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Claudio Abbado Family History and Early Life Born in Milan, Italy on June 26, 1933, Claudio Abbado was the son of violinist and composer conductor Michelangelo Abbado,

At age 15, Abbado first met Leonard Bernstein when Bernstein was conducting a performance featuring Abbado's father as a soloist. Bernstein commented, "You have the eye to be a conductor."

Claudio himself is known for having a famous anecdote about how when he was just twelve years old he wrote "Viva Bartók" on a local wall which caught the attention of the Gestapo and sent them on the hunt for the culprit. His passionate opposition to fascism continued into his adult years.

Conducting Career During his tenure as GMD in Vienna, in 1988, he founded the music festival Wien Modern. There he backed numerous contemporary composers including György Ligeti, Pierre Boulez, and Luigi Nono.

In the late 1980's it was suspected that he might become music director of the New York Philharmonic. However,

Selected Honours and Awards
 * Dimitri Mitropoulos Memorial International Competition, 1963 (Won the one-year position as assistant conductor to Leonard Bernstein at the New York Philharmonic.)