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The Conductors Guild Announces Winner of Scholarship Award
The Conductors Guild Announces Winner of 2011 Thelma A. Robinson Scholarship Award
The Conductors Guild announces Matilda Hofman as the winner of the 2011 Thelma A. Robinson Scholarship Award. This distinguished award and $1000 prize is given biennially to a U.S. citizen who has participated in at least one Conductors Guild Conductor Training Workshop. The award is sponsored by the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC), endowed by the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs, and named in honor of Thelma A. Robinson, NFMC Past President.
Following each Conductor Training Workshop, faculty members submit one nomination for the scholarship making it an incredible accomplishment to be nominated out of the pool of over 100 participants in the 2009-2010 season. The nominees this year include Yuchi Chou, JD Gersen, Matilda Hofman, Donald McKinney, Christopher Ocasek, Jim Stopher, and Jovan Zivkovic. The award will be presented at the 2011 Annual Conference January 7th at The Green Room in San Francisco, CA.
The Conductors Guild, with a membership of over 1,600 members representing all fifty United States and more than thirty other countries, is the only music service organization devoted exclusively to the advancement of the art of conducting and to serving the artistic and professional needs of conductors. For more information, please visit www.conductorsguild.org or contact Amanda Winger at guild@conductorsguild.org or 804-553-1378.
Included are short biographies for the eight nominees.
Matilda Hofman's work as a conductor ranges widely from opera and the symphonic repertoire to her keen interest in contemporary music. She is currently living in Davis, California, where she regularly conducts groups such as Empyrean Ensemble and the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble. Next summer she will assist Ingo Metzmacher on Luigi Nono's Prometeo at the Salzburg Festival and the Berlin Festspiele. Matilda has conducted the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (New Music Festival), Rochester Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic and BBC Philharmonic among others. She is passionate about bringing music to underprivileged communities and developed a mentoring program with education concerts and side-by-sides at the inner-city School of the Arts in Rochester while studying at the Eastman School of Music. Matilda’s conducting mentors have included Sir Colin Davis, David Zinman, JoAnn Faletta, Neil Varon, Ingo Metzmacher and Kurt Masur.
Yuchi Chou is currently a Full Scholarship DM student at Northwestern University, studying Orchestral Conducting with Professor Victor Yampolsky. Born in Taiwan, Ms. Chou holds a Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in Orchestral Conducting under the guidance of Maestro Michael Morgan. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Piano Performance with Robert G. Shannon. Ms. Chou is the winner of the 2009 Ansbacher Fellowship awarded by the Austrian American Foundation and the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival. She is also a recipient of a grant from the San Francisco Foundation for emerging Bay Area performing artists named in honor of Drs. Ben and A. Jess Shenson, who created the foundation to encourage performing arts students on their way to professional careers. In September 2008, Ms. Chou is named the assistant conductor of Community Women’s Orchestra (formerly known as the Women’s Philharmonic), and is soon named the associate conductor in January 2009. CWO is an all-female orchestra based in Oakland, California, that strives to bring more exposure to the works of historic and contemporary women composers. During her 2 seasons with CWO, she works closely with renowned composers Hilary Tann, Mary Watkins, Martha Stoddard, and June Bonacich. The recording of Ms. Chou conducting a world premiere of “Rumpelstiltskin” is recently released as part of the CWO 25th Anniversary CD. Recent years, Yuchi Chou has participated in various music festivals and workshops. She’s studied with Erin Freeman, Alexis Hauser, Kenneth Kiesler, Jerry Livingston, Alexander Mickelthwate, Carlos Moreno, David Newby, David Newby, Bridget-Michaele Reischl, Johannes Schlaefi, Robert Spano, Kirk Trevor, and Timothy Weiss.
Joshua David (J.D.) Gersen started studying conducting when he was 5 years old, and at the age of 15 was invited to study with internationally renowned teacher Gustav Meier, with whom he would study with for the next 6 years. He received his Bachelors of Music from the New England Conservatory where he studied with Michael Gandolfi, and most recently graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied conducting with Otto-Werner Mueller. While at Curtis, he conducted numerous performances, rehearsals, and sectionals with various ensembles including the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and the 20/21 contemporary ensemble, and participated in master classes with internationally renowned conductors including Michael Tilson Thomas, Christoph Eschenbach, Alan Gilbert, and Simon Rattle. J.D. has also attended numerous conducting workshops and festivals, and most recently won the Robert J. Harth Conducting Prize at the Aspen Music Festival during the summer of 2010.
