Irwin Hoffman
Conductor

In 2009 Maestro Hoffman will conduct in Budapest, Hungary , Caracas, Venezuela, and Cali, Colombia.

From May of 2004 he was Music Director of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bogota, Colombia until 2007. From 2000 to 2003 he was Music Director of the National Symphony of Colombia. From 1987 to 2002 he was Music Director of the National Symphony of Costa Rica, and took the orchestra on its first tour outside the country to Florida in the United States. He also conducted the orchestra in tours of Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Spain, and Germany. From 1994 to 1997 he was Music Director of the Symphony Orchestra of Santiago, Chile.

From 1983 to 1996 Maestro Hoffman was Artistic Director of the Flagstaff, Arizona Festival of the Arts. He was Music Director of the Florida Orchestra from its founding in 1968 until 1987. Prior to the post in Florida, Hoffman was Acting Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra following a period as Associate Conductor. He went to Chicago following the position of Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Canada, a post he held for twelve years.

For four seasons he served as Music Director of the Belgian Radio and Television Symphony. He toured Poland with them including Warsaw's Autumn Festival of contemporary music.

He has guest conducted some of the world's finest orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestras of England, Scotland and Wales, The Philarmonia of London, the Orchestre National, the Orchestre Philharmonique and Orchestre Symphonique Francaise of Paris, the Radio Symphony of Strassbourg, France, the Poznan Philharmonic of Poland; the CBS Toronto and the orchestras of Winnipeg and Kitchener in Canada. In Israel, the Israel Philharmonic and the Israel Chamber Orchestra.

In Central and South America he has conducted the Orquesta Sinf˜nica Brasileira of Brazil. The SODRE of Uruguay, the National Orchestras of Peru, El Salvador and Guatemala, the Xalapa Symphony of Mexico, the UNAM of Mexico City, the Orquesta Sinfonica of Caracas, Venezuela, the Philharmonic and the Orquesta Sinfonica of Bogota, Colombia and the National Symphony of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In the Orient he has conducted the Beijing Symphony in China, the Taipei Symphony and Taichung Symphony in Taiwan.

In the United States he conducted the orchestras of St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Denver, New Jersey, Phoenix, Honolulu, Buffalo, New Orleans, Ravinia Festival and Grant Park.

Born in New York City, he began playing the violin and piano at the age of six. A graduate of the Juilliard School, he spent several summers studying with Serge Koussevitzy at the Berkshire Music Festival. The title of Doctor of Music was given to him by the University of Tampa in Florida.

Back to Accent09 Faculty Page