Worthy of Note
By his own count, David Itkin has conducted more than 2,000 concerts in his career.
But after celebrating his 50th birthday earlier this year, Itkin sees himself at the top of his game.
“I take great comfort in turning 50,” says Itkin, the new music director-conductor of the Las Vegas Philharmonic. “A friend said to me ages ago, ‘When I turned 50 I woke up one day and realized I know what I’m doing.’ I have held that thought in my head.”
Itkin will need every minute of that experience and a lot of energy this concert season. Besides taking over the reins of the Philharmonic from founding conductor Hal Weller, Itkin will take on his 17th season with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in Little Rock, where he and his family live, and the Abilene (Texas) Philharmonic Orchestra, where he has been music director-conductor for the past two years.
He will make some changes in his schedule in 2008, he says.
“That would be too much time away from my family,” says Itkin, husband of Teri and the father of 8-year-old daughter Stasia and 18-year-old son Christopher. The family will move to Las Vegas in summer 2008. Because his son will go off to Baylor University this fall, Itkin was able to consider going for the Las Vegas job.
“The distance he will have to travel to Las Vegas or Little Rock is about the same,” Itkin says.
While his family is a top priority, tackling the job of taking the Las Vegas Philharmonic, which celebrates its ninth anniversary Wednesday with the annual “Star Spangled Spectacular” program at Hills Park in Summerlin, seems to have him energized.
Itkin came to Las Vegas last November to conduct the Philharmonic in an audition for the job.
The Philharmonic didn’t just get someone who can expertly wave a baton in front of an orchestra, however. Nominated twice for a Pulitzer Prize as composer — “Jonah” in 2001 and “Exodus” in 2006 — Itkin also has composed the score for a movie, the upcoming release “Sugar Creek.”
Philharmonic executive director Philip Koslow says the Independence Day concert is a good way for Itkin to start his tenure in Las Vegas. “It’s an opportunity for him to interact with a large audience at the park. He’s very eager to be a part of the Las Vegas community.”
After bringing Itkin onboard to replace outgoing conductor and music director Hal Weller, the Philharmonic has begun planning for the future.
“We need to sustain the growth we’ve had under Hal and we need to move forward into the new concert hall,” Koslow says, referring to the planned new performing arts center that will open downtown.
Koslow was impressed with Itkin’s “high integrity level. He was very honest with us about his expectations for the orchestra. He’s a consummate professional conductor. He knows what it will take for us to move to the next level.”
Itkin’s ability to expand an orchestra’s programming — at the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and Abilene (Texas) Philharmonic Orchestra Itkin has created programs with more concerts each year than currently are performed by the Philharmonic here — also helped him get the job.
“We’re program driven,” says Koslow, “and we’re always looking to provide more programming.”
The organization plans a pops series, aims to keep its soiree series vital “and grow our educational outreach,” Koslow says. “We want to provide the best concerts we can provide, as many as we can provide, and at a reasonable cost.”
Artistically, Itkin sees the orchestra’s future in its ability to expand its programming. “I see us heading to being an ensemble that absorbs more repertoire more rapidly. I want a broader variety of offerings for the community.”
The Philharmonic, he says, performs the same number of concerts as the orchestra in Abilene, which he estimates is a city 1/17th the size of Las Vegas, and 25 percent fewer than the symphony in Little Rock, which has about 25 percent the population of Las Vegas.
Expanding the number of programs, and the range and difficulty of the programs, will be important when the time comes to inhabit the new PAC, Itkin says.
“The potential of what the musicians can do is enormous. Hal brought them a tremendously long way. He did quite a few adventurous pieces. At the end of this season, we will perform the (Arthur Honegger’s ) ‘King David’ with Stacy Keach narrating. It’s unlike anything that’s been done by the Philharmonic.”
Raising the profile of the guest artists is high on Itkin’s list of things to accomplish in Las Vegas. Besides Keach, pianist Navah Perlman, the daughter of Itzhak Perlman, will be performing with the Philharmonic this season.
Itkin’s background includes stints as music director and principal conductor of the Lake Forest Symphony Orchestra in Chicago (1997-2000), music director-conductor of the Kingsport (Tenn.) Symphony (1992-95), music director of the Birmingham Opera Theatre (1992-95), and music director for the Lucius Woods Festival Concerts in Solon Springs, Wis. (1993-2000).
From 1988 to 1993 Itkin was associate conductor of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and was made honorary lieutenant governor of Alabama for outstanding service to the arts.
