PHILHARMONIC GETS CONDUCTOR DATE: Friday, December 23, 1994      By Mark Stryker DAYTON DAILY NEWS                              DAYTON DAILY NEWS                   Copyright (c) 1994, Dayton Newspapers Inc.   Conductor Neal Gittleman felt a synergy with the Dayton Philharmonic right from the opening downbeat during his November audition.   "You have a sense as you're performing about the emotion and the dynamic between the conductor and orchestra but you always wonder if your judgment is right," Gittleman said. "But when I listened to the tape of the concert the next week, I was really blown away by how good it was."   Orchestra management and musicians were impressed as well: Gittleman, 39, has been named the fourth music director in the orchestra's 62-year history. He succeeds Isaiah Jackson, who completes his 8-year tenure in May. Gittleman,currently resident conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony and music director of the Marion (Ind.) Philharmonic, assumes his duties in Dayton next fall.   His salary will be approximately $84,000 per year, which is what Jackson was paid in 1994, according to search committee chairman Jim Van Vleck.   Gittleman takes over the artistic reins of the orchestra at a crucial pointin its history. With a $2.3 million budget, the philharmonic is among Dayton'slargest (and oldest) arts institutions, but flat attendance in recent years suggests its relationship with the community has grown distant. Orchestra management is looking to Gittleman to aggressively represent the philharmonic in the community and reach out to new audiences.   In addition, personality clashes between some musicians and Jackson have aggravated factions within the orchestra.Management wants Gittleman to unify the orchestra.   "Neal was the right person for us at this particular time," said board president Lou Mason. He's got the musical ability, plus all of the other leadership qualities we were looking for."   Gittleman says one of his major goals is to make the philharmonic more of acenterpiece in Dayton's cultural life.   "A lot of it is a question of hands-on contact in a community, meeting withpeople and fostering that sense of ownership," said Gittleman. "To use the conductor as a focus for peoples' imaginations and their impressions of the orchestra."   Gittleman said his first approach to unite the orchestra would be to focus the orchestra on common musical goals. "If you can have a unified vision musically amongst the 90 of us on stage, that provides basically a common ground that we can all go back to," he said.   Gittleman and his wife, Lisa Fry, hope to move to the Dayton area in 1996. The next 18 months will be a transition period while he weans himself from commitments in Milwaukee and Marion.   Gittleman was chosen from a group of five finalists, all of whom guest-conducted the orchestra this fall. Two conductors dropped out before theorchestra made its final choice. Keith Lockhart said he wanted to pursue otheropportunities, while David Lockington was named music director of the New Mexico Symphony on Monday. Steven Byess was the fifth finalist.   Gittleman, Lockington and Gisele Ben-Dor had emerged as the top candidates in recent weeks. Orchestra musicians have said all three were qualified musically to lead the philharmonic. The consensus was that Gittleman conductedthe most emotionally stirring concert of the three.   "I think Neal is an excellent choice," said Richard Chenoweth, principal horn. "His performance had a lot of depth to it and I thought he worked the orchestra well in preparation.   "And one thing he said that I really liked and that the others didn't say, was that he wanted to make the Dayton Philharmonic the thing to do in Dayton. He said, 'This town is just ready for something like this.' "BOX:      ************************************************************************                                 CONDUCTOR'S FILE        ************************************************************************          *    Name: Neal Gittleman, 39     *    Gittleman Birthdate: June 29, 1955.     *    Born in the Panama Canal Zone. Raised in Brooklyn, N.Y.       *    Residence: Milwaukee, Wis.       *    Family: Married to Lisa Fry, information systems coordinator for the     Boys and Girls Clubs of Milwaukee.       *    Current appointments: Resident conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony      (formerly associate conductor); and music director of the Marion (Ind.)      Philharmonic.      *    Biographical sketch: Graduated from Yale University in 1975. Later      studied with Nadia Boulanger and Charles Bruck. Previously assistant      conductor of Oregon Symphony and associate conductor of the Syracuse      Symphony. Has guest conducted the San Francisco, Chicago and Indianapolis     symphonies and the l'Orchestra de la Suisse Romande. LENGTH: Medium:   88 LINESNA: DAYTON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTSRA    NEAL GITTLEMAN ENHANCER: REF4================================================================================ 14 of 16, 1 Terms                                                              Transfer complete. Press [RETURN] to return to Menu: