's Musikverein.Nachrichten.at: article. Retrieved August 25, 2011. Since then, Axelrod has made many tours with professional youth orchestras, including Accademia della Scala, Orchestra Giovanile Italiana, Junge Norddeutsche Philharmonie, and the Wiener Jeunesse Orchester.
Soloists whom Axelrod has often worked with include: Julia Fischer, Veronique Gens, Martin Grubinger, Thomas Hampson, Dietrich Henschel, Daniel Hope, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Lang Lang, Sabine Meyer, Fazıl Say, Lilya Zilberstein, and Chen Reiss.
Axelrod has premiered many new works by such composers as Wolfgang Rihm (Sotte Voce II),Rihm: Sotta voce 2 Capriccio. Presto Classical. Retrieved December 16, 2009. Kaija Saariaho (Nymphea Reflection),Kaija Saariaho: Nymphea Reflection Chester Novello. Retrieved December 16, 2009. Gabriel Prokoviev (Remix of Beethoven's 9th for electronica and Orchestra),Gabriel Prokoviev: AFP. Retrieved July 10, 2011. Fazıl Say (1001 Nights in a Harem), Schott Music. Retrieved December 16, 2009. Marco Stroppa (Rittratti Senza Volto), Michael Gordon (Grey, Pink, Yellow),Grey Pink Yellow Michael Gordon. Retrieved December 16, 2009. Karim al-Zand (7th Voyage of Sindbad),Performance Archive Karim Al-Zand. Retrieved December 25, 2009. Anthony K. Brandt (Express),May 14, 2002. Orchestra X concludes season Houston Public Radio kuhf. Retrieved December 16, 2009. and Wojciech Kilar (September Symphony).Polish Day at the 38th Midem Music Fair . Culture.PL. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
Opera Axelrod's opera activity includes the premiere performances of Bernstein's Candide (directed by Robert Carsen) at Paris's Théâtre du Châtelet and Milano's Teatro alla Scala and the new production of Krenek's Kehraus um St. Stephan at the Bregenzer Festspiele. In his past seasons at the Luzerner Theater he conducted new productions of Kaiser von Atlantis (for the Lucerne Festival), Rigoletto, Rake's Progress (for the Lucerne Festival), Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Die Dreigroschenoper (for the Lucerne Festival), Evgeni Onegin, Idomeneo (for the Lucerne Festival), Falstaff and Don Giovanni (for the Lucerne Festival) and Puccini's 'Gianni Schicchi and 'Turandot (for the Puccini Festival in 2021 and 2022). In 2009, he also conducted Tristan and Isolde (directed by Olivier Py), for Angers/Nantes Opera. 2014 Opera performances include "Evgeni Onegin" at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli.
Recent recordings and projects