Theodore Bloomfield

Theodore Robert Bloomfield (June 14 1923 – April 1 1998) was an American conductor. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he studied music at Oberlin College in Ohio and conducting with Edgar Schenkman for two years on a fellowship at The Juilliard School in Manhattan. He studied French horn to gain experience in orchestral performance, and he also studied piano with the Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau. For two summers, he studied conducting with Pierre Monteux in Hancock, Maine. In 1946, Monteux conducted the San Francisco Symphony in the premiere of Bloomfield’s transcription of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in C major. His first conducting experience was with the New York Little Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Chamber Music Hall. He was chosen from 100 applicants to serve as an apprentice conductor to George Szell at the Cleveland Orchestra for 1946-1947. In 1947 he organized the Cleveland Little Symphony Orchestra which he directed until 1952. In 1949, he organized the Civic Opera Workshop of Cleveland. At this time he was also the piano accompanist for Licia Albanese and on the staff of the Tanglewood Music Center. In 1952 he went to Europe to conduct, living in Rome. He married Margery Bloomfield in 1953. Bloomfield was the conductor of the Oregon Symphony 1955-1959. In four seasons, he introduced 62 works new to the orchestra audience. Prominent artists he invited to Portland included the pianists Artur Rubinstein and Rudolf Serkin, sopranos Birgit Nilsson and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and violinist Isaac Stern. He next conducted the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra 1959-1963. He conducted several recordings with Rochester for Everest Records. He became the conductor of the Hamburg State Opera 1964-1966, and in 1967 the general music director of the Frankfort State Opera 1966-1968. He guest conducted in Europe and also led the Konzerthausorchester Berlin (Berlin Symphony Orchestra) 1975-1983. Bloomfield’s final conducting engagement was with the Oregon Symphony in 1996, at a concert during the orchestra’s centennial season. He died in Warrenton, Oregon.

References

• Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (2001).
• Living Musicians (first supplement) (1957).
• Stabler, David. “Former Orchestra Conductor Dies at 74”. Oregonian April 3, 1998.