Her course soaring ever upward, Gisèle Ben-Dor's first actual experience
as a conductor came when she was a teenager in her native Uruguay. When her
family moved to Israel, she was able to continue her dedicated pursuit
of a career in conducting, and in Tel Aviv she graduated from the Rubin Academy
of Music. Later with grants from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, she
also graduated from the Yale School of Music.
Differences in language and cultural heritage have clearly been an enrichment
rather than a hindrance in Miss Ben-Dor's stellar accomplishments.
Capturing the interest of Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood Music Center and
as a Conducting Fellow of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, she was name
a Leonard Bernstein Fellow, and she was subsequently invited by Bernstein to
conduct the Bavarian Radio Orchestra in the first Schleswig-Holstein Festival.
Miss Ben-Dor's debut performance with the Israel Philharmonic was broadcast
throughout Europe over London's BBC. She won the Bartok Prize in the Hungarian
Television International Competition, toured eastern Europe, and in the same
year made her American conducting debut with the Minnesota Orchestra at its
Summerfest. In the U.S. she has gone on to conduct the Dayton Philharmonic and
the Toledo, Colorado Springs, Louisville, Chautauqua, and New World Symphony
Orchestras, as well as the Tanglewood Young Artists Orchestra and others. She
has conducted many an American and world premiere performance.
A highlight of her tenure as resident conductor of the Houston Symphony was
a Presidential Inauguration at The Kennedy Center. Her Carnegie Hall debut came  during
the Hall's 100th Anniversary celebration. And she was further brought to the
attention of the world of classical music when she was featured by Musical America
as "Young Artist of the Year."
Most auspiciously this past July, Miss Ben-Dor was asked to lead the prestigious
New York Philharmonic in four hugely attended and very favorably received outdoor
concerts.
Widely in demand as guest conductor in other lands as well, she has led the
Ulster Orchestra, Spanish Radio and TV,Het Gelders Orkest in The Netherlands,
the Flemish Chamber Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony, and the Israel Chamber
Orchestra. In 1994-95 her debut performances included the London Symphony Orchestra,
the Boston Pops, and Germany's Potsdam Festival. She has recordings on the Koch
International, Centaur, and CRI labels.
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