Dear Friends,

I am very proud of our accomplishments at the South Dakota Symphony over the last three seasons. We have truly brought our orchestra to another level of playing and, in the process, have brought you some of the greatest gems of the symphonic repertoire. You can sense the anticipation leading up to each performance during the season, both within the orchestra and among you, our audience members. We all know that we are participating in something very special.

The 2007-2008 season builds upon this foundation that we have laid. The cornerstone is Midori, unquestionably one of the greatest violinists of our time. We are one of only two orchestras in the country selected to host her for a week-long residency. During this time she will not only play with the Symphony, but will also teach and speak throughout our community as an advocate for the arts. Our production of Madama Butterfly was such a resounding success in every aspect that we have decided to bring Puccini's Tosca to you, considered by many to be his greatest work. As always, we will feature over 400 years' worth of music, from the very old to the very new, integrated throughout the season with each program designed to give you plenty of food for thought. From the symphonies of Beethoven to Brahms' profoundly moving Requiem, each are incredibly wonderful pieces of music from the world's greatest composers that are sure to deeply enrich all of our lives.

I encourage you to take this opportunity to be a part of our family. We would love to put you on our inside track and help you to be able to fully participate in these events. Please carefully consider all of the benefits of subscribing and take advantage of the flexibility offered to you in the full range of our programming. The South Dakota Symphony is your connection to the music of the masters—your ticket to inspiration—come join us!

Looking forward,

Delta David Gier
Music Director, South Dakota Symphony

DELTA DAVID GIER BIOGRAPHY

Delta David Gier has been called a dynamic voice on the American music scene, recognized widely for his penetrating interpretations of the standard repertoire and his passionate commitment to new music. In summer 2000 he conducted the New York Philharmonic in what were described as “splendid performances . . . He found new ways to look at old repertoire in Stravinsky’s ballet suite from The Firebird (1945).” He came to national attention in 1997 while conducting a tour of Carmen for San Francisco Opera’s Western Opera Theater. Since 1994 Mr. Gier has been an assistant conductor for the New York Philharmonic, and has served in that role for the Metropolitan Opera as well. He has performed with many of the world's finest soloists, including Midori, Lang Lang and Sarah Chang.
This season Mr. Gier has been asked to conduct all of the New York Philharmonic's Young People's Concerts, the first conductor to do so in over 50 years. These highly innovative programs continue to be the vanguard in introducing new audiences to classical music. Gier will also make his St. Louis Symphony debut in April 2008.
Since the 2004-05 season Mr. Gier has held the post of Music Director of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. During his first three seasons the orchestra enjoyed great success with its series of concerts featuring works of Pulitzer Prize-winning composers. This program was heralded by the Wall Street Journal as, "an unprecedented programming innovation." Thus far, Pulitzer prize-winning composers Paul Moravec and Steven Stucky have had residencies with the SDSO.
The release of his recording of Symphony No. 2 (42) by American composer Carson Kievman with the Polish National Radio Symphony on the New Albion label received acclaim from many quarters. “The kind of performance composers live for” was the Denver Post’s response, while Spoleto Today wrote, “It provides one of the most powerful musical experiences I have had in recent times.”
As a Fulbright Scholar (1988–90) Gier led critically acclaimed performances with many orchestras of Eastern Europe. He was invited to the former Czechoslovakia to conduct Dvorak’s Eighth Symphony in celebration of the 100th anniversary of its premiere. Gier took this opportunity to introduce Eastern European audiences to many American masterworks, such as Barber’s Violin Concerto with the Presidential Symphony of Ankara, and Copland’s Appalachian Spring with the Bucharest Philharmonic. “He possesses an innate sense of expression which stems naturally from an absolute artistic sincerity . . .” was how Mircea Cristescu, the Bucharest Philharmonic’s laureate conductor, characterized Gier’s direction.
Gier earned a Master of Music degree in conducting from The University of Michigan under Gustav Meier. “He communicates a true and convincing interpretation to the audience” Meier observed, ”. . . and, above all, he brings the composer to the center of the stage.” As a student at Tanglewood and Aspen he studied also with Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Masur, Erich Leinsdorf, and Seiji Ozawa, and was later invited by Riccardo Muti to spend a year as an apprentice at the Philadelphia Orchestra. At the invitation of the American Symphony Orchestra League he participated in their National Conductor Preview, a highly selective showcase for young conductors.
Mr. Gier has also been in demand as a teacher and conductor in many highly regarded music schools. serving as visiting professor at the Yale School of Music, the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, the San Francisco Conservatory and SUNY Stony Brook.