Music Director Kim Allen Kluge

Meet the Maestro

Kim Allen Kluge is the Music Director of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra. Distinguished by his powerful conducting style and its dramatic impact, Maestro Kluge has been likened to the great poetic conductors of our time. The Washington Post hailed, “Kluge’s sense of drama was evident... relentless pressure I associate with Arturo Toscanini…” The Alexandria Journal lauded Mr. Kluge’s passionate style commenting, “In its power, Kluge’s performance bore the hallmarks of the work of such mesmerizing conductors as Artur Nikisch and ... Leonard Bernstein.”

A popular and successful guest conductor, his extensive accomplishments also include appearances with the Sinfonietta de Paris, Les Solistes Parisiens, the Mannheim Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and the Baltimore Lyric Opera.

Throughout Mr. Kluge’s versatile career, he has worked as concertmaster, orchestral keyboardist, wind player, organist, singer, chamber musician, recitalist, concerto soloist, chorus director, vocal coach, composer and arranger. He is a Valedictorian of Oberlin Conservatory of Music where he served as concertmaster of the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra and received the coveted Arthur Dann Award for Outstanding Pianist and the Pi Kappa Lamda Scholarship for Musical Excellence. Mr. Kluge pursued doctorates in Piano and Conducting from the University of Maryland and received a Conducting diploma from the Academia Musicale Chigiana in Siena. He participated in the prestigious Tanglewood Conducting Program, where he studied with Seiji Ozawa, Roger Norrington and Simon Rattle. Most recently, he garnered the 2006 Wammie Award for Best Conductor given by the Washington Area Music Awards.

Mr. Kluge’s commitment to reaching across broad audiences is reflected in all of his projects. Under his vision and leadership the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra has distinguished itself through dynamic multi-arts thematic programming that has dramatically expanded the symphony’s appeal. He is a passionate advocate of arts education as demonstrated in his progressive K-12 multi-cultural, multi-arts programs, and in his creative approach to adult arts education.

Maestro Kluge is widely recognized throughout the region as an orchestra builder and his accomplishments were noted by The Washington Post “...Kluge has fashioned an ensemble with tremendous musical responsiveness, and every instrumental group... bears the mark of his intelligence and drive.”

Join Maestro Kluge for whimsical and provocative pre-concert
insights in the Gazette Packet papers before each concert.

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