Gwen Gould
Gwen Gould
Music Director
Gwen Gould has enjoyed a diverse career in music as a recitalist, music director, conductor, and entrepreneur.
In 1988, Ms. Gould founded the Columbia Festival Orchestra a professional orchestra based in Hudson, NY. Under her direction, the CFO developed into a first-rate regional orchestra featuring world-class musicians and guest artists presenting concerts in many locations for the residents of Columbia County and the neighboring Berkshires. In 2003, after fifteen years of music-making, the CFO suspended its activities for financial reasons.
In the fall of 2004, Ms. Gould with a small group of artists formulated the idea of Hudson Chamber Opera, a professional chamber opera company of diverse artists and artisans, that would present smaller-scale productions of chamber operas, primarily in English. In 2005, the former Columbia Festival Orchestra was renamed with its revised mission as Hudson Chamber Opera.
An inveterate entrepreneur, Ms. Gould founded the West Village Chorale in 1971, a community chorus she conducted for 27 years in New York City's Greenwich Village. Resident at the historic Church of St. Luke in the Fields, the West Village Chorale continues to flourish under the direction of conductor Michael Conley.
An enthusiastic advocate of the "Hands-on" experience of music, Ms. Gould was one of the first proponents of the "Open Sing," where lovers of choral music and experienced amateur choral singers gather to read through major works in an evening. These informal "Sings" have since become popular throughout the country. She instituted the West Village Chorale's Summer Sings in 1972, the Columbia Festival Orchestra's Sunset Sings in 1993, and was a popular guest conductor for the New York Choral Society's Summer Sings for many years. In the summer of 2006, Ms. Gould will again conduct a series of sings under a tent at PS/21, Performing Spaces for the 21st Century, a new concert venue on 100 acres of land in Chatham, NY. See www.gwengould.com for details.
Ms. Gould's early career as an organist began at the age of 13. A national competition finalist, she performed extensively as a solo recitalist in New York City and the greater metropolitan area. She served as an organist and director of music at St. Bartholomew¹s Church, The Church of St. Luke in the Fields, Immanuel Lutheran Church, and the Church of Our Savior, all in New York City.
A native of Millbrook, NY, Ms. Gould began with piano studies at an early age, received a Bachelor of Music from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, and a Master of Sacred Music from Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music in New York City. She held teaching posts at Stuart Hall in Staunton, VA, and at St. Luke's School, NYC.
Ms. Gould is a resident of Columbia County, NY, with her husband, Ed Grossman. She is currently on the advisory boards of the Hudson Opera House and PS/21.
Additional information about current musical activities of Ms. Gould can be found at www.gwengould.com.