SoltiNewsletter_2021

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THE SOLTI FOUNDATION U.S.

NEWSLETTER | 2021 SUMMER EDITION

WELCOME! | SOLTI NIGHT 2021

SIR GEORG SOLTI CONDUCTING AWARD

REMEMBERING LADY SOLTI

OPERA RESIDENCIES | CAREER ASSISTANCE AWARDS

SPONSORS AND DONORS

JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL EVENING

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2021

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

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

David McNeel

Michelle Miller Burns

Zarin Mehta

Stephen Potter

Gabrielle Solti

Frank Villella

Peter Wiggins

Duain Wolfe

Owen Youngman

Mitzi Freidheim,

Director Emeritus

Dietrich M. Gross,

Director Emeritus

Thomas B. McNeill,

Director Emeritus

In Memoriam

Richard Gray,

Founding Director

Valerie Solti,

Honorary Chair

ARTISTIC & AWARDS

COMMITTEE

Elizabeth Buccheri, Chair

Pamela Bullock

Duain Wolfe

Peter Wiggins

ADMINISTRATOR

Fiona Queen

The Solti Foundation U.S.

1555 Sherman Avenue

Suite 310

Evanston, IL 60201

www.soltifoundation.us

ph: 847.269.9050

Dear Friends,

The 2020-2021 season has been a time of joy and sadness. We celebrated the 20th

anniversary of the Solti Foundation U.S., weathered a global pandemic and lost a

shining light, Lady Valerie Solti, who passed away in March. Her commitment to

her late husband’s legacy and her joy in fostering the careers of young emerging

conductors made our Foundation a reality. We celebrate her life and the life of

Sir Georg as we recognize Gemma New, the 2021 recipient of the Sir Georg Solti

Conducting Award, alongside 15 accomplished Career Assistance awardees.

The Solti Foundation U.S. believes that music is essential — always — but especially

during troubled times. Music reminds us that art not only connects us as individuals,

but has the power to heal on a global level. We are committed to realizing Sir Georg’s

passion for excellence in music and the importance of extending vital support to

further the blossoming careers of those with exceptional talent.

We all look forward to the return of live music. Our award recipients are an essential

part of keeping music alive. With your help we look to the future and renew our

commitment to the advancement of young American conductors — so that they can

be a part of it and lead the way.

Please mark your calendar for Wednesday, October 20, 2021 and join me at The Casino

where you will have the opportunity to meet the 2021 Solti Awardees.

Penny Van Horn

Board Chair

SOLTI NIGHT OCTOBER 2021

In Memoriam

Lady Valerie Solti (1937–2021)

Our dearest friend, founder and champion of

The Solti Foundation U.S.

THE SIR GEORG SOLTI CONDUCTING AWARD

New Zealand-born Gemma New is Music Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Guest

Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Hailed by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as “a rising star in the musical

firmament”, New is the recipient of the prestigious 2021 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award.

The 2020/21 season saw Gemma New make notable debuts with Seattle Symphony, Atlanta Symphony and Basque

National Orchestra of Spain. She led three subscription programs with Dallas Symphony Orchestra in her second season

as Principal Guest Conductor. Over the course of the season, Gemma returned to her home country to conduct three

programs with New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, including Handel’s Messiah on a global IDAGIO livestream.

New’s 2021/22 season includes subscription appearances with National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique

de Montréal, Baltimore Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra and Kansas City

Symphony. Increasingly in demand in Europe, New will make debuts with WDR Sinfonieorchester, BBC Philharmonic,

Hallé Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Orchestre National d'Île-de-France.

In June 2022, New will make her debut with the Los Angeles Opera for the West Coast Premiere of Kevin Puts’s “The

Brightness of Light” with soprano Renée Fleming and baritone Rod Gilfry.

A former Dudamel Conducting Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New served previously as Associate

Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony. In 2018, she was a Conducting Fellow at Tanglewood Music Center where

she led the world premiere of Michael Gandolfi’s “In America”. She served previously as Associate Conductor of the

New Jersey Symphony. She is a former recipient of the David Karetsky Conducting Fellowship at the Aspen Music

Festival and an Ansbacher Fellowship, in which she was selected by members of the Vienna Philharmonic to observe

rehearsals and concerts at the Salzburg Festival. As a Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Fellow, she studied Mendelssohn’s

music with Kurt Masur in Leipzig and led the Leipziger Symphonieorchester. Prior to receiving the 2021 Sir Georg Solti

Conducting Award, she was awarded Solti Foundation Career Assistance Awards in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

New holds a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, where she

studied with Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar. She graduated with honors from the University of Canterbury in New

Zealand with a Bachelor of Music in violin performance.

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 38 years of age or younger. Past recipients include Aram Demirjian, Yaniv Dinur, Roderick

Cox, Christopher Allen, Karina Canellakis, Vladimir Kulenovic, Cristian Macelaru, James Feddeck, Case Scaglione, Eric Nielsen, and

Anthony Barrese.

Gemma New

Recipient of the $30,000

Top Prize in 2021

OPERA RESIDENCY PROGRAM

Since 2014, The Elizabeth Buccheri Opera Residency Program has collaborