Commemorative issue American Music Series - Composers & Conductors
George Szell
A Hungarian-born composer and conductor, George Szell had a long tenure as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra. He joined the orchestra in 1946 and remained through his death in 1970. He began his music training as a pianist, and soon began to study composition. At the age of 14, he signed a 10-year publishing contract with Universal Edition in Vienna, Austria. He began to our Europe as a pianist at age 11, appearing with the Berlin Philharmonic as composer, pianist, and conductor at the age of 17.