Marin Alsop and the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship are very happy to announce Valentina Peleggi as the 2015-17 Taki Concordia Conducting Fellow. In response to the high number of outstanding candidates, the Fellowship has expanded to also include two Associate Fellows, Marzena Diakun and Ruth Reinhardt. Lidiya Yankovskaya recieves an Honorable Mention.
These three conductors will have the opportunity to conduct and assist with a variety of orchestras, in addition to mentoring, career support and performance opportunities. In 2011 the program was significantly expanded from a one year program to a two year program.
Valentina, from Italy, was awarded the Campos do Jordão Conducting Prize in 2014 and she, as well as the two other winners, will work closely with Marin in fulfilment of the Fellowship.
Marzena, from Poland, has recently been appointed Assistant Conductor of the Orchestre Philharmonic de Radio France.
Ruth, from Germany, was appointed a Conducting Fellow at the Seattle Symphony and, along with Marzena, will be a Conducting Fellow at Tanglewood Music Center for this summer.
Talking about the newly appointed Fellow and two Associate Fellows, Marin says:
“I am absolutely thrilled with the new Taki Fellow and Associate Fellows. Working with Valentina will be a joy – she brings an open, fresh enthusiasm to her conducting. What a fantastic outcome with such a high level of applicants! Ruth and Marzena are enormously gifted and I can’t wait to work with all of them!
With these new recipients, we have 11 Taki Concordia Fellows, and I couldn’t be more proud of them! Their accomplishments and achievements are formidable. 4 American Music Directors, 4 assistant conductors with major orchestras, artistic directors of their own projects, and so much more….wow! (see their news below)
Thanks to everyone for helping us change the face of conducting! And a special thanks to Tomio Taki for his support of women in major leadership roles throughout the world.”
Marin established the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship in 2002 with the mission to promote, present and encourage talented women conductors at the beginning of their professional careers.
Past recipients of the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship include: Karina Canellakis (Assistant Conductor, Dallas Symphony Orchestra), Alexandra Arrieche (Baltimore Symphony Orchestra/Peabody Conducting Fellow), Carolyn Kuan (Music Director, Hartford Symphony Orchestra), Laura Jackson (Music Director, Reno Philharmonic), Jeri-Lynne Johnson (Music Director, Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra), Rei Hotoda (Assistant Conductor, Utah Symphony Orchestra), Mei-Ann Chen (Music Director, Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Sinfonietta), and Mihaela Cesa Goje (Romanian National Opera and Harmonia Cordis International Classical Guitar Festival).
Recent success from former Taki Concordia Conducting Fellows include:
Alexandra Arrieche (2011 Fellow) appointed conductor of ‘Night of the Proms’ in Antwerp and Rotterdam
Carolyn Kuan (2003 Fellow) signs a new six year contract as Music Director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra
Rei Hotoda (2006 Fellow) announced as Utah Symphony’s first female associate conductor
Karina Canellakis (2013 Fellow) won a Solti Foundation Award, an award offering a grant to promising musicians at the start of their professional careers
(This article is excerpted from www.marinalsop.com.)