BJSO in Concert

One of the foremost conductors and violinists of Brazil, Dr. Alexander Mandl maintains an active and multifaceted career as conductor, soloist, educator, chamber and orchestra musician, and consultant. A versatile artist, Mandl appeared internationally at numerous renowned halls, including Alice Tully, Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Music Hall, Sprague Hall, the Mellon Institute, the Memorial of Latin America, Auditorio Manuel de Falla in Granada, Spain, and Alsion in Denmark. 

Commended for his energetic and charismatic performances, detailed score knowledge, and natural inspiring musical leadership, Dr. Mandl has conducted ensembles from small chamber and vocal, to the large operatic and symphonic.

He has directed musicians from the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, New Haven Symphony, the Ljubljana Symphony, and the South Denmark Symphony to name a few.

Currently, Mandl holds conducting posts as Conductor of the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra (Milwaukee Musaik), Music Director and Conductor of the Menomonee Falls Symphony Orchestra, Music Director and Conductor of the Medical College

of Wisconsin Orchestra, Conductor of the Elm City ChamberFest Chamber Orchestra, guest conductor with the Paraiba Symphony Orchestra, Brazil, and the South Denmark Symphony Orchestra, among others. Prior engagements include the Kenosha Symphony, Timothy Dwight Chamber Orchestra, UFPB Chamber Orchestra and the Eleazar de Carvalho Festival Faculty Orchestra. In 2004, Mandl conducted the South American premiere of Ezra Laderman’s Nonete. In addition, he has recently conducted opera productions of Hans Krasa “Brundibar” and Pergolesi’s “La Serva Padrona”. Most recently, he conducted the world premiere of Christian Ellenwood’s “refulgence” in commemoration of the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra’s Golden Anniversary. Prior conducting posts include the Carroll University Chamber Orchestra, Cardinal Stritch University Chamber Orchestra, the Hopkins Chamber Ensemble, Timothy Dwight Chamber Orchestra at Yale University, the Lakeshore Youth Symphony Orchestra (2006-2016), and the New Haven Youth Symphony.

As a soloist and orchestra musician, he has collaborated with notable conductors, such as Eleazar de Carvalho, Gunther Herbig, Claudio Santoro, Lawrence Leighton Smith, Robert Shaw, Juan Pablo Izquierdo, Sidney Harth, and Krzysztof Penderecki, among others. Most recently, locally, Mandl has appeared as soloist with the Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, and the Racine Symphony Orchestra. He is the Concertmaster of the Kenosha Symphony Orchestra, Concertmaster of the Racine Symphony Orchestra, Assistant Concertmaster of the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, and artist at the Sunflower Music Festival. Former concertmaster posts include the Beloit-Janesville Symphony (2003-2012), Yale Philharmonia, Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic, and the MIMU Music Festival in Brazil.

A dedicated and passionate chamber musician, Mandl has collaborated with eminent artists, such as Yo-Yo Ma, Jian Wang, Humberto Lucarelli, Erick Friedman, Sidney Harth, Nai-Yuan Hu, Aldo Parisot, Frank Morelli, João Carlos Martins, Amit Peled and Todd Levy. He is a founding member of the Philomusica Quartet, Yale Piano Trio, and Quintessence Piano Quintet, which performs in the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series, with live broadcast on WFMT, Chicago.

Mandl has participated in myriad projects throughout his career. Along with famed cellist Jian Wang, he joined the renowned Duke Ellington Concert Series performing throughout the Northeastern United States along with the Mitchell-Ruff Duo. In 2002, he recorded for CD Baby’s Heavenly Lullabies dedicated to the orphans of 9/11, produced in New York City. That same year, he recorded J.S. Bach’s E major concerto with the UFPB Chamber Orchestra (Brazil) under the direction of maestro Sidney Harth. Mandl also appeared frequently as a featured guest at the Ted Sawyer program of WQED, Pittsburgh. As founding member of the critically acclaimed Philomusica Quartet, he can be heard in a CD of composer James Grant’s chamber works. 

A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University (B.F.A.), Yale University (M.M. and A.D.), and the University of Wisconsin (D.M.A.), Dr. Mandl has won several significant competitions as well as numerous honors and prizes, including the Andrew Carnegie Tradition Award, the Yale Alumni Award, the Milles Prize and the prestigious Ivan Galamian Award. Dr. Mandl serves on the violin faculties of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Wisconsin Lutheran College - where the Philomusica String Quartet is resident, and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.

Mandl frequently serves as adjudicator at competitions, faculty at festivals, and clinician at workshops. He received conducting instruction from maestros Eleazar de Carvalho, David Stern, David Becker and James Smith. Other conducting mentors include Jorge Mester, Lawrence Leighton Smith, Gunther Herbig, and Gustav Meier. His primary violin teachers were Sidney Harth, Erick Friedman,

Vartan Manoogian, Robert McDuffie, and Erich Lehninger. Major chamber music influences have been the Tokyo Quartet, Aldo Parisot, Peter Frankl and Felix Galamir.

In between engagements, Mandl enjoys relaxing at his favorite coffee shop, riding his bicycle, and sailing on Lake Michigan with his wife Jeanyi Kim (Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Associate Concertmaster), and their two children.