Nygaard, Jens

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Nygaard, Jens

Nygaard, Jens, American conductor; b. Longview, Tex., Oct. 26, 1931. He went to N.Y., where he studied with Katharine Bacon (1954–56) and took his B.Sc. (1957) and M.Sc. (1958) at the Juilliard School of Music. In 1966 he founded the Westchester Chamber Chorus and Orch. in White Plains, serving as conductor until 1979. In 1979 he founded and became conductor of the Jupiter Sym. in N.Y., which he led in enterprising programs embracing an extensive repertory. As a guest conductor, he appeared in the U.S. and abroad, including engagements with the Seoul Phil. (1987), the Cape Town Sym. Orch. (1988), and the Orquesta Sinfònica de Xalapa in Vera Cruz (1997).

—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire