User:Halweller
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Harold Leighton Weller, founder and music director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, has achieved distinction since 1961 as music director of symphony orchestras in Ohio, Virginia, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada.
Born in Dayton, Ohio on 6 July 1941, Weller holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Miami (Ohio) University and a Master of Arts from the Ohio State University. He also studied at the Oberlin and Cincinnati Conservatories of Music. He began his professional career at age 20, when he was engaged to conduct opera at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. His conducting mentors include Richard Lert, Haig Yaghjian, Max Rudolf and George Szell.
As an accomplished and successful orchestra builder, Weller founded the Ashland (Ohio) Symphony in 1970 and the Old Dominion Symphony in Virginia in 1977. Both of these orchestras continue to enrich the cultural climate of their cities.
Weller came to Las Vegas after a 15-year tenure with the Flagstaff (Arizona) Symphony (1982-1997). Under his direction both as artistic director and general manager, the Flagstaff Symphony sextupled its concert offerings and operating budget, and became noted for having the highest per capita support of any symphony orchestra in the United States. In recognition for his artistic and civic achievements, Weller was honored with the title Conductor Laureate for Life.
Introduced to the Las Vegas performing arts scene while still in Flagstaff, Weller served as music director of the Nevada Dance Theatre (1994-1998) and visiting professor of music for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (1997-1998).
Now in his ninth year with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Weller looks with pride on the explosive growth of his new orchestra. The Philharmonic now plays for standing-room-only audiences and has a balanced budget of nearly $2 million.
Meantime, the Philharmonic's programs-from its Classical Series to its Fourth of July concerts-have been highly acclaimed. The Las Vegas Review-Journal has described Weller as a man "who imbues orchestral music with more than passion, more than life, sharing a bit of his soul with each piece he conducts."
With the Philharmonic, Weller has worked recently with such well-known artists as Angel Romero, John Browning, John Williams, Placido Domingo, Sylvia McNair, Sarah Brightman, Robert Goulet, and on tour with tenor Andrea Bocelli. Over time he has worked with a host of classical and popular artists, including Isaac Stern, Janos Starker, William Warfield, Sidney Harth, Gary Karr, Steve Allen, Doc Severinsen, Dudley Moore, Jerry Goldsmith, Glen Campbell and Henry Mancini.
The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Weller was presented the 2003 Achievement Award in Arts & Entertainment from the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. Other honors include the Governor's Award (New Mexico) and Flagstaff's Citizen of the Year Award in 1991. In 1995, Flagstaff's Lowell Observatory named an asteroid named in his honor. In 2004, Weller made an acclaimed European debut in an all-American concert in Sophia, Bulgaria. Most recently, the Mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar B. Goodman, proclaimed October 9, 2005 as "Harold Weller Day" in Las Vegas in recognition of Hal's many contributions and accomplishments for the arts in Las Vegas.
Weller has announced that he will step down as music director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic in June 2007, as the conclusion of the 2006-2007 season.
