Paul Freeman

One of America’s leading conductors, Maestro Paul Freeman (1936–2015) became the Founding Music Director of the Chicago Sinfonietta, the nation’s most diverse orchestra, in 1987. He was named Emeritus Music Director in 2011. He was the Music Director and chief conductor of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra in Prague 1996–2007. From 1979 to 1989, Maestro Freeman served as Music Director of the Victoria Symphony in Canada. Prior to that post, he served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic and as Associate Conductor of the Dallas and Detroit Symphonies. He also served for six years as Music Director of the Opera Theater of Rochester, New York.

Maestro Freeman conducted more than 100 orchestras in 28 countries, including the National Symphony in Washington  D.C., New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Moscow Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, Berlin Symphony, Tonkünstler Orchester (Vienna), National Orchestra of Mexico, and Israel Sinfonietta. Dr. Freeman received his Ph.D. from Eastman School of Music and studied on a US Fulbright Grant at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. He also studied with the renowned conductor Pierre Monteux and has received numerous awards including a top prize in the Mitropoulos International Conducting Competition.

With over 200 recordings to his credit, Maestro Freeman has won widespread acclaim for his interpretations of classical, romantic, and modern repertoire. He was awarded Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from both Dominican and Loyola Universities in Chicago.