Mariss Jansons, World Renowned Conductor, Has Died

The New York Times reports that world renowned conductor Mariss Jansons has passed away at age 76. He passed after after a longstanding battle with a heart condition.

His father, a respected conductor, also passed away from a heart attack while performing in 1984.

Born in Riga, Latvia, Jansons moved to Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in 1956, where he studied conducting, and received further training in Austria. He achieved prominence with the Oslo Philharmonic, where he served as music director from 1979 to 2000. He also directed the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 1997 to 2004, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra from 2003 until his death, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra from 2004 to 2015.

Photo: Franz Johann Morgenbesser / 2015