What is Pierre Monteux?
'''Pierre Monteux''' (born [[Paris]], 4 April 1875; – Hancock, [[Maine]], 14 July 1964) was a [[France|French]]-born [[conducting|conductor]] who later became an [[United States|American]] [[citizen]]. He was one of the great conductors of his time. ==Life== Monteux was born in [[Paris]] and started to learn the violin when he was six. When he was nine he learned at the [[Paris Conservatoire]]. When he was twelve he conducted an orchestra in Paris with the [[piano|pianist]] [[Alfred Cortot]] as [[Solo (music)|soloist]]. He played in orchestras, and was the principal of the [[viola]] section in the first performance of [[Debussy]]’s [[opera]] ''[[Pelléas et Mélisande]]''. He started to conduct some of the concerts in the series [[Concerts Colonne]]. Monteux also played his viola in [[chamber music]]. He played a [[string quartet]] by [[Brahms]] with the composer in the [[audience]]. Monteux soon became famous as a conductor. He conducted the orchestra for [[Diaghilev]]’s [[Ballet Russes]], conducting the first performances of [[Stravinsky]]s ''[[Petrouchka]]'', ''[[Rite of Spring]]'' as well as [[Ravel]]’s ''[[Daphnis et Chloé]]'' and Debussy’s ''[[Jeux]]''. These were some of the greatest [[ballet]]s of the [[20th century]]. In 1916, Monteux went to the [[USA]] and conducted the French operas at the [[Metropolitan Opera]]. In 1920, he moved to [[Boston]], conducting many new works by Debussy, [[Chausson]], [[Darius Milhaud]] and others. In 1924, he became assistant conductor at the [[Concertgebouw Orchestra]], [[Amsterdam]]. He started the [[Orchestre Symphonique de Paris]] in 1929, and also a school for conducting, the École Monteux, in Paris. Later he continued this teaching in his American home in Maine. [[Neville Marriner]] and [[André Previn]] were two of his pupils. In 1936, he became conductor of the [[San Francisco Symphony Orchestra]]. He stayed with this orchestra until 1952. He made this orchestra internationally famous. In 1942, he became an American citizen. In the 1950s, he often