Donald McKinney is conductor of the band at Interlochen Arts Academy and also serves on the conducting faculty for Interlochen Arts Camp. Previously, he was associate conductor of ensembles at Duquesne University School of Music working with the wind ensembles, orchestra, and opera workshop. Donald completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the University of Michigan. His primary teachers include Michael Haithcock, Dr. Jack Stamp, and Dr. Robert Cameron. He completed additional study with H. Robert Reynolds and Frank Battisti. He has contributed to several publications including the upcoming book Women of Influence in Contemporary Music.
After conducting multiple ensembles in the United States, Christopher Ocasek moved to Berlin, Germany, where he now lives and works as a pianist and conductor. His love and ability to communicate effectively with musicians in the voice and orchestral worlds has afforded him the opportunity to work with musicians in both orchestra and opera. Most recently, Mr. Ocasek participated in a series of concerts of new music including Christopher Theofanidis’s Rainbow Body, Mark Kilstofte’s Ballistic Etude 3.1, and Ladislav Kubik’s Sinfonietta No. 3 “Gong” in collaboration with the composers. Mr. Ocasek is currently in the process of developing an organization in Berlin for the promotion of American music.
Jim Stopher is a student of Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar at the Peabody Conservatory, where he is completing a DMA in orchestral conducting. He has served as a cover conductor for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and has held a Peabody Graduate Assistantship. Prior to his enrollment at Peabody, he earned an MM under Thomas Cockrell at the University of Arizona, where he held a fellowship and directed the University Philharmonic. Originally trained as a pianist, he has performed as soloist with the Louisville Orchestra and the Arizona Symphony, and has also served as a young artist coach/accompanist at Opera North.
Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Jovan Zivkovic received his musical training Faculty of Music, Belgrade, where he obtained a Bachelor of Music Degree in Conducting. His professors include also Stanko Sepic, Jorma Panula, Uros Lajovic, Julian Shew and Eugene Sirotkine. He attended masterclasses with Dorian Wilson, Lutz Koehler, Peter Ettrup Larsen, James Setapen, Jorge Mester, JoAnn Falletta, Marcus Lehtinen, Victor Yampolsky and Erin Freeman among others. Jovan was a chef conductor of Pascan Youth Philharmonic and assistant conductor of Belgrade Philharmonic. As a guest conductor, Jovan appear in opera productions in Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad as well as Madlenianum Opera and Theatre in Belgrade. Now at LSU he is perusing DMA degree in Orchestral Conducting in Professor Carlos Riazuelo's studio.
Conductors Guild 719 Twinridge Lane Richmond, VA 23235 Phone – 804-553-1378 Fax – 804-553-1876 guild@conductorsguild.org
The Conductors Guild announces Matilda Hofman as the winner of the 2011 Thelma A. Robinson Scholarship Award. This distinguished award and $1000 prize is given biennially to a U.S. citizen who has participated in at least one Conductors Guild Conductor Training Workshop. The award is sponsored by the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC), endowed by the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs, and named in honor of Thelma A. Robinson, NFMC Past President.
Following each Conductor Training Workshop, faculty members submit one nomination for the scholarship making it an incredible accomplishment to be nominated out of the pool of over 100 participants in the 2009-2010 season. The nominees this year include Yuchi Chou, JD Gersen, Matilda Hofman, Donald McKinney, Christopher Ocasek, Jim Stopher, and Jovan Zivkovic. The award will be presented at the 2011 Annual Conference January 7th at The Green Room in San Francisco, CA.
The Conductors Guild, with a membership of over 1,600 members representing all fifty United States and more than thirty other countries, is the only music service organization devoted exclusively to the advancement of the art of conducting and to serving the artistic and professional needs of conductors. For more information, please visit www.conductorsguild.org or contact Amanda Winger at guild@conductorsguild.org or 804-553-1378.
Included are short biographies for the eight nominees.
Matilda Hofman's work as a conductor ranges widely from opera and the symphonic repertoire to her keen interest in contemporary music. She is currently living in Davis, California, where she regularly conducts groups such as Empyrean Ensemble and the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble. Next summer she will assist Ingo Metzmacher on Luigi Nono's Prometeo at the Salzburg Festival and the Berlin Festspiele. Matilda has conducted the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (New Music Festival), Rochester Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic and BBC Philharmonic among others. She is passionate about bringing music to underprivileged communities and developed a mentoring program with education concerts and side-by-sides at the inner-city School of the Arts in Rochester while studying at the Eastman School of Music. Matilda’s conducting mentors have included Sir Colin Davis, David Zinman, JoAnn Faletta, Neil Varon, Ingo Metzmacher and Kurt Masur.
