Maestro David Ian Kram

Conductor
 

David Kram first conducted la bohème at the age of 21, in London. Forty-six years later he is still discovering new aspects of this ingenious score, after having conducted productions in Adelaide, Basel, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Karlsruhe, Mannheim and Wiesbaden.

In 1969, recipient of an Italian Government scholarship, David Kram left London for ever. His first station was Rome, where he studied opera repertoire with former Puccini assistant Maestro Luigi Ricci. David was engaged by Massimo Bogianckino and Giancarlo Menotti for his international conducting debut at the 1969 Spoleto Festival. This led to an engagement at the Grand Théâtre de Genève,, where he coached French and German repertoire and conducted Britten’s Albert Herring, directed by Lotfi Mansouri.

From 1970-75, as Kapellmeister in Basel, David Kram conducted hundreds of opera, operetta and ballet performances including La bohème and La fanciulla del West with the American soprano Marilyn Zschau.

In 1975 he auditioned with Tosca for a First Kapellmeister position at the National Theatre in Mannheim, where he stayed from 1975-77. Turandot was the first of many evenings on the podium, including Tosca, La bohème, key works of Wagner and Verdi – basically more than half the 35 operas in Mannheim’s yearly repertory. He also guest conducted with Tosca at the Frankfurt Opera, starring the Hamburg-based Bulgarian soprano Anna Alexieva.

In 1978 David Kram embarked on an eight-year contract with The Australian Opera and settled on the North Shore with his first wife and children. He conducted many 20th century works such as Der Rosenkavalier, Katja Kabanova, Mahagonny and Dialogues des Carmelites, his first Madama Butterfly with Joan Carden, and worked on Deborah Riedel’s first productions. He assisted Musical Director Richard Bonynge, taking over productions such as Manon. David conducted the Australian Opera’s last performance in the Princess Theatre and first performance in the State Theatre - Fiddler on the Roof, with Hayes Gordon.

In 1988, after two years of guest conducting around Australia, during which he first worked with Joanna Cole and Sharon Prero, David Kram was appointed Musical Director of the State Opera of South Australia. A highlight was SOSA’s 1989 production of La bohème.

In 1991 he resumed his European career. La bohème in Wiesbaden led to guest contracts with Janacek’s Katya Kabanova, Wagner’s Meistersinger, Verdi’s Traviata, and a world premiere at the 1992 International May Festival. La bohème at the Komische Oper in Berlin led to guest conductorships of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci, Rigoletto and Orpheus and Eurydice. La bohème in Düsseldorf with the Deutsche Oper am Rhein led to Traviata with that company. La bohème in Karlsruhe led to guest conductorships of Bohème and La Traviata, including a gala performance with Tiziana Fabbricini and Sherill Milnes.

In 1995, He and his second wife moved to Kyneton, Victoria. He conducted Gianni Schicchi for the Victorian College of the Arts and his subsequent appointment as Head of Opera led him to develop singers such as Michelle Cook and Susan Stafford . and Ebony Hack. In 2000 he obtained his doctorate from Monash University (topic – Erich Wolfgang Korngold) and co-founded More Than Opera (www.morethanopera.com) – a pioneer in raising opera awareness in country regions of Victoria, in schools and amidst the health community, and the instigator of Australia’s richest opera award – the German-Australian Opera Grant (www.mto-gaog.com).

Dr Kram is currently rehearsing VCA Opera’s production of Mozart’s Clemenza di Tito scheduled for December 2nd ,3rd, and 4th at Space 28, Dodds St, Southbank, and taking enquiries for VCA’s new Postgraduate Diploma in Opera which commences in August 2007. He is planning to conduct the American premiere of The Inca’s Chosen Bride (www.theincaschosenbride.com) in Houston Texas, in May 2007 and is also expected to spend some time guesting in Florence, Italy.