The Cleveland Orchestra announced the immediate promotion of Vinay Parameswaran to Associate Conductor and continued his three and a half year tenure with the orchestra through the 2021-22 season.
Parameswaran, who has been the orchestra’s assistant conductor since 2017, will, despite his new title, continue to hold the endowed chair for Elizabeth Ring’s and William Gwinn Mather’s assistant conductors. Parameswaran will remain the music director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO) for the 2021-22 season.
“Vinay has a natural authority that comes from his knowledge of a piece, from the inside out and innate musicality,” said Franz Welser-Möst, music director of the Cleveland Orchestra, in the orchestra’s press release. “He is extremely easy to work with because he made the Cleveland Orchestra’s priority his own: music comes first. There were many highlights during his tenure with the orchestra, especially his performance with the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra at St. Florian Abbey in Austria. Vinay’s work ethic and discipline make him a wonderful role model for young people. “
Prior to joining the Cleveland Orchestra in August 2017, Parameswaran was Associate Conductor of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra for three seasons, leading over 150 performances. In the same year Parameswaran was conductor at Tanglewood Music Center and made his debut in the following seasons with the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, the Grant Park Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. Eugene Symphony and the Vermont Symphony Orchestra.
“I am honored to be invited to stay in Cleveland for another season and continue my work with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra. Franz Welser-Möst was an extraordinary mentor and I am always inspired by him. He seeks meaning in everything he does. The collaboration with the Cleveland Orchestra embodies making music at the highest level. It is every time a great privilege to step on the podium in front of these amazing artists and staff. After this pandemic, we play an important role in bringing music and optimism to our community – and I am happy to be a part of it, ”Parameswaran said in the press release.
Parameswan’s opera résumé includes acclaimed productions of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” and Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore” with the Curtis Opera Theater. He also assisted in a production of Verdi’s “Nabucco” with the Philadelphia Opera.
As the music director of COYO, Parameswaran oversees all aspects of the ensemble, from the artistic planning to the selection of members to the rehearsals and performances of the musicians of the middle and upper grades. Parameswaran accompanied COYO on its third international tour in June 2019 and performed in Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.
“Since the beginning of his tenure, Vinay has shared his passion for symphonic music in a way that has inspired young musicians to perform beyond their expectations,” said Lauren Generette, director of the Cleveland Orchestra’s youth orchestra, in the press release. “Vinay is committed to developing good citizens and good musicians, guiding his young protégés through symphonic masterpieces while expanding their knowledge of contemporary music that includes women and people with color.”
Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Parameswaran played for six years as a student in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in music and political science from Brown University, where he graduated with honors. At Brown he began his studies with Paul Phillips. He received a diploma in conducting from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Otto-Werner Mueller as an Albert M. Greenfield Fellow.
