Page "Charles Dutoit" Paragraph 1

Dutoit was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, studied there and graduated from the Geneva Conservatory where he won first prize in conducting, then he went to the Music Academy in Siena by the invitation of Alceo Galliera.

In his younger days, he frequently attended Ernest Ansermet's rehearsals and had a personal acquaintance with him.

He also worked with Herbert von Karajan at Lucerne as a member of the festival youth orchestra and studied with Charles Munch at Tanglewood.

Dutoit began his professional music career in 1957 as a viola player with various orchestras across Europe and South America.

In January 1959, he made his debut as a professional conductor with an orchestra of Radio Lausanne and Martha Argerich.

From 1959 he was a guest conductor of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra.

After this, he was the conductor for Radio Zurich until 1967, when he took over the Bern Symphony Orchestra from Paul Kletzki, where he stayed for eleven years.