Biography
Constantine Kitsopoulos has established himself as a dynamic conductor known for his ability to work in many different genres and settings. He is equally at home with opera, symphonic repertoire, film with live orchestra, music theatre, and composition. His work has taken him all over the world where he has conducted the major orchestras of North America, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Tokyo Philharmonic. The fact that Kitsopoulos is continually re-engaged by orchestras of the level of the New York Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and many others, is a testament to his abilities.
In addition to Maestro Kitsopoulos’ engagements as guest conductor, he is Music Director of the Festival of the Arts Boca and General Director of Chatham Opera. He was recently appointed General Director of the New York Grand Opera and is working with the company to bring opera, free and open to the public, back to New York’s Central Park.
Highlights of the 2018-19 season include making his debut with the Chicago Symphony, and return engagements with the Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony, Toronto Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Louisiana Philharmonic, and San Antonio Symphony. Maestro Kitsopoulos will also conduct Leonard Bernstein’s Mass at Indiana University Opera Theatre.
During the 2017/18 Season Maestro Kitsopoulos made debuts with the Utah Symphony, and Austin Symphony. His return engagements included appearances with the Detroit Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Nashville Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, and New Jersey Symphony.
Maestro Kitsopoulos’ commitment to opera has led him to develop semi-staged productions of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, for which he has written a new translation, Don Giovanni, and La Bohème. He has made numerous appearances as guest conductor with Indiana University Opera Theatre where he has conducted productions of Falstaff, Die Fledermaus, A View from the Bridge, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Most Happy Fella, South Pacific, Oklahoma, The Music Man, and The Last Savage. One of the highlights of his career on Broadway was serving as Music Director & Principal Conductor of Baz Luhrmann’s production of Puccini’s La Bohème. He was Assistant Chorus Master at New York City Opera from 1984-1989.
On Broadway Maestro Kitsopoulos has been Music Director of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess(cast album on PS Classics), A Catered Affair(cast album on PS Classics), Coram Boy, La Bohème (cast album on DreamWorks Records), Swan Lake, and Les Misérables. He was Music Director of American Conservatory Theatre’s acclaimed production of Weill/Brecht’s Happy End and made the only English language recording of the piece for Sh-K-Boom Records.
As composer, Kitsopoulos is Music Director/Supervisor of Temple, with book & lyrics by Silvia Peto, music by Norman Durkee with additional music, arrangements, and orchestrations by Mr. Kitsopoulos. Temple is currently under development and performed an acclaimed reading in at the Signature Theatre in New York in April 2017. Also in development is a new music theatre piece entitled Alamo, with music and lyrics by former Metropolitan Opera baritone, Timothy Noble. Mr. Kitsopoulos is Music Director/Supervisor, arranger and orchestrator. Kitsopoulos is currently working with librettist, Evangelia Kingsley, on a chamber opera entitled Holy Week, about three generations of Greek women.
Maestro Kitsopoulos studied piano with Marienka Michna, Chandler Gregg, Edward Edson, and Sophia Rosoff. He studied conducting with Semyon Bychkov, Sergiu Commissiona, Gustav Meier and his principal teacher Vincent La Selva.