“Conductor Eugene Kohn was extraordinarily attentive...He also led sophisticated, stylish accounts of the overtures to Berlioz's 'Beatrice et Benedict', Mascagni's 'Le Maschere' and Verdi's 'Les Vepres Siciliennes.' The (Los Angeles Opera) orchestra sounded wonderfully blended, balanced and transparent, and it was a joy to hear...”
– Los Angeles Times
Eugene Kohn began his career in his teens, as piano accompanist to major operatic artists, including Maria Callas, Franco Corelli, Luciano Pavarotti, and Renata Tebaldi. His formal conducting studies began with a five-year, full time apprenticeship as the protege of the Metropolitan Opera's Fausto Cleva. He subsequently served for two years as assistant to Thomas Schippers, and worked the central German orchestral repertoire with Erich Leinsdorf.
Following several seasons of intensive activity with regional opera companies and orchestras, Mo. Kohn made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1980 with La Gioconda starring Renata Scotto. James Levine subsequently re-engaged him for several important works at the Metropolitan, and Mo. Kohn went on to conduct at such major opera houses as the Wiener Staatsoper, Hamburgische Staatsoper, Berlin Staatsoper Under den Linden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Teatro Liceu de Barcelona, while fulfilling symphonic engagements in Europe and South America.
From 1992 to 1997 Mo. Kohn was Principal Guest Conductor of the Bonn Opera where he collaborated with director GianCarlo DelMonaco on productions of Der Rosenkavalier, Don Giovanni, La Fanciulla del West, Otello, Fidelio, and many others.
Between 1994 and 2002 Kohn was Music Director of the Puerto Rico Symphony, which he enlarged significantly in personnel, budget, audience and repertoire with cycles of Bartok, Stravinsky, and Mahler.
A frequent guest at The Washington National Opera, Mo. Kohn has led productions there of I pagliacci, Tosca, La boheme, Un ballo in maschera, Fedora, Andrea Chenier, and most recently Madama Butterfly in 2007.
Mo. Kohn can be heard with Maria Callas (as her live piano accompanist) on EMI's 3 CD release of 'The Master Classes', and seen as conductor on Sony Classical's 2003 DVD release of 'Duetto' from the Rome Colisseum. He has an extensive recorded legacy with Placido Domingo, including EMI's award winning Roman Heroes with the London Symphony Orchestra, and 'Opera Gala' with Thomas Hampson and the Philharmonia Orchestra.
In 2004 Eugene Kohn made his professional screen acting debut (by re-creating his actual role as Maria Callas' accompanist) in Zeffirelli's 'Callas Forever', appearing with Fanny Ardant and Jeremy Irons. He can be seen as conductor in Millenium Arts DVD 'Finding Eleazar' (La Juive excerpts with Neil Shicoff) which was acclaimed at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival (DG,2005), and also the DVD 'Alagna in Concert' (DG,2006). His latest CD (DG,2007) 'Italia, ti amo', where he conducts Mr. Domingo and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, was nominated for a Grammy award.