Yuchi Chou is currently a Full Scholarship DM student at Northwestern University, studying Orchestral Conducting with Professor Victor Yampolsky. Born in Taiwan, Ms. Chou holds a Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in Orchestral Conducting under the guidance of Maestro Michael Morgan. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Piano Performance with Robert G. Shannon. Ms. Chou is the winner of the 2009 Ansbacher Fellowship awarded by the Austrian American Foundation and the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival. She is also a recipient of a grant from the San Francisco Foundation for emerging Bay Area performing artists named in honor of Drs. Ben and A. Jess Shenson, who created the foundation to encourage performing arts students on their way to professional careers. In September 2008, Ms. Chou is named the assistant conductor of Community Women’s Orchestra (formerly known as the Women’s Philharmonic), and is soon named the associate conductor in January 2009. CWO is an all-female orchestra based in Oakland, California, that strives to bring more exposure to the works of historic and contemporary women composers. During her 2 seasons with CWO, she works closely with renowned composers Hilary Tann, Mary Watkins, Martha Stoddard, and June Bonacich. The recording of Ms. Chou conducting a world premiere of “Rumpelstiltskin” is recently released as part of the CWO 25th Anniversary CD. Recent years, Yuchi Chou has participated in various music festivals and workshops. She’s studied with Erin Freeman, Alexis Hauser, Kenneth Kiesler, Jerry Livingston, Alexander Mickelthwate, Carlos Moreno, David Newby, David Newby, Bridget-Michaele Reischl, Johannes Schlaefi, Robert Spano, Kirk Trevor, and Timothy Weiss.
Joshua David (J.D.) Gersen started studying conducting when he was 5 years old, and at the age of 15 was invited to study with internationally renowned teacher Gustav Meier, with whom he would study with for the next 6 years. He received his Bachelors of Music from the New England Conservatory where he studied with Michael Gandolfi, and most recently graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied conducting with Otto-Werner Mueller. While at Curtis, he conducted numerous performances, rehearsals, and sectionals with various ensembles including the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and the 20/21 contemporary ensemble, and participated in master classes with internationally renowned conductors including Michael Tilson Thomas, Christoph Eschenbach, Alan Gilbert, and Simon Rattle. J.D. has also attended numerous conducting workshops and festivals, and most recently won the Robert J. Harth Conducting Prize at the Aspen Music Festival during the summer of 2010.
Donald McKinney is conductor of the band at Interlochen Arts Academy and also serves on the conducting faculty for Interlochen Arts Camp. Previously, he was associate conductor of ensembles at Duquesne University School of Music working with the wind ensembles, orchestra, and opera workshop. Donald completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the University of Michigan. His primary teachers include Michael Haithcock, Dr. Jack Stamp, and Dr. Robert Cameron. He completed additional study with H. Robert Reynolds and Frank Battisti. He has contributed to several publications including the upcoming book Women of Influence in Contemporary Music.
After conducting multiple ensembles in the United States, Christopher Ocasek moved to Berlin, Germany, where he now lives and works as a pianist and conductor. His love and ability to communicate effectively with musicians in the voice and orchestral worlds has afforded him the opportunity to work with musicians in both orchestra and opera. Most recently, Mr. Ocasek participated in a series of concerts of new music including Christopher Theofanidis’s Rainbow Body, Mark Kilstofte’s Ballistic Etude 3.1, and Ladislav Kubik’s Sinfonietta No. 3 “Gong” in collaboration with the composers. Mr. Ocasek is currently in the process of developing an organization in Berlin for the promotion of American music.
Jim Stopher is a student of Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar at the Peabody Conservatory, where he is completing a DMA in orchestral conducting. He has served as a cover conductor for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and has held a Peabody Graduate Assistantship. Prior to his enrollment at Peabody, he earned an MM under Thomas Cockrell at the University of Arizona, where he held a fellowship and directed the University Philharmonic. Originally trained as a pianist, he has performed as soloist with the Louisville Orchestra and the Arizona Symphony, and has also served as a young artist coach/accompanist at Opera North.
Born in Belgrade, Serbia, Jovan Zivkovic received his musical training Faculty of Music, Belgrade, where he obtained a Bachelor of Music Degree in Conducting. His professors include also Stanko Sepic, Jorma Panula, Uros Lajovic, Julian Shew and Eugene Sirotkine. He attended masterclasses with Dorian Wilson, Lutz Koehler, Peter Ettrup Larsen, James Setapen, Jorge Mester, JoAnn Falletta, Marcus Lehtinen, Victor Yampolsky and Erin Freeman among others. Jovan was a chef conductor of Pascan Youth Philharmonic and assistant conductor of Belgrade Philharmonic. As a guest conductor, Jovan appear in opera productions in Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad as well as Madlenianum Opera and Theatre in Belgrade. Now at LSU he is perusing DMA degree in Orchestral Conducting in Professor Carlos Riazuelo's studio.
Conductors Guild 719 Twinridge Lane Richmond, VA 23235 Phone – 804-553-1378 Fax – 804-553-1876 guild@conductorsguild.org
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