"A man of great charm and worldliness. Immensely gifted, knowledgeable Maestro, terrific conductor and music maker with a broad and solid repertoire of Master works."- Maurice Peress, conductor, former assistant to Leonard Bernstein at the New York Philharmonic
" For his merit, his experience, his musicality, and his personality, I'm sure Dr. Chueke is prepared to assume any important position in the music field " - RicardoTacuchian, composer and conductor
Of a multicultural heritage, a resident of various countries, Isaac Chueke commenced his musical studies as a pianist and composer before perfecting as a conductor in Vienna and New York. His grandmother was a remarkable singer and he himself took voice lessons besides applying to other instruments such as the violin, the organ, the harp and the flute. In Austria he had the opportunity to closely accompany various rehearsals of the Vienna Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Zubin Mehta, Michael Gielen as well as, a member of the New York Philharmonic Conductors Program, observing the work of Kurt Masur and guest conductors. Among his teachers Karl Österreicher, Sergiu Celibidache, Georg Solti, Maurice Peress, Carl Topilow, his musical inheritance and training benefits from both the Central European tradition and the American school, the latter mostly influenced by the teachings of Leonard Bernstein.
In Paris, he studied musicology at the prestigious Sorbonne - producing an essay about conducting Gustav Mahler's music - while simultaneously attending INA-GRM's electroacustic composition techniques at the studios of Radio France. In total he earns degrees and diplomas from four countries.
Recognized for his artistic contribution worldwide Maestro Chueke was awarded the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government, distinguished as well by Czech President Vaclav Havel. He is an Artist-in-Residence at Brahmshaus Baden-Baden and was chosen Music Director of the first concert in North America celebrating European Union’s Anniversary, event counting with the presence of several foreign dignitaries. Other awards include his winning of the Conducting Competitition in Rio de Janeiro and being selected by the Concours pour jeunes chefs d'orchestre de Besançon.
Music directorships include his servings as Music Director of the New York International Orchestra, Music Director of Miami's Alhambra Orchestra, unanimously chosen by its musicians and board, Music Director at the State Theater Sala Cecilia Meireles in Brazil, Resident Conductor at Florida Grand Opera (FGO). He is also known for having pioneered in Rio de Janeiro the Mozart Orchestra serving as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of an ensemble gathering the principal chairs from Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira, Orquestra Pro-Musica Petrobras, Orquestra Sinfônica do Theatro Municipal, Orquestra Sinfônica Nacional. Consistently praised for his solid musicianship and natural leadership, from his performances are always transparent the display of an infectious enthusiasm and élan au pair with a sophisticated elegance and finesse.
He adds to his activities the foundation and artistic directorships of various international festivals, to name a few, in the US,
' Carmen 2000 ', ' A Czech Festival ', ' Art & Music '; in France,
' Brésil Musical ' and ' Rythmes Brésiliens '; in Brazil, '' Encontros com Amadeus Mozart Festival ’, ' New Music in Curitiba '. Commanding a wide repertoire, from the traditional to the modern, he is credited with several premieres, among those, Adam Sentoni’s ' The Queen’s Garden ', Manny Goldberg's ' The Seder in a Flat ', Gloria Chih-Yi Lee's ' Music for Alto Sax and Strings ', Eugenio Escobar’s ' La Danza de Huehuetéotl ', Gulherme Bauer’s ' Canto Flutuante ' , Max Lifchitz’s
' Expressions '.
Guest engagements leading him to Europe (Germany, Austria, France, Italy...), North and South America (New York, Connecticut, Florida, Cleveland, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba...),he also conducted orchestras from Russia, Romania, China, appearing at the helm of, among others, the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Besançon, Cleveland Institute of Music Symphony, Florida International Symphony, New York's Nota Bene Contemporary Ensemble, Ars Flores Symphony Orchestra, major orchestras in Brazil, in venues such as LeFrak Concert Hall, Donnell Auditorium, Kulas Hall, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Theatre in Miami Beach, Sala Cecilia Meireles in Rio de Janeiro, Teatro Guaíra in Curitiba, Teatro Nacional in Brasília.
Also a devoted interpreter of opera, he served as assistant conductor at the Salzburg Festival in Austria and at Teatro San Carlo di Napoli in Italy. During his tenure at FGO, based in Miami and Fort Lauderdale and ranking among ten top companies in the US, he continued developing his practice of the lyrical repertoire with the occasion to partner with artists such as Deborah Voigt, Renata Scotto, Emily Magee, Irina Mishura, Bliss Hebert, in new productions of Tosca, Otello, Carmen. He also assumed the directorship of the company's Department of Education and Outreach, in this capacity devising innovative projects that have been considered among the best in North America. Since then this additional expertise has been shared at venues such as Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Festival Radio France Montpellier, Accademia dell Teatro Alla Scala di Milano.
A graduate from Queens College/City University of New York where he obtained his Master's Degree in Orchestral Conducting under a full scholarship, Maestro Chueke was received Doctor in Music with high honors from Sorbonne. Other institutions attended include the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna and the Mannes College of Music in New York City. Currently splitting residencies between both sides of the Atlantic, Isaac Chueke, a true cosmopolitan, speaks English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, with a knowledge of Hebrew and Arabic.
