SoltiNewsletter_2024
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THE SOLTI FOUNDATION U.S.
NEWSLETTER | 2024 SUMMER EDITION
WELCOME | SOLTI NIGHT 2024
SOLTI FOUNDATION AWARDEES
IN THE NEWS | FROM THE ARCHIVES
SPONSORS AND DONORS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2024
THE CASINO, 195 E. DELAWARE PLACE, CHICAGO
6 PM COCKTAIL RECEPTION
7 PM WELCOME & MUSICAL PROGRAM
DINNER FOLLOWS IMMEDIATELY
COCKTAIL ATTIRE
COMPLETE DETAILS: SOLTIFOUNDATION.US
BENEFIT COMMITTEE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Penny Van Horn,
Chair
Kay Mabie,
Vice Chair
Nicholas Martin,
Secretary
Gretchen Zook,
Treasurer
R. John Aalbregste
Elizabeth Buccheri
Pamela Bullock
Mary Jane Drews
Mark George
Martha Gilmer
William R. Jentes
Blake-Anthony Johnson
David McNeel
Zarin Mehta
Michelle Miller Burns
Stephen Potter
Gabrielle Solti
Frank Villella
Duain Wolfe
Owen Youngman
Mitzi Freidheim,
Director Emeritus
In Memoriam
Richard Gray,
Founding Director
Valerie Solti,
Honorary Chair
Thomas B. McNeill,
Director Emeritus
Dietrich M. Gross,
Director Emeritus
ARTISTIC & AWARDS
COMMITTEE
Elizabeth Buccheri, Chair
Pamela Bullock
David Neely
Duain Wolfe
ADMINISTRATOR
Fiona Queen
The Solti Foundation U.S.
1555 Sherman Avenue
Suite 310
Evanston, IL 60201
soltifoundation.us
ph: 847.269.9050
Dear Friends,
Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported the Solti Foundation U.S.
over the years. Your generosity is essential in nurturing the next generation
of talented conductors, providing both fnancial support and the invaluable
recognition that comes with receiving one of our awards. This backing allows
young conductors to secure their frst orchestral opportunities and meet the vital
costs of travel, study, and daily living, enabling them to focus entirely on their
craft.
The impact of your contributions is seen across the globe, as exemplifed by
previous awardee Cristian Măcelaru, who conducted the Orchestre National
de France at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris. Many of our awardees are
shaping the future of music both here in the US and internationally, thanks to
your support.
Solti Night is a special gathering, not only to celebrate our exceptional awardees
but to recognize the profound diference each of you makes. Your generosity and
dedication provide these talented individuals with opportunities they might not
otherwise have. Thank you for being a part of their journey.
Please join us on October 16 for a special evening of music and celebration
honoring our 2024 Awardees.
Thank you for your support!
Claudia and Gabrielle Solti
SOLTI NIGHT OCTOBER 2024
Nancy Berman
Elizabeth Buccheri
Mary Jane Drews
Kay Mabie
Nicholas Martin
David McNeel
Fiona Queen
Penny Van Horn
Frank Villella
Gretchen Zook
“It is little keys that open up big doors.”
– Lamine Pearlheart
THE SIR GEORG SOLTI CONDUCTING AWARD
Spanish-American conductor François López-Ferrer has carved an impressive path in the world of classical
music, distinguished by his dynamic artistry and compelling performances. His international career has been
marked by recent debuts with esteemed orchestras worldwide, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los
Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) at the Hollywood Bowl, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Orquesta Nacional de España,
Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, Orquesta Sinfónica Radio Televisión Española, Verbier Festival Orchestra, Ensemble
intercontemporain, Opéra de Lausanne, and George Enescu Philharmonic.
Upcoming engagements include debuts with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Opéra de Paris, Orquesta de la
Comunidad de Madrid, Orquesta Sinfónica de Puerto Rico, and The Orchestra San Antonio, as well as returns to the
Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, and the Philharmonisches Orchester Hagen.
His journey began as Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony (CSO) and May Festival, where he made a
signifcant impact on audiences and critics alike. In January 2022 he seamlessly stepped in for Louis Langrée with
the CSO for the US premiere of Mark Simpson’s Violin Concerto, featuring Nicola Benedetti. López-Ferrer’s artistry
was further refned during his tenure as a 2021-22 Dudamel Fellow with the LA Phil, as well as Resident Conductor
of the Opéra de Paris’s Académie. He was a featured conductor in the 2022 Bruno Walter National Conductor
Preview alongside the Louisiana Philharmonic.
Early career achievements include serving as Associate Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Chile
and Principal Conductor of the Ballet Nacional Chileno. As a 2018 Verbier Festival Conducting Fellow, he made a
memorable debut stepping in for Iván Fischer in a shared program alongside Sir Simon Rattle and Gábor Takács-
Nagy. Furthermore, he is a two-time recipient of the Solti Foundation U.S.’s Career Assistance Award, winner
of the inaugural 2015 Neeme Järvi Prize at the Menuhin-Gstaad Festival, and former member of the Deutsche
Dirigentenforum.
