Carl St.Clair

Who is Carl St.Clair?

Carl Ray St.Clair is an American conductor.

St. Clair went to school in Yoakum, TX and graduated from Yoakum High School. He then attended the University of Texas. He later studied conducting with Gustav Meier at the University of Michigan and Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood. He was music director of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 1992, and of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra from 1986 to 1991. Beginning in 1986, he was an assistant conductor with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 1990, he was a recipient of the Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductors Award. St.Clair has served on the faculty of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

In January 1990, he conducted the Pacific Symphony Orchestra for the first time, and on the success of that appearance, was named the orchestra's music director. During his Pacific Symphony tenure, he and the orchestra have commissioned and recorded several works, including Richard Danielpour's An American Requiem and Elliot Goldenthal's Fire Water Paper: A Vietnam Oratorio with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Other recordings include "Radiant Voices" and "Postcard" by composer in residence Frank Ticheli, and the two piano concertos of Lukas Foss. The orchestra and St.Clair host an annual festival of American composers, including "Uncharted Beauty: The Music of Lou Harrison", "Los Sonidos de México", and "The West — Music inspired by the American Frontier".