Uri Segal, conductor, was born in Israel. His winning of the First Prize at the International Mitropoulos Conducting Competition in New York in 1969 was followed by invitations for guest appearances with major European and American orchestras. He conducts regularly in Europe, Japan, the USA, Canada and Brazil. In Europe Segal led among others the Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Warsaw Philharmonic, Stockholm Philharmonic and Spanish National. In the USA and Canada he conducted the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Montreal and Rochester. In Israel he frequently conducts all the major orchestras. In 1973 Segal made his operatic debut conducting Die fliegende Holander (Wagner) at Santa Fe and has since conducted opera in Italy, France, Germany, Japan, Israel and the USA. Most recent guest appearances include the Hamburg Symphony, Düsseldorf Symphony, Orchestre National de Lille, Rochester Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony and London Philharmonia, the orchestra of the Paris Conseratoire Nationale. Segal has recorded for London-Decca and for EMI with the English Chamber Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Bournemouth Symphony, New Zealand Symphony and Century Orchestra Osaka, and with soloists Vladimir Ashkenazi, Radu Lupu, Alicia de Larocha and Rudolf Firkusny. Uri Segal recently conducted the Japanese première of Le Grand Macabre (Ligeti). Segal also led the Israeli première of Das Klagenede Lied (Mahler) at the 2008 Israel festival, which featured the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, IBA, the Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and renowned soloists. In 2007 Segal was appointed Laureate Conductor of the renowned Chautauqua Festival in New York State after serving as the festival’s music director for 18 years. Segal is Laureate Conductor of Century Orchestra in Osaka, Japan, an orchestra he founded and led for eight years. He served as Music Director of the Louisville, KY Orchestra for six years, was Principal Conductor of the Philharmonia Hungarica and the Bournemouth Symphony, Music Director of the Israel Chamber Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony. He has also been serving as Principal Guest Conductor at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, Bloomington. Uri Segal conducted numerous concerts with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. At the Israeli Opera he conducted Madama Butterfly (Puccini).