All Conductors of Eurovision

03/09/2026

Today, our good wishes are going out to France, as Jérôme Pillement is celebrating his birthday.

Jérôme Pillement, who studied with Leonard Bernstein, is one of France’s most sought-after conductors for opera and operetta performances, moreover also working in places as far away as Denmark, Ireland, Spain, and Germany. Since 1992, he has been the musical director of Un Violin Sur Le Sable, a classical music festival held annually on the beach of Royan; moreover, he is the artistic director of an open air operetta festival in Montpellier, Les Folies d’O.

In the Eurovision Song Contest, Jérôme Pillement took part on one occasion, leading the orchestra for the 1991 French entry, ‘C’est le dernier qui a parlé qui a raison’, performed by Amina Annabi. This French entry with clear overtones of the North African musical tradition scored an equal number of points as the winner, Carola Häggkvist, but had to settle for second place because of the lower number of high marks (10 and 12 points) than the Swedish singer.

Jérôme Pillement is turning 66 today and we wish him all the best on his birthday. Bon anniversaire, maestro!

31/08/2026

(English / für Deutsche Übersetzung weiter nach unten)

I am appealing to you for help. A Eurovision conductor about whom very little information can be found is the German cellist and arranger Wolfgang Tiepold (Leon Ives). I am looking for this musician’s place and date of birth, as well as his date and place of death.

For many years, Wolfgang Tiepold was a cellist with the Hessischer Rundfunk Orchestra. He also worked closely with electronic composer Klaus Schulze. In 1992, under the pseudonym Leon Ives, he was the arranger and conductor of Austria’s Eurovision entry “Zusammen geh’n” by Tony Wegas, at the request of producer and composer Dieter Bohlen.

GEMA, the German organisation responsible for administering the rights of composers, lyricists and music publishers, mentions Tiepold’s death in its 2014 annual report, which means that his death must have occurred in either 2013 or 2014. I have been unable to find any further clues. Unfortunately, this is complicated by the fact that GEMA is not permitted to provide additional information for reasons of privacy.

Any help in identifying Wolfgang Tiepold’s date and place of birth and death would therefore be greatly appreciated.

(Deutsch)

Hilfe gesucht! Ein Eurovisionsdirigent, über den nur sehr wenige Informationen zu finden sind, ist der deutsche Cellist und Arrangeur Wolfgang Tiepold (Leon Ives). Ich bin auf der Suche nach seinem Geburtsort und Geburtsdatum sowie nach Ort und Datum seines Todes.

Wolfgang Tiepold war viele Jahre lang Cellist im Hessischen Rundfunkorchester. Außerdem arbeitete er eng mit dem Elektronik-Komponisten Klaus Schulze zusammen. 1992 war er unter dem Pseudonym Leon Ives auf Wunsch des Produzenten und Komponisten Dieter Bohlen Arrangeur und Dirigent des österreichischen Eurovision-Beitrags „Zusammen geh’n“ von Tony Wegas.

Die GEMA, die deutsche Organisation zur Wahrnehmung der Rechte von Komponisten, Textdichtern und Musikverlagen, erwähnt Tiepolds Tod in ihrem Jahresbericht 2014. Daraus lässt sich schließen, dass er entweder 2013 oder 2014 verstorben sein muss. Weitere Anhaltspunkte konnte ich bislang nicht finden. Erschwerend kommt hinzu, dass die GEMA aus Datenschutzgründen keine weiteren Informationen herausgeben darf.

Für jeden Hinweis auf den Geburtsort und das Geburtsdatum sowie auf Ort und Datum des Todes von Wolfgang Tiepold wäre ich daher sehr dankbar.

30/08/2026

Today, our good wishes are going out to Greece, as Charis Andreadis (Χάρης Ανδρεάδης) is celebrating his birthday.

One of the real unsung heroes of the Greek music industry, Charis Andreadis was involved as an arranger in no fewer than ten Eurovision entries for Greece and Cyprus, of which he conducted nine himself, starting with 'Charlie Chaplin' for Tsania Tsanaclidou in 1978 and ending with 'Poia prosefchi' for Elena Constantopoulou in 1995.

Charis Andreadis is turning 80 today and we wish him all the best on this special occasion. Χρόνια πολλά, αγαπητέ μαέστρο!

==> Our interview with Charis Andreadis, dating back to 2012: https://all-conductors-of-eurovision.blogspot.com/1995/05/charis-andreadis.html

29/08/2026

Arranger/conductor Mats Olsson (far left) with the four artists from his company competing in the 1968 Melodifestivalen edition: Svante Thuresson, eventual winner Claes-Göran Hederström, Mona Wessman, and Towa Carson. Olsson would go on to accompany Hederström as conductor to London's Royal Albert Hall, where his catchy arrangement to 'Det börjar verka kärlek, banne mej' helped Sweden obtain a fifth place in the voting.

Hemma hos Mats på segersupé efter Melodifestivalen 1968. Detta var ju efter segern med Claes-Göran Hederströms ”Det börjar verka kärlek banne mej” som tog sig till ESC-finalen i London. På bilden syns förutom Mats, Svante Thuresson ( som Mats dirigerade) Claes-Göran Hederström och nedtill Mona Wessman och Towa Carson som också ingick i Mats artiststall. Foto: Lars-Åke Thuresson.

26/08/2026

Some wonderful news: earlier today, the piano of Dolf van der Linden was brought back to the conductor's birthplace, Vlaardingen, where it will be restored and displayed in the foyer of the local theatre; more details below >>>

24/08/2026

Today, our good wishes are extended to Italy, as Mario Natale is celebrating his birthday.

Originally a percussionist, Mario Natale has been a record producer and arranger since the early 1980s, working with the likes of Ricchi & Poveri, Patty Pravo, Toto Cutugno, Loredana Berté, and Jovanotti. As a conductor, he appeared in various TV shows, most notably in thirteen editions of the San Remo Festival. In 2002, Natale orchestrated and conducted the winning 'Messaggio d'amore' for Matia Bazar, while recording his second win as a conductor as well as a songwriter in 2005 with ‘Non credo nei miracoli’ for Laura Bono (Sezione Giovani). In the Eurofestival, working with Silvio Melloni and Roberto Turatti, Mario Natale arranged and conducted the 1989 Italian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, ‘Avrei voluto’, sung by Anna Oxa & Fausto Leali.

Mario Natale is turning 67 today and we wish him all the best on this special day. Auguri, maestro!

21/08/2026

Today, our good wishes are going out to Denmark, as trumpet player, composer, arranger, and bandleader Jan Glæsel is celebrating his birthday.

Working as a trumpet player in the Thad Jones Big Band, Glæsel had his first hit as a composer and arranger with ‘Det er ikke det du siger’ for Sanne Salomonsen in 1981. Forming his own production company, Glæsel teamed up as a session player and arranger with the likes of Jette Torp and Birthe Kjær, while also penning the music to countless jingles as well as several films.

In the Eurovision Song Contest, Jan Glæsel was involved as a (co-)arranger in two Danish entries in the 1980s, 'Kloden drejer' (1983 / Gry Johansen) and ‘Du er fuld af løgn’ (1986 / Lise Haavik), before finally having the opportunity to represent his country as a conductor in 1997; after leading the band for the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, he accompanied winner Thomas Lægård (Kølig Kaj) to the international final in Dublin with ‘Stemmen i mit liv'.

Jan Glæsel is turning 68 today and we wish him all the best on this special occasion. Tillykke med fødselsdagen, maestro!

20/08/2026

On this day, 95 years ago exactly, French pianist and arranger Alain Goraguer was born.

One of the most productive arrangers of his generation in France, Alain Goraguer worked with the likes of Boris Vian, Jean Ferrat, Serge Gainsbourg - and many, many more. In the Eurovision Song Contest, he made his debut as an arranger and conductor in 1965, being part of the winning Luxembourgian team with 'Poupée de cire, poupée de son' by France Gall. He went on to arrange and conduct 'Bien plus fort' (Monaco 1966 / Tereza Kesovija), 'La source' (France 1968 / Isabelle Aubret), 'Il y aura toujours des violons' (France 1978 / Joel Prévost), and 'Je suis un vrai garçon' (France 1994 / Nina Morato).

Moreover, as an arranger, he also had a hand in six other entries for four different countries, for which he ceded the baton to another conductor, including, most notably, another winner - 'Un jour, un enfant' (France 1969 / Frida Boccara).

Alain Goraguer passed away in 2023 at the age of 91. "Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?"

==> Our interview with Alain Goraguer, dating back to 2011 (rewritten in 2023), can be found here: https://all-conductors-of-eurovision.blogspot.com/1994/04/alain-goraguer.html

19/08/2026

As it turns out, Argentine all-round musician Buddy McCluskey passed away last May.

Singer, songwriter, lyricist, translator, conductor, and producer Buddy McCluskey was one of the key figures responsible for bringing international artists to the Latin American market, penning Spanish lyrics to songs by the likes of Johnny Mathis, Roberto Carlos, Barry Manilow, Village People, Blondie, and Jermaine Jackson. McCluskey's main claim to fame was his connection to ABBA, for whom he opened the door to Spanish-speaking audiences with countless song lyrics in Spanish.

As for the followers of our site, I think most of us will remember him for his unforgettable conducting masterclass in the 1984 OTI Festival in Mexico City, leading the orchestra for the Argentine entry "La luz de mi escritorio no se enciende", written and performed by his two sons Alan & Roy (link below - a must-see if you haven't).

Buddy McCluskey was 91 years old. Rest in peace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpwpZUjQzi4

17/08/2026

Today, our good wishes are extended to Tallinn in Estonia, as pianist and arranger Urmas Lattikas is celebrating his birthday.

One of his country's finest jazz musicians, Urmas Lattikas has the distinction of being the arranger and conductor of Estonia's debut in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, when he stood up in front of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in Dublin for Silvi Vrait's performance of Ivar Must's composition 'Nagu merelaine'.

Urmas is turning 66 today and we wish him all the best on this special occasion. Palju õnne sünnipäevaks, maestro!

==> Our 2023 interview with Urmas Lattikas can be found here: https://all-conductors-of-eurovision.blogspot.com/1994/04/urmas-lattikas.html