People

Emil de Cou, Music Director/Principal Conductor

Emil de Cou assumed the full-time position of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Music Director and Principal Conductor at the start of the 2011-2012 season. He was associate conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra, participating in a wide range of NSO performances and events following his Wolf Trap debut in 2000. Mr. de Cou debuted at Carnegie Hall as guest conductor for the New York Pops and has also conducted Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and Colorado Symphony Orchestra. He was Principal Pops Conductor for the San Francisco Symphony and served as musical consultant for NASA collaborations, including “Salute to Apollo, the Kennedy Legacy” at the Kennedy Center. In 1985, Mikhail Baryshnikov hired Mr. de Cou to conduct American Ballet Theatre and in 1994, he joined the staff of San Francisco Ballet. He has also conducted New York City Ballet, Suzanne Farrell Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Netherlands Dance Theatre, Hong Kong Ballet, and National Ballet of Holland, among others. Mr. de Cou was born in Los Angeles and studied at the University of Southern California. He was the subject of a documentary on National Public Radio and was chosen from 200 candidates to study in Leonard Bernstein’s master class at the Hollywood Bowl.

Conductors

Allan Dameron, Conductor

Company Pianists

Jessica Choe, Allan Dameron, Christina Siemens, Pianists
Stephen Barnes, Yelena Golets, Katja Rubin, Don Vollema, Class Pianists

Orchestra

• Revolving members of the string sections are listed alphabetically
• The Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra is composed of musicians represented by the International Guild of Symphony, Opera and Ballet Musicians
• Sherman Clay & Co. is the official purveyor of pianos for Pacific Northwest Ballet.
• Steinway & Sons is the official piano of PNB.