Alexander Joel (conductor)

Charles Alexander Joel^[1] (born 1971) is a British-German pianist and conductor.

Alexander Joel
Born	Charles Alexander Joel 1971 (age 52–53) London, England
Occupations	Pianist conductor
Relatives	Billy Joel (half-brother) Karl Amson Joel (grandfather)
Family	Joel family
Website	www.alexanderjoel.com

Career

Born in London, Joel began his conducting career in Nuremberg, followed by positions at Baden bei Wien, Klagenfurt and the Vienna Volksoper. From 2001 to 2007 he held the position of Erster Kapellmeister at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf and Duisburg.^[2]

He has served as guest conductor for numerous orchestras in Europe and elsewhere, including the Bavarian State Opera, the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, the MDR Symphony Orchestra, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the Hamburg State Opera. Outside Germany, Joel has conducted at the Teatro Regio in Parma, the Finnish National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Municipal Theater of Santiago, Chile, and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, among others.

From the 2007–2008 to the 2013–2014 season Alexander Joel was the Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of Staatstheater Braunschweig and principal conductor of Staatsorchester Braunschweig, succeeding Jonas Alber, who had led the orchestra since 1997.^[3]

Personal life

Joel was born in London in 1971.^[4] He is a grandson of Karl Amson Joel. His parents were Audrey and Howard Joel.

His father Howard, born Helmut Joel in Nuremberg, had immigrated with his parents to the United States as refugees from the Nazi persecution of Jews. Howard worked in New York as an engineer, where he married his first wife, Rosalind. They had two children, Judith “Judy” Joel (adopted via Rosalind’s sister)^[1] and Billy Joel, the American singer/songwriter who is one of the world's best-selling music artists.^[5] After they divorced in 1957, Howard returned to Europe where he married Alexander's mother Audrey.

On April 28, 2014, he married soprano Hayoung Lee.^[6]

References

1. Hank Bordowitz, Billy Joel: The Life and Times of an Angry Young Man, New York: Billboard, 2005, ISBN 9780823082506, p. 61.
2. Deutsche Oper am Rhein; Berns (17 April 2009)
3. Staatstheater Braunschweig; Paxman (26 April 2008)
4. "Alexander Joel to Make American Conducting Debut at Boston Lyric Opera". 28 April 2016.
5. Gamboa, Glenn (12 September 2013). "Billy Joel named Kennedy Center honoree". Newsday. Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
6. "Hochzeitsglocken: Generalmusikdirektor Alexander Joel hat geheiratet". Regional Heute Braunschweig. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2024.

Sources

• Berns, Hajo, "Mozarts Schwanengesang", Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, 17 April 2009, Accessed 27 October 2009 (in German).
• Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Alexander Joel. Accessed 27 October 2009 (in German).
• Likus, Harald, "Ein Joel klingt nicht wie der andere", Braunschweiger Zeitung, 22 December 2005. Accessed 27 October 2009 (in German).
• Lipson, Karen, "A tale of two Nazi-era families", Newsday, 19 January 2003. Accessed via subscription 27 October 2009
• Paxmann, Jürgen, "Neuer Dirigent gastiert in Helmstedt", Braunschweiger Zeitung, 26 April 2008. Accessed 27 October 2009 (in German).
• Staatstheater Braunschweig, Alexander Joel. Accessed 27 October 2009 (in German).
• Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival, Alexander Joel, Conductor. Accessed 27 October 2009
• Tallmer, Jerry, "Billy Joel grapples with the past", The Villager, Vol. 73, Issue 11, July 16–22, 2003. Accessed 27 October 2009

External links

• Official website
• "L'invité culturel: Alexander Joel, chef d'orchestre, dirige Madame Butterfly au Grand Théâtre de Genève". Interview with Alexander Joel, RTS Un, 29 April 2013 (in French) (video)