Johanos, Donald
Johanos, Donald
Johanos, Donald, American conductor; b. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Feb. 10, 1928. He studied violin and conducting at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. (Mus.B., 1950; Mus.M., 1952). He received grants from the American Sym. Orch. League and the Rockefeller Foundation for conducting studies with Ormandy, Szell, Beecham, Beinum, Karajan, and Klemperer (1955-58). He won the Netherlands Radio Union conducting competition in 1957. From 1953 to 1956 he was music director of the Altoona (Pa.) Sym. Orch., and also of the Johnstown (Pa.) Sym. Orch. in 1955-56. In 1957 he became assoc. conductor of the Dallas Sym. Orch., and then its resident conductor in 1961, and subsequently its music director in 1962, achieving estimable results. He was assoc. conductor of the Pittsburgh Sym. Orch. and director of its chamber orch. (1970-80); was music director of the Honolulu Sym. Orch. (1979-94) and artistic director of the Hawaii Opera Theatre (1979-83).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire