Arts&Life
music
36 | FEBRUARY 27 • 2020
The
Conducting
Circuit
Yaniv Segal will raise his baton with
orchestras in Ann Arbor and Detroit.
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Y
aniv Segal, a performer enriched by
varied entertainment achievements,
will conduct both the Detroit and
Ann Arbor symphony orchestras this sea-
son.
Segal, who has been based in Ann Arbor
for more than a decade, has sung with the
Metropolitan Opera in New York, acted in
Broadway and touring productions, per-
formed on violin and made recordings of
his own compositions.
As conductor, he will raise his baton in
Ann Arbor to feature Broadway hits on
March 14 and 15. Then, joining the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra (DSO), he will lead an
April 25 family program, “Gershwin’
s Magic
Key,
” with music and storytelling combined.
“With my childhood experiences in
show business, particularly touring in The
Secret Garden, the Broadway program feels
very appropriate and special,
” he said. “In
Detroit, I can express my love for family
programs, which help expose young listen-
ers to great composers.
”
Segal, 38, had his own early exposure
to music through his mother, retired New
York Philharmonic violinist Hanna Lachert,
and his father, violin maker David Segal,
who operates his own business in New
York. After starting with violin at age 4,
the then-aspiring performer wanted to try
out for the Metropolitan Opera Children’
s
Chorus at age 8.
He sang on stage with the likes of Dawn
Upshaw, Kathleen Battle and Luciano
Pavarotti. At 11, he toured for a year in the
role of Colin in the first national tour of
The Secret Garden, performing in a new city
every week except for two months in Japan.
For the first six months, Segal’
s mom
took a sabbatical from the orchestra to look
after her son. For the second six months,
she played in the production orchestra after
the concertmaster left for another show.
“I could glance down into the pit and see
my mom playing,
” Segal recalled. “Much
later, my mom invited me to be with her
playing violin or viola in chamber groups
featuring her Philharmonic colleagues.
Sometimes, I would be her conductor.
”
After the tour and back in New York,
Segal studied violin while also taking a
respite from professional musical perfor-
mance. Instead, he accepted a role in Tom
Stoppard’
s spy drama, Hapgood.
When the play ended its run, he returned
to musical priorities and attended Vassar
College. He moved on to freelance on vio-
lin, compose and start, with a colleague, the
nonprofit Chelsea Symphony, offering pro-
fessional development to emerging musi-
cians playing classical and new music.
MAKING MUSIC IN MICHIGAN
In 2008, Segal decided to concentrate on
conducting and composing. He chose the
BRUNO FIDRYCH