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18 Young Conductors selected for distinguished Career Assistance Awards

18 Young Conductors selected for distinguished Career Assistance Awards from The Solti Foundation U.S.   Selected musicians represent the importance of diversity, community and cultural impact

Evanston, IL– The Solti Foundation U.S. has selected 18 young conductors to be recipients of 2022 Career Assistance Awards. Announced today by Board Chair Penny Van Horn and Elizabeth Buccheri, Artistic and Awards Committee Chair, the recipients comprise seven new awardees and 11 whose work in the field has been recognized with the award previously.   The 2022 recipients of The Sir Georg Solti Career Assistance Award have experience on both the concert and operatic stages, many both nationally and abroad, and have all demonstrated a community-oriented outlook in their work, whether it be through the education, repertoire, or industry-supportive fronts.   Ms. Van Horn stated, “It is our pleasure to announce the 2022 Career Assistance Award recipients. This season, selecting recipients was a thrilling challenge. All the applicants showed dedication and passion for their craft and an intention to forge a career along the lines of the late Sir Georg Solti. But, equally important, across the board all demonstrated an intent towards positive change for the continued growth of the classical music field, whether through creative and diverse programming, innovative projects, or bringing attention to the field through blogs, lectures and other projects.   “It is my pleasure to announce Tiffany Chang, Maurice Cohn, Nathaniel Efthimiou, Kevin Fitzgerald, Taichi Fukumara, Chelsea Gallo, Keitaro Harada, Robert Kahn, Farkhad Khudyev, Louis Lohraseb, Francois Lopez-Ferrer, Benjamin Manis, Stephen Mulligan, Tristan Rais-Sherman, Michael Repper, Matthew Straw, William Walker, and Dean Whiteside. Congratulations to you all, and we look forward to watching your careers grow.”   Ms. Buccheri added, “The Artistic and Awards Committee is very diligent in our research. The positive feedback received for each musician reinforces their work in the field. We cannot wait to see where your musical passion takes you. Congratulations!”

Tiffany Chang, Maurice Cohn, Nathaniel Efthimiou, Kevin Fitzgerald, Taichi Fukumara, Chelsea Gallo, Keitaro Harada, Robert Kahn, Farkhad Khudyev, Louis Lohraseb, Francois Lopez-Ferrer, Benjamin Manis, Stephen Mulligan, Tristan Rais-Sherman, Michael Repper, Matthew Straw, William Walker, Dean Whiteside   Biographies of the artists may be read by clicking on the link below.   About The Solti Foundation U.S. Entering its twenty-first year of assisting outstanding young U.S. conductors to further develop their talent and careers, The Solti Foundation U.S. is the foremost organization in the United States dedicated exclusively to helping young conductors.   Established in 2000 to honor the memory of the legendary conductor Sir Georg Solti by lending significant support to career-ready young American musicians, in 2004, the Foundation concentrated the focus of its award program to solely assist talented young American conductors early in their professional careers (its original mission was of a more general arts nature). Since then, it has awarded over one million dollars through grants and residencies to American conductors.   The Foundation endeavors to seek out those musicians who have chosen to follow a path similar to that followed by Sir Georg himself. In keeping with the spirit of Sir Georg's active approach to his career, young conductors must apply to be considered for the awards.   While dedicated to identifying and assisting young conductors early on, the Foundation is also concerned with the long-term development of its award recipients, continuing to offer support and maintaining a constant interest in their growth and achievements.   The Foundation currently awards the following grants annually:   The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award. The largest grant currently given to American conductors in the formative years of their careers, the prestigious $30,000 grant is given annually to a single promising American conductor 38 years of age or younger. The Award, also known as The Solti Fellow, includes door-opening introductions, ongoing professional mentoring, and introductions to two of Chicago's most prestigious performing organizations: Lyric Opera of Chicago and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Recipients include Earl Lee, Gemma New, Aram Demirjian, Yaniv Dinur, Roderick Cox, Christopher Allen, Karina Canellakis, Vladimir Kulenovic, Cristian Macelaru, James Feddeck, Case Scaglione, Eric Nielsen, and Anthony Barrese.   The Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award. The amounts given for the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Awards vary, but the intent behind them does not.   The Elizabeth Buccheri Opera Residency. Introduced in the 2014-15 season, the program places former award recipients with a distinguished opera house for one-on-one mentoring and coaching of an opera during the company's professional season. Recipients have worked with numerous stellar opera companies renowned for their artistic excellence across the country, including the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Florentine Opera Company in Milwaukee, North Carolina Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Michigan Opera Theatre, and Opera Delaware.The latest distinguished opera company to come on board will be Opera Southwest in 2023. Conductors cannot apply but are instead selected by the Artistic and Awards Committee.   The Foundation is currently the only American Foundation to grant these kinds of awards each year to young American conductors. Citizens or permanent residents of the United States who are career-ready artists in the field of conducting are eligible to apply.   Applicants for all Solti Foundation U.S. awards must be able to demonstrate that he/she is developing a career as a symphonic / operatic conductor. All applications from The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award are considered for a Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award. Applications are reviewed by an awards committee comprised of a panel of professionals with broad musical and conducting experience. The Foundation reserves the right to withhold a grant in any given year if the Awards Committee does not find suitable applicants in one or more of the various award categories.   For further details on The Solti Foundation U.S., its past awardees, their biographical information, the Foundation's newsletter, as well as guidelines for the 2023 Awards, and a downloadable application form, please visit the Foundation's website at: www.soltifoundation.us   Click here or Dropbox link to pdf of this release and biography and photos.

Press Contact: Laura Grant 917.359,7319; Laura@grant-communications.com