American conductor David Handel has achieved an extraordinary reputation as one of the most respected and innovative conductors in Latin America.  His fame throughout the continent, imaginative programming and distinctive community approach fill halls wherever he conducts.

Since the beginning of his tenure as Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Bolivia, audience attendance has grown exponentially, most of the new audience composed of young concertgoers.   Handel's energy and critical acclaim has made him one of the busiest conductors in Latin America and has led to his numerous invitations as guest conductor with many of the region’s most important orchestras.

First noticed by Kurt Masur, then Music Director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, David Handel was invited to serve as his apprentice conductor at this historic institution.  Since then, he has led orchestras throughout the world, including programs for international radio and television broadcast. 

In 1993, David Handel was one of a few young conductors selected to conduct the New York Philharmonic in a preview of young conductors at Carnegie Hall.  As a guest conductor, he has performed widely in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. 

His repertoire spans most of the symphonic and operatic literature. Having led numerous first performances and world premiers, he has personally commissioned more than seventy original scores and orchestral arrangements and has to his credit a considerable list of television and compact disc recordings.   

Twice a fellow of the prestigious Fulbright Senior Scholar Program, David Handel is a laureate of the Chicago Artists International Program and has received numerous awards including two Rackham awards (Michigan, USA), the Marguerite Lapp Scholarship for Exceptional Musical Talent (Buffalo, New York, USA),  two Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Illinois Arts Council awards, the Decoration of Illimani for outstanding community service in the arts (La Paz, Bolivia), the UNESCO Pro-Santa Cruz National Prize in Culture (Bolivia), the Pedro D. Murillo Medal of Honor (La Paz, Bolivia) and a fellowship from the Leipzig Gewandhaus (Germany).  He has represented the United States in Latin America, Asia and the Middle East as a Cultural Ambassador through the U.S. State Department Cultural Specialist Program.  Most recently, Handel was decorated with the Coat of Arms of the City of La Paz by President Evo Morales and was the feature of profiles in The Washington Post and National Public Radio (USA).

Among David Handel's most recent activities are releases of three compact disc recordings with the National Symphony Orchestra of Bolivia and the UNCuyo Symphony Orchestra of works by Erich Eisner and Antonín Dvorak, and of works by David Winkler and Alberto Ginastera recorded for the Naxos label released in September of 2008.  In 2007, David Handel conducted the combined orchestras of Baghdad, Erbil and Suleimaniya at the Unity Festival (Erbil, Iraq), a multi-national American Voices mission of support and solidarity with Iraqi orchestral musicians and young artists.  January of 2009 will mark the third year of the Guadalquivir International Festival which he founded in the Andean town of Tarija, Bolivia, bringing together some of the finest orchestral musicians from throughout the Americas. 

His upcoming activities include return engagements with the National Symphony Orchestra of Argentina (Buenos Aires), the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia (Bogota), the UFF National Symphony Orchestra (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil), the Amazon Philharmonic at the famed Teatro Amazonas (Manaus, Brazil), the Koszalin State Philharmonic (Poland), invitations from the San Juan Symphony Orchestra (Argentina), the Mar Del Plata Symphony Orchestra (Argentina), the Salta Symphony Orchestra (Argentina), the Riverside Symphonia (New Jersey, USA), the Henri Wienawski Philharmonic of Lublin (Poland), the Irkutsk Philharmonic (Russia), the Milan State Symphony Orchestra (Italy), La Serena Symphony Orchestra ULS (Chile) and recording projects of music by composers David Winkler and Alberto Ginastera.

“Maestro Handel is a ‘messiah’ for orchestra”

The Miami Herald, USA

"Handel's decisive style brought cohesive, blended sounds, precise attacks, and
bold dynamics from the orchestra, in a performance that was polished, expressive and
 full of carefully shaped phrases throughout..."

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, USA

"Handel has brought the National Symphony of Bolivia to levels of public awareness and excellence heretofore unknown.  His energetic podium manner and repose in real life are fresh air in our midst."

COSAS, Syndicated South American Magazine

“Much more than pure joy… The capacity crowd of more than 2,000 gave a massive’ YES’ to this performance…  The extremely notable interpretation of this universal classic (Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony), under the direction of Maestro David Handel, revealed the true vigor of the original score… Every one of the singularities of each of the four movements was indicated by Handel
with mathematical precision, but was at the same time filled with enchantment… 
All were received with an extended standing ovation…
Musicians and public alike were radiant with joy”

Diario UNO, Argentina

 

"Replete with interesting variety...  Emphasis was placed on rhythmic appeal. 
Fluid sections with ritardandi were particularly effective... 
Equally impressive in shape and accomplishment was the melancholy and dramatic...
where Handel's attentive conducting was also remarkable for its sensitivity."

The Sunday Times, Malta

“The public burst into applause…. Yes, the concert was truly great;  not only for the opportunity to enjoy the musicianship of violinist Schlomo Mintz, but because the Orchestra was 

so solidly guided by its music director David Handel in  a well balanced program,
full of emotion and one intelligently delineated.”
Los Andes, Argentina

“’A MODEL TO BE FOLLOWED’… This subscription season of the UNCuyo Symphony Orchestra offers such relevant names as the famed Israeli violinist Schlomo Mintz, the legendary Italian conductor Piero Gamba, the renowned British pianist Peter Donahoe and the ensemble’s exceptional music director, American conductor David Handel, among many important figures.  In general, the vocation to cultivate the arts in neighboring Mendoza, and in so professional a manner, is more than eloquent, to say nothing of quality projects
and local stability, it constitutes as a reference worthy of imitating.”
GranValparaiso, Chile