Henry "Heinz" Horwitz Holt

Henry "Heinz" HOLT, formerly HORWITZ: b. 11 April 1934, Wien - d. 4 oct 1997, Charlottesville, USA

Information courtesy of various sources including the following:

Some details - and precious photos from National French Archives - thanks directly to Olivier.

cf. Random Thoughts from an Aging Brain - Lucy Horwitz - Google Books

http://books.google.de/books?id=HEYGKoQe2BcC&pg=PA24&lpg=PA24&dq=lu...

Brother: Henry (Heinrich, Heinz), musician ...

Various obituaries available as follows:

Henry Holt, 63, Music Educator, Conductor and Festival Founder - New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/18/arts/henry-holt-63-music-educator...

Henry Holt, 63, Music Educator, Conductor and Festival Founder Published: October 18, 1997

" Henry Holt, a conductor and music educator, died on Oct. 4 at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville. He was 63 and lived in Warrenton, Va.

The cause was pneumonia resulting from a six-year battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, his family said. Mr. Holt received international attention as the conductor of Wagner's Ring cycle for 10 consecutive years at the Pacific Northwest Festival in Seattle, which he helped found. While serving as the music director of the Seattle Opera from 1966 to 1984 he helped establish the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Mr. Holt was born in Austria, but his family fled to escape the Nazi occupation. He grew up in Los Angeles, where he later served as the music director and then general director of the Los Angeles Opera Theater. During this time he was also the artistic director of the Baton Rouge Opera. Last year he served as the artistic director of the Ring cycle for the Arizona Opera, and most recently, he worked with the Utah Festival Opera Company, which last month opened a new center in Logan that will house Mr. Holt's arts education program.

As a guest conductor, he appeared with the New York City Opera, the Chicago Opera Theater, the San Francisco Opera and many other well-known companies. A champion of new works, he conducted the premiere of Carlisle Floyd's Of Mice and Men and other American operas.

Mr. Holt was known for his commitment to children's education in the arts. He worked extensively with the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts and the Kennedy Center Education Program, and contributed to E. D. Hirsch's national Core Knowledge movement for children's education. He also conducted opera workshop programs at the University of Southern California, Lewis and Clark College and Louisiana State University.

He is survived by his wife ... and a sister, Lucy ..."

Henry Holt; Conductor of Seattle 'Ring' Festival, Director of L.A. Opera Theater - Los Angeles Times http://articles.latimes.com/1997/oct/07/local/me-40063

Obituary October 07, 1997|MYRNA OLIVER | TIMES STAFF WRITER

"Henry Holt, a conductor and music educator who began his opera career in Los Angeles and gained international fame for conducting Wagner's "Ring" cycle in Seattle, has died. He was 63.

Holt, former music director and general director of the Los Angeles Opera Theater, died Saturday at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, Va., of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Holt grew up in Los Angeles and began his work with opera here before the city had its own opera company. He returned in 1984 to serve as music director and then general director of the Los Angeles Opera Theater when it performed in the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. At the same time, he was co-chairman of the opera department at USC and worked as director of the Baton Rouge Opera in Louisiana. Holt, who encouraged formation of Los Angeles' permanent opera company, saw himself as "a pioneer and a builder of opera," he told The Times in 1983.

Holt established his global reputation in the Northwest. Beginning in 1966, he spent 17 years balancing opera, symphony and ballet as music director of the Seattle Opera, education director and conductor of special events for the Seattle Symphony and conductor of the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

In Seattle he conducted Richard Wagner's "Der Ring des Niebelungen" for 10 years at the Pacific Northwest Wagner Festival, which he helped found. Last year, he served as artistic director of the "Ring" cycle for Arizona Opera.

Most recently, Holt worked with the Utah Festival Opera Company, conducting "The Merry Widow" last summer. Last month he saw the opening of the Utah Festival Opera's new facility in Logan, which will house his arts education program.

Praised by critics across the country, Holt was hailed by former Times music critic Martin Bernheimer for his "extraordinary breadth, power and sensitivity." Time magazine stated that "his conducting has warmth and authority."

Over the years, Holt appeared as guest conductor with city operas in New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Winnipeg and San Diego and state opera companies in Minnesota, Utah and Hawaii. He also led the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and symphony orchestras in Spokane, Vancouver, Denver and Phoenix.

In addition to posts in Los Angeles and Seattle, Holt held permanent conducting positions in Koblenz, Germany, and in Portland, Ore.

Born in Vienna, Holt escaped with his family from the Nazi occupation, going to France and England and finally ending up in Los Angeles. Educated at Los Angeles City College, USC and Northwestern University in Illinois, he was greatly influenced by his uncles, the conductor Herbert Zipper and an other conductor also named Henry Holt.

In addition to his conducting, Holt was known for his commitment to educating children in the arts. He worked extensively with the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts and the Kennedy Center Education Program, and was a contributor to E.D. Hirsch's national Core Knowledge movement for children's education. He directed opera workshops and taught classes in conducting, coaching and accompanying at USC, Los Angeles City College, Lewis and Clark College and Louisiana State University.

He was also music director for workshops in San Francisco and Washington.

Holt is survived by his wife ... a sister, Lucy ... ..."

Death https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKW8-DVXD