Posted: Thursday, January 22, 2009 8:40 am

The Messenger 01.22.09

Maestro David Loebel, Mem-phis Symphony Orchestra music director and conductor, will speak at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 3 in Harriet Fulton Theatre of the Fine Arts Building at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
His topic will be “All About Mozart” and his talk will be followed at 7:30 by a performance of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, featuring works either by Mozart or inspired by the famed musician.
The evening events are co-sponsored by Honors Programs and the Department of Music.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Loebel began as a pianist, but discovered a love for conducting while a student at Northwestern University, from which he received his degree. He served as assistant and then associate conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra before moving to St. Louis, where he served as associate principal conductor for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra from 1989-99.
At that time, he moved to Memphis.
He has announced that the 2008-09 season will be his last in his position and the Memphis Symphony is dedicating the season to him as “The Perfect Ten: A Decade with David.”
During the past decade, Loebel has achieved a solid reputation as a conductor and has served as a guest conductor for numerous orchestras in the United States and abroad, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and a tour through Australia during which he led various symphonies.
Loebel is the recipient of several awards and honors, most notably the prestigious Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductors Award.
He is active in the Memphis community, particularly in the promotion of music and music education. He hosts “The Memphis Symphony Radio Hour” on public radio station WKNO-FM 91.1 in Memphis.
“This promises to be an extraordinary evening for anyone who enjoys great music,” said Dr. Dan McDonough, honors programs director at UT Martin. “Maestro David Loebel will speak about Mozart and the music that he inspired, and this will be followed by an evening of outstanding music. Rarely, does UT Martin get to host a performance of this quality and this evening promises to be a very special event.”
For more information, contact McDonough at (731) 881-7436.