Daniel Harding aboard Air France Flight 1205, on which he flew the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia from its home in Rome to Paris. Photograph by Benjamin Malapris/New York Times.
In Thursday’s (1/9) New York Times, Javier C. Hernández writes, “Air France Flight 1205 prepared to make its descent…. A voice from the cockpit came over the intercom … ‘Thank you for choosing Air France,’ said Daniel Harding, the flight’s first officer. ‘And remember: Rehearsal is at 6 p.m.’ The cabin erupted into whistles and cheers. Harding, 49, an Air France pilot, also happens to be one of the world’s top orchestral conductors. And on this December day, he was flying his ensemble, the esteemed Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, from its home base in Rome to Paris for the start of a European tour. (A few dozen unknowing members of the public were also aboard.) Over the past few years, the British-born Harding has led dual, and often dueling, careers: conducting Mozart and Mahler symphonies one day, piloting commercial flights to Paris, Milan, Stockholm and Tunis the next. He relishes the exacting regimen of flying … Harding is a rarity in commercial flying: a pilot with a thriving artistic career…. Harding now spends about a week each month flying medium-haul flights for Air France … scheduled around his performances…. He pointed to his experience in music to reassure the airline that he would work well with colleagues. ‘Being a conductor,’ he said, ‘is the ultimate team activity.’ ”
