Paul Lustig Dunkel, Music Director Emeritus

At its founding in 1983 and for the ensuing quarter-century, the Westchester Philharmonic was led by Paul Lustig Dunkel, who became Music Director Emeritus in May 2008. Under Maestro Dunkel the orchestra gained national prominence for the excellence of its programming, education programs, outreach and performance.

Dominant in shaping the orchestra's virtuosic playing, Dunkel invited the finest musicians from around the New York metropolitan area to join the orchestra, many of whom are still members of the ensemble today. His reputation as a peerless musician attracted top tier soloists such as Garrick Ohlsson, Itzhak Perlman, Andre Watts, and Isaac Stern. With his impeccable eye and ear for emerging talent, Dunkel tapped little-known teenagers Midori, Joshua Bell, and Gil Shaham, to appear with the Philharmonic.

Paul Dunkel's dedication to new music made the Westchester Philharmonic a favorite destination for contemporary composers, having commissioned numerous works, notably Concerto for Flute, Strings and Percussion by Melinda Wagner, which was premiered by the Westchester Philharmonic and won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize.

His passion for music education focused on accessibility and demystifying the art form among children. Dunkel and the orchestra received the 2000 Leonard Bernstein Award for Educational Programming from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and the American Symphony Orchestra League.

Dunkel remains an active conductor, composer/arranger, educator and flutist. He is the longtime principal flutist for the New York City Ballet, and co-founded the American Composers Orchestra. He has been the Music Director of the Denver Chamber Orchestra, Principal Conductor of the Vermont Mozart Festival, appeared as guest conductor with the Baltimore, Buffalo, Richmond, and American Symphonies, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's, at the Kremlin and in Taiwan. He is a Grammy nominee for his recordings as a flutist.