Five Questions with Conductor Gregory Vajda

By the end of a Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert, you may feel as if you share a special bond with the conductor on stage. The conductor not only helps channel the joy of music into our hearts with their skill, but they invite us into the performance, encouraging us to clap along, to laugh, and to feel.

But who is this conductor in the moments before they step on stage and the time after, when their formalwear is zipped away and their baton lays still? To help answer this question, we asked Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert Conductor Gregory Vajda five fast questions about his work and himself.

Question 1: You'll be conducting Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert in Toronto and Hamilton this year! What are you looking forward to most about these performances?

Gregory Vajda: I am looking forward to returning to Toronto and to Hamilton. In the past decade I have conducted in both places and all I have are nice memories. I am looking forward to renewing these nice memories for years to come.

Q2: Many performers have a pre-concert ritual or routine. How do you prepare for a concert before you take the stage?

GV: It is important to time meals and the espresso intake for sure. Other than that, I like to think about how the show is going to go down. I try to picture the way to the concert hall, the entrance, the musical scores on the stand, the orchestra, the audience. As I am thinking about it now, it truly is like a ritual.

Q3: Aside from music and conducting, do you have a passion or interest you could you talk about for hours?

GV: I could definitely talk about books I currently read. If my conversation partner is reading the same book, it is even better. I like my own little personal book club, I guess!

Q4: You've been part of the Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert cast for the past few years. Do you have a touching, interesting or favourite memory to share?

GV: It is always heartwarming to run into Hungarians. You can find them all over the world, and they definitely find you thanks to Salute to Vienna and its popularity. I have met former schoolfriends this way in Palm Beach and we had a great conversation and a couple of drinks after the show.

Q5: The music you typically conduct in concert is classically beautiful. But do you have a favourite “guilty pleasure” song?

GV: Believe it or not, it is the Blue Danube Waltz. It is such a wonderful piece of music with so many cultural reference points—just to mention one, 2001: A Space Odyssey—that it never gets old. Plus, I love to hear the audience burst out in applause every time they hear the opening!

No matter which city holds your seat for Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert, we're sure you'll share a special moment with the conductor when the first few notes of The Blue Danube fill the concert hall. If you happen to be celebrating New Year's in Toronto or Hamilton, bring along your favourite book. If you bump into Gregory Vajda, perhaps you can join his one-man book club!

Gregory Vajda: Artist Bio

Hailed as a “young titan” by the Montreal Gazette, Gregory Vajda is music director of the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, principal conductor of the Savaria Symphony Orchestra, artistic director of UMZE Chamber Ensemble, associate principal conductor of Ensemble Ars Nova (France), and principal conductor of the Hungarian Radio Orchestra. He has been awarded the Gundel Art Prize, the Bartók-Pásztory Prize, and the Artisjus Award.