Daniel Barenboim

A giant figure in both the worlds of conducting and piano performance, Daniel Barenboim possesses a prolific body of Classical and Romantic era recordings to back up this statement. Born in Buenos Aires, Barenboim completed his musical education at all the right European schools, including compositional course work with Nadia Boulanger at the Fontainebleau Music School. Barenboim was given a head start in both facets of his career from his parents: his father was a music professor and his mother a pianist. Throughout his career he has either guest conducted or personally managed virtually every major orchestra in the world, the most notable being lengthy tenures in New York, London and Berlin. In 2004 he resigned as lead of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and it is yet to be seen where the future will take him.