López-Ferrer holds a master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne and a
bachelor’s in Composition from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Born in Switzerland and
raised in the United States, he embodies a rich multicultural lineage, with a Cuban mother and Spanish father, and
speaks six languages fuently.
The largest grant currently given to American conductors in the formative years of their careers, the prestigious award is given
annually to a single promising conductor 36 years of age or younger. Past recipients include Keitaro Harada, 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.
François López-Ferrer
Recipient of the $30,000
Top Prize in 2024
1. NATHAN BLAIR, Second Kapellmeister with the Deutsches
Nationaltheater and Staatskapelle Weimar.
2. ELIAS BROWN, Assistant Conductor of the Odense
Symphony Orchestra in Denmark.
3. AUSTIN CHANU, Conducting Fellow, The Philadelphia
Orchestra.
4. MAURICE COHN, Music Director of the West Virginia
Symphony and Artistic Partner/Conductor of New York City’s
Camerata Notturna.
5. CONNER GRAY COVINGTON, Former Associate Conductor,
Utah Symphony and Principal Conductor, Deer Valley® Music
Festival (2017-2021)
6. MICHELLE DI RUSSO, Associate Conductor of the Fort Worth
Symphony.
7. NATHANIEL EFTHIMIOU, Assistant Conductor of the
Jacksonville Symphony and Music Director of Jacksonville
Symphony Youth Orchestras.
8. STEFANO FLAVONI, Assistant Conductor of the Staatsoper
Hamburg and cover conductor of the New York Philharmonic
and San Francisco Symphony.
9. KYRIAN FRIEDENBERG, Assistant Conductor of the Ensemble
Intercontemporain at the Philharmonie de Paris through 2026.
10. TAICHI FUKUMURA, Music Director of the Illinois
Symphony Orchestra.
11. GERALD KARNI, Conducting Fellow, Verbier Festival
(2022/2023); Assistant Conductor, Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester
Berlin (2023).
12. ANDREW J. KIM, Music Director of the New York Youth
Symphony.
13. BENJAMIN MANIS, Resident Conductor, Houston Grand
Opera (2019-2022); Associate Conductor, Utah Symphony
(2022-2023).
14. JACOB NIEMANN, Recently completed a three-year
residency as the Rita E. Hauser Conducting Fellow, Curtis
Institute of Music.
15. TRISTAN RAIS-SHERMAN, Conducting Fellow, The
Philadelphia Orchestra (2022-2023).
16. EUAN SHIELDS, Assistant Conductor, Hallé Orchestra and
Music Director of the Hallé Youth Orchestra (2023-2025).
17. MATTHEW STRAW, Assistant Conductor, Opéra National du
Rhin’s Opera Studio (2024–2025).
18. WILLIAM WALKER, Chief Conductor and founder, Nova
Orchester Wien (NOW!).
CAREER ASSISTANCE AWARDS 2024
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Georg Solti was scheduled to make his U.S. debut with the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival on July 14, 1953. However, his visa was
denied only a few days before, pending clarifcation of charges that his name
was on the membership roster of the Soviet Friendship Association, afliated
with the Communist Party. On July 13, he appeared in Munich to sort out the
details (the information that had been obtained was not a list of members of
the Communist Party but simply a mailing list of people in cultural life) and his
visa was granted. However, there was not time enough to travel to the United
States for his Ravinia engagement. He made his U.S. debut a few months later
at the San Francisco Opera on September 25, 1953, leading Strauss’s Elektra.
Solti made his debut with the CSO the following summer at the Ravinia
Festival, leading four concerts in August 1954. The frst concert consisted of
Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony, C.P.E. Bach’s Cello Concerto in A major with Paul
Tortelier, and Beethoven’s Third Symphony. “Mr. Solti fnally has arrived, and
last evening led a concert worth anyone’s patience and everyone’s presence,”
wrote Roger Dettmer in the Chicago American. “[Solti] led far and away the
fnest concert heard here in two summer seasons—a thrilling concert in
actual fact.”
“These performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Ravinia were
an absolute joy. I still remember the performance of Beethoven’s Eroica
Symphony during our frst concert—the most wonderful musical experience
of my professional life up to that time,” wrote Solti in his Memoirs. “I had no
doubt that this was the fnest ensemble I had ever conducted.”
