Julius Rudel

Julius Rudel was an Austrian-American conductor who, as music director of the New York City Opera from 1957 to 1979, championed American works and made the company a vital, adventurous rival to the Met. He also served as the first music director of the Kennedy Center and conducted major orchestras and opera houses worldwide. Born into a Jewish family in Vienna, he emigrated to the United States in 1938 after the Nazi annexation of Austria.