Neil Varon's conducting career spans almost 30 years and several continents. Born in New York in 1950, Varon studied piano, composition, and conducting at the Juilliard School. Prior to joining the Eastman faculty in 2002, he held positions at the Istanbul Opera, the Vienna Chamber Opera, the joint theaters of Krefeld and Mönchengladbach (Germany), the Bremen Opera, and the Nürnberg Opera.
In 1981, he was named first Kapellmeister of the Deutsche Opera am Rhein in Düsseldorf, and in 1987 he became music director of the Südwestfälische Philharmonic. He kept this position until 1991 when he was appointed general music director of the City of Gelsenkirchen, Germany. In that capacity, he brought international names to his theater, including Helen Donath, Frank Peter Zimmermann, and Franco Gulli.
Varon has been a frequent guest in Asia. He conducted the Korean Symphony in Seoul, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony in Tokyo, and the Kyushu Philharmonic in Fukuoka. In 1991 and 1992 he led the Tokyo Philharmonic in a series of performances of The Magic Flute for the Mozart Festival in Japan.
After completing his second term as general music director of Gelsenkirchen in 1996, Varon concentrated on international guest performances for the next several years. In 1996, he performed in both Japan and Korea, with the Chamber Orchestra of Kanazawa, the orchestra of the Toho Gakuen Academy (Toyama), and the Suwon Philharmonic, Korea. He also led performances with the Frankfurter Chamber Orchestra in the Giuseppe Verdi Hall in Milan, Italy, and conducted a series of performances with the Norddeutsche Philharmonie in Rostock, Germany. In 1997, he traveled to the U.S. to conduct a new production of Humperdinck's lesser known opera Die Konigskinder at the Sarasota Opera. His 1998 performance of Die Fledermaus at Hamilton's "Opera Ontario" was broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Company throughout Canada. In 1999, Varon made his Swedish debut in Malmö, performing Puccini's Turandot to great critical acclaim.
In addition, Varon has conducted in numerous theaters such as the Hamburg State Opera, the Nürnberg Opera, Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Stuttgart Opera, the Berlin Staatsoper, and the New York City Opera, as well as performing with the Haydn Orchester in Bolzano, Italy, the Conservatory Orchestra at the Toho Gakuen Conservatory in Tokyo, and the Philharmonia Hungarica. He directed the German premiere of Un Re in Ascolta by Luciano Berio in Düsseldorf, and the world premiere of Erinys by Volker David Kirchner in Wuppertal.
Varon continues to appear as guest conductor for operas, symphonies, and music festivals throughout Europe and Asia. His concerts have been broadcast by the Westdeutsche Rundfunk, RIAS Berlin, RTL Luxembourg, and the Bayerische Rundfunk.
