Former Music Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada, and the Bochum Symphony Orchestra, Germany, Gabriel Chmura then became the Music Director of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra Katowice. He is also the first guest conductor of the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra
Born in Poland, Gabriel Chmura grew up in Israel , where he studied piano and composition at the Music Academy of Tel Aviv. He then studied conducting with Pierre Dervaux in Paris, Hans Swarowsky in Vienna and with Franco Ferrara in Siena, Italy.
In 1971 he was the first prize winner in the Herbert von Karajan Competition in Berlin, as well as the Gold Medal at the Cantelli Competition of Milano’s “La Scala” . These victories led to extensive international engagements.
Mr. Chmura was appointed Music Director of the opera house in Aachen, Germany, in 1974 and retained this position until his Bochum appointment in 1983, which he kept until 1987, when he was appointed Music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada. With this orchestra he made extensive tours in North America, including Carnegie Hall in New York.
He made his Munich debut in 1974 with “Othello” and was immediately re-engaged for “Carmen”. Further he conducted a highly successful “Samson et Dalila” in Barcelona, a critically acclaimed “Werther” at the Paris Opera and “Coq d’Or” at the Chatelet Theatre, Paris. With the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada he completed the “Da Ponte Cycle” ( Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte )
Gabriel Chmura has recorded with the London Symphony for DGG, and with the Munich and the Berlin Radio Orchestras for CBS. Schubert’s “Lazarus” with the Stuttgart Radio Orchestra, Hermann Prey and Edith Mathis on the “Orfeo” label received the “Grand Prix de Disque Mondial de Montreux”. His recording of Haydn’s symphonies no. 6, 7 and 8 with the National Arts Centre Orchestra for CBC was chosen as “Best Choice” by the American Record Guide and was nominated for the Canadian JUNO Award.
The recent recording of the 1st Symphony by Mahler and the Sibelius Valse Triste, the principal work from the 2002 UK tour, was very well received in Europe.