Bosnian-Herzegovinian American Academy of Arts and Sciences (BHAAAS)

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NYELA  BASNEY

Nyela Basney is the founding Artistic Director and Conductor of the Allegro Chorale and Orchestra, a group designed to unite the community through performances of music from all cultures.  Allegro’s budget quadrupled over its first three seasons, and all performances are underwritten and free to the public. Most recently, the group performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 for an audience comprised of 40% minorities, and all program materials were printed in English and Spanish with simultaneous English and Spanish translations of lyrics projected for the audience. Nyela Basney serves concurrently as Artistic Director of Opera at North Park University in Chicago, where she will also conduct the world premiere of Persuasion with Chamber Opera Chicago. She is also Director, for the 18^th year, of the summer music festival Orvieto Musica in Italy. She conducted a full production of Cosí fan tutte with Opera Tascabile n Orvieto in June 2011. Ms. Basney was the Artistic Director of The Opera Project of Dallas for three seasons, leading premieres of new operas

in Meyerson Hall and other important venues.

Ms. Basney was recently Music Director and Conductor of the Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale in Texas. Her tenure there brought a 30% increase in their Masterworks audience, a doubling of the Chorale membership, pops and Tiny Tots concerts in both Midland and Odessa, and a collaboration with a university orchestra from Chihuahua, Mexico. As the former Associate Conductor of the Shreveport Symphony, Ms. Basney conducted over 60 performances a season, including  subscription concerts as well as pops, run-out concerts, in-school presentations, Tiny Tots and Candlelight concerts. She guest conducted the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in a series of community concerts, and in a Gala Benefit Concert with Renee Fleming at the Eastman Theater.  After Maestra Basney made her successful guest conducting debut with New York's Little Orchestra Society, she returned to conduct four more concerts. She was on the podium for performances of Amahl and the Night Visitors at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. She has also guest conducted the American Symphony Orchestra, the Toledo Symphony in a pair of community concerts, the Voices of Change Orchestra in Dallas, the Glens Falls Symphony in New York, the Virginia Symphony in education concerts, and served as cover conductor for John Nelson at the National Symphony and for Andrew Litton at the Dallas Symphony.

Ms. Basney was previously Music Director of the Roberts Wesleyan College-Community Orchestra, and Artistic Director and Conductor of Premiere Ensemble of New York, a professional orchestra that presented New York debuts of rising young singers, instrumentalists and composers. She also served as Principal Conductor of the Massapequa Philharmonic of New York, and as Assistant Conductor for the American Symphony Orchestra for whom she led concerts featuring Peter Schickele.  Ms. Basney was also Music Director of the West Side Symphony in New York City, and Conductor of the Western Massachusetts Youth Orchestras.

In addition to her impressive record in symphonic repertoire, Nyela Basney has had significant experience in the field of opera. For three years, she was staff pianist at the Juilliard School where she studied conducting with Vincent La Selva, "the best Verdi and Puccini conductor living today" (Opera Magazine). Recognizing her "extraordinary talent," Maestro La Selva appointed her Assistant Conductor and Chorusmaster for the New York Grand Opera, in which capacity she participated in 18 productions.  She has provided professional role preparation and musicianship training for singers, in more than 55 roles from 25 operas. Most recently she served as Assistant Conductor for several productions with the El Paso Opera, and was invited to join their conducting staff. In 2007, she led performances of The Rape of Lucretia at Colorado State. She conducted seven performances of Chamber Opera Chicago productions during the 2008/09 season and led several more during the 2009/2010 season. In 2009 she also guest conducted a pops concert with the Springfield Symphony in Massachusetts.

Ms. Basney was invited by the United States Information Agency to serve as an Arts America Cultural Specialist in Uruguay at the National School of Opera in Montevideo. She was a fellow at the Conductor's Institute and was one of five conductors chosen to participate in the American Composers and Conductors Forum. She has also served as Conductor and Opera Coach of the Sessione Senese per La Musica e L'Arte in Siena, Italy, and Ms. Basney twice conducted at the Aspen Music Festival, where she assisted John Nelson and premiered a work by Dan Welcher.

Nyela Basney has participated in more than 500 performances as violist, pianist and conductor. She attended the Eastman School of Music on a coveted Alumni Scholarship, receiving her undergraduate and graduate degrees with highest distinction.