On August 5, Solti conducted Rossini’s Overture to La gazza ladra, Hindemith’s Symphony in E-fat, Paganini’s First Violin
Concerto with Ruggiero Ricci, and Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony. The August 7 program began with Beethoven’s Egmont
Overture followed by Brahms’s Concerto for Violin and Cello with Ricci and Tortelier, and Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. For
the fnal concert on August 8, Solti led Mozart’s Symphony no. 40, Prokofev’s Third Piano Concerto with Jacob Lateiner
(replacing an indisposed Alexander Uninsky), Schubert’s Unfnished Symphony, and Strauss’s Don Juan.
Frank Villella is director of the Rosenthal Archives of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association and a board member of the Solti
Foundation U.S. Please visit soltifoundation.us for more information.
Solti’s Debut in Chicago
SOLTI AWARDEES IN THE NEWS
Music Director Cristian Măcelaru closes out the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics
conducting Orchestre National de France with soloist Celine Dion
The now-iconic performance of Dion in the tower accompanied by the orchestra
across the Seine River at the Trocadéro was one of many surprises for the event’s
estimated 1.5 billion viewers worldwide.
“This was a truly stunning three-hour telling of French culture, French people and Paris,
celebrating everything that’s beautiful about the city,” Măcelaru said, emphasizing the
orchestra’s role as a cultural ambassador for France.”
To read Măcelaru’s complete post-Olympics interview with Rice University News, please visit:
https://news.rice.edu/news/2024
Cristian Măcelaru is the newly appointed conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony
Orchestra (CSO) and the 2014 winner of the Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
JIM AND KAY MABIE FAMILY
LIZ STIFFEL
DORA AND JOHN AALBREGTSE
DIETRICH AND ERIKA GROSS
WILLIAM R. JENTES | JENTES FAMILY FOUNDATION
DONNA L. KENDALL FOUNDATION
JOHN W. KURTICH FOUNDATION FOR
STUDY & RESEARCH
DAVID E. MCNEEL
ELIZABETH C. BUCCHERI
ANTONIO PAPPANO AND PAMELA BULLOCK
MARY JANE DREWS
OLD TOWN SCHOOL OF FOLK MUSIC
NANCY A. ABSHIRE
JEFF AND KEIKO ALEXANDER
THE ROBERT THOMAS BOBINS FOUNDATION
- In honor of David McNeel
WALTER G. LARKIN AND DR. SUSAN E. CLARE
MICHELLE MILLER BURNS AND GARY BURNS
JULIAN AND MOLLY D'ESPOSITO
DR. ELIZABETH CALIHAN AND MARK GEORGE
SUSAN GROSSMAN
JERRY AND JEANETTE GOLDSTONE
HOWARD GOTTLIEB AND BARBARA GRIES
RAYNELLE HEIDRICK - In honor of Penny Van Horn
DON HORISBERGER - In honor of Bettie Buccheri
PHILLIP AND FRANCES HUSCHER
MARY H. ANDERSON
NANCY BERMAN
ANASTASIA BOUCOURAS
CHICAGO SINFONIETTA
JOHN COVELL
MARY DOLD - In honor of Kay Mabie
LAEH GRANT - In honor of Kay Mabie
BEATRIZ IORGULESCU
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AND DONORS*
Their generous support provided all of the grant opportunities offered in 2024.
LORI JULIAN | JULIAN FAMILY FOUNDATION
STEPHEN AND ANN POTTER
PATRICK G. AND SHIRLEY ANN RYAN
- In honor of Penelope Steiner
SARGENT FAMILY FOUNDATION
BRUCE AND NANCY STEVENS
PENNY AND JOHN VAN HORN
OWEN AND LINDA YOUNGMAN
HELEN ZELL
MICHAEL AND GRETCHEN ZOOK
MR. AND MRS. CYRUS F. FREIDHEIM, JR.
WILLIAM AND ANNE GOLDSTEIN
- In honor of Penny Van Horn
ROBERT KOHL AND CLARK PELLETT
MR. AND MRS. THOMAS C. SHEFFIELD, JR.
DONALD AND MARY KOSS
WILLIAM J. LAWLOR
NICHOLAS MARTIN
ZARIN AND CARMEN MEHTA
VIBEKE ROESCH
FRANK VILLELLA
DUAIN WOLFE
KAREN ZUPKO
BLAKE-ANTHONY JOHNSON
STEPHEN A. KAPLAN
FLORENCE NELSON
CAROL OLSON
JIM STONE
RICHARD AND MARIETTA TOFT
LEGACY
$20,000 AND UP
OVATION
$10,000 ~ $15,000
BATON
$5,000 ~ $9,999
PATRON
$3,000 ~ $4,999
FRIEND
$1,000 ~ $2,999
MUSIC MAKER
$500 ~ $999
SUPPORTER
$100 ~ $499
EXITING NEWS!
*Received January 1, 2023— January 31, 2024
We are thrilled to announce the receipt of a $60,000 donation from the John W.
Kurtich Foundation for Study & Research in support of Solti Foundation U.S.
2025 grants to young emerging American conductors.
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