Former New York Philharmonic conductor Kurt Masur dies at 88

December 20, 2015 00:09

Kurt Masur, the legendary German music conductor credited with transforming the New York Philharmonic into an orchestra of international renown, died Saturday in Greenwich, Connecticut, at age 88, the Philharmonic said.

Masur served as music director of the Philharmonic from 1991 to 2002 and was later named music director emeritus, becoming the first to receive that title and only the second after Leonard Bernstein to be given an honorary position.

Masur was also a well-known humanist who played a central role in peaceful demonstrations against East Germany's communist government in 1989.

"What we remember most vividly is Masur's profound belief in music as an expression of humanism," New York Philharmonic President Matthew VanBesien said in a statement. Maestro Masur's 11-year tenure, one of the longest in the Philharmonic's history, both set a standard and left a legacy that lives on today."

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