When Bill Zakariasen of the New York Daily News penned those remarks on the occassion of Tali Makell's Lincoln Center debut at Alice Tully Hall, Mr. Makell had already attracted considerable attention, and not only for his large and unusual repertoire.

Tali Makell served as principal conductor of the New York City Housing Authority Symphony Orchestra from 1981 to 1995. The NYCHA Symphony Orchestra has traditionally provided music to those whose exposure to concert music has been limited by economic position and circumstance. Under his leadership, which reflected his commitment to arts education, the orchestra brought great music to public housing residents and disadvantaged individuals. It was this that inspired Charles Kuralt to thrust Mr. Makell and the NYCHA Symphony Orchestra into the national spotlight on CBS Television's Sunday Morning. Under Mr. Makell's baton, in addition to its primary mission, the orchestra performed regularly in New York's major music centers, becoming a much valued and beloved institution.

Mr. Makell has also performed at Carnegie Recital Hall, Merkin Hall and in summer concerts at Damrosch Shell at Lincoln Center. From 1981 to 1985, Tali Makell was music director of the Henry Street Settlement Opera Ensemble, one of New York's oldest cultural institutions. While there he again riveted the attention of critics and audiences, leading a rare performance of Handel's Giulio Cesare in a version he prepared himself from the original sources. Admired by his colleagues for his exceptional communicative skills, Mr Makell, with their encouragement and the support of the Musicians Union, co-founded the Brooklyn Heights Promenade Orchestra in 1982. Again on the recommendation of players eager to continue working with him, the Washington Square Chamber Orchestra appointed him guest conductor for its 1988-1990 seasons. With these ensembles he demonstrated a flair for innovative programming that complimented traditional repertoire. He introduced the public to a number of lesser-known or seldom-played works, including the Glazunov Saxophone Concerto and Beethoven's King Stefan Overture. In 1987, the Exxon Affiliates awarded Mr. Makell its most prestigious grant, a fellowship in its Artists Conducting Program. In recognition of that and of his other accomplishments the Brooklyn Philharmonic appointed him Associate Conductor for its 1989-90 season.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Mr. Makell began his musical studies at the Preparatory Department of the Peabody Conservatory. He is a graduate of Oberlin College Conservatory where he majored in composition, voice and conducting. He continued his conducting studies in New York under Laszlo Halasz and Semyon Vechshtein. In addition to his activities as a conductor, he serves as Artistic Director for The Nietzsche Music Project, a non-profit arts organization founded in 1990. In this capacity he was a producer for two critically acclaimed CDs, on the Newport Classics label, of the little-known musical compositions of the great German philosopher. In 1997 in recognition of Mr. Makell's authority on Nietzsche's influence on 20th century musical aesthetics and thought, the International Nietzsche Colloquium invited his participation as a distinguished lecturer at the Nietzsche-Haus Sils Maria in Switzerland.

Reviews and citations

Makell is obviously a big talent. I hope I will be hearing his work again soon.

John Corigliano
 

Mr. Makell drew an especially rich sound from his orchestra here, and he reveled in the score's vintage Coplandisms and syncopations borrowed from Jazz. [Clarinet concerto] Mr. Makell closed his concert with a beautifully molded rendering of Haydn's Symphony No. 44.

Allan Kozinn New York Times
 

A fine new conductor emerges…. Mr. Makell has a crystal-clear baton technique and a passionate, yet completely controlled commitment to music.

Bill Zakariasen, New York Daily News
 

Mr. Makell... executed a graceful and spirited Dvorak's New World Symphony, faithful to the rhythmic verve and melodic charm of the score's blueprint.

Edward Rothstein, The New York Times.

Awards, appointments and special productions

• Exxon Affiliate, Artists Conductor Program, 1987
• Brooklyn Philharmonic. Associate Conductor 1989-90
• New York City Housing Authority Symphony Orchestra 1981-1995
• Brooklyn Promenade Chamber Orchestra, Conductor and Founder 1983
• Washington Square Chamber Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor, 1988-1990
• Producer and annotator for the CDs The Piano Music of Friedrich Nietzsche and The Music of Friedrich Nietzsche , Newport Classics #85513 and #85535
• Co-Producer and director, with Stephen Blauweiss, of Zarathustra's Drunken Song, a film based on the life and work of Nietzsche. Narrated by Fritz Weaver
• Contributing essayist and critic for the The Listener's Companion to Classical Recordings (Miller-Freeman Publishing; 2000)

Contact details

E-mail IMCA

E-mail Tali Makell