LA Phil Presents | Key Biographies

Esa-Pekka Salonen

Esa-Pekka Salonen, the tenth conductor to head the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is beginning his 16th season as Music Director in October. This past spring he announced that he will end his tenure at the conclusion of the 2008/09 season to devote himself more fully to composing. Salonen, who was born in Helsinki in 1958, studied at the Sibelius Academy in Finland. He made his conducting debut with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1979, and his American debut conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1984... (Read more).

Deborah Borda

Deborah Borda's two-decade career in music administration has been distinguished by her bold, creative leadership and innovative outlook for the orchestral institutions of the 21st century. A highly effective communicator, strategic planner, and consensus-builder, she is widely respected for melding artistic vision with fiscal responsibility, working with large musical organizations to shape their future. As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, Borda leads one of the largest music organizations in the United States... (Read more).

Christian McBride

Grammy Award-winner Christian McBride, chameleonic virtuoso of the acoustic and electric bass, stands tall at the top of this clique. Beginning in 1989—the start of an amazing career in which he still has wider-reaching goals to attain—the Philadelphian has thus far been first-call-requested to accompany literally hundreds of fine artists, ranging in an impressive array from McCoy Tyner and Sting to Kathleen Battle and Diana Krall. However, it is his own recordings — albums that encompass a diverse canon of original compositions and imaginatively arranged covers — that reveal the totality of his musicianship... (Read more).