Jordâ, Enrique
Jordâ, Enrique
Jordâ, Enrique, Spanish-born American conductor and composer; b. San Sebastian, March 24, 1911. After training at the Colegio Católico Santa Maria in San Sebastian and at the Univ. of Madrid, he went to Paris to continue his education at the Sorbonne, and also was a student of Dupré (organ), Rühlmann (conducting), and Le Flem (composition). He conducted the Basque Ballet (1937–39), the Madrid Sym. Orch. (1940–45), and the Cape Town Sym. Orch. (1948–54). In 1952 he made his U.S. debut as a guest conductor with the San Francisco Sym. Orch., and then was its conductor from 1954 to 1963; later he was conductor of the Antwerp Phil. (1970–76) and the Euskadi Sym. Orch. in San Sebastian (1982–84). Among his compositions were ballets and choral pieces. He was the author of El director de orquesta ante la partitura (1969) and De canciones, denzas y musicos del Pais Vasco (1978).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire