Henry Mazer

Biography

Born in Pittsburgh, Mazer was educated at Duquesne University and at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. Mazer chose conducting for his career early-on in his life, and became the protégé of renowned conductor Fritz Reiner. At Reiner's recommendation, Mazer conducted the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra in West Virginia from 1948 to 1958 and the Florida Symphony Orchestra in Orlando from 1958 to 1965. In 1966, Mazer was named Associate Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Four years later, he received a last-minute invitation to stand-in with the Symphony when its conductor, William Steinberg, was taken ill. Held at New York City's Carnegie Hall, the concert brought Mazer to the attention of Georg Solti, who later asked him to be his Associate Conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a position he held for the next 15 years. During that time, he performed with internationally acclaimed musicians such as Arthur Rubinstein, Isaac Stern, Andrés Segovia, Rudolf Serkin, Robert Casadesus, and Marian Anderson. not every review was positive: following his move to Taiwan, one Chicago critic described his performances as "dull readings." Mazer, however, would end up with no shortage of fans. Taiwan would be different. After the success of the concerts, Mazer took on the challenge of developing a new orchestra in Taiwan – the Taipei Sinfonietta (later, the Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra). "I could not help develop the Chicago Symphony Orchestra any further, whereas in Taiwan I could see plenty of development potential", he said.

Despite the international recognition, Mazer led a very simple life while he was in Taiwan. He got along well with his Taiwanese musicians, some of whom he worked with for a decade and were regarded as his own children. Mazer said he found Taiwanese musicians to be more disciplined than those in the West, and thus more satisfying to work with.

Recordings

1950 - Henry Mazer conducting the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra in "pops" favorites of the Ohio Valley. / 1950 / 12" Vinyl / Blackcrest Records 1962 – Infinite Journey, Wernher von Braun / Johann Sebastian Bach / Bach Festival Choir / Florida Symphony Orchestra / Various Artists 1992 – TPO Live 1: Music With Mazer , various composers / Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra 1994 – TPO Live 4: Maestro Henry Mazer , various composers / Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra 2003 – TPO Live 16 , various composers / Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra

Awards

In addition to awards and international critical acclaim for his music and recordings, including the CSO's Petites Promenades Concert Series, which held several performances each year, sometimes in collaboration with Lady Solti and composer Irwin Fischer. Mazer had already been actively involved in youth musical education in Orlando through the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra while conducting the Florida Symphony Orchestra. In Chicago, Mazer was put in charge of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's educational program In addition to holding "miniconcerts" and lecturing in the Chicago Public Schools, Mazer won a Special Award for Music Education in 1986 from then-Chicago Mayor Harold Washington.

Personal life Although Mazer would be survived by several children from his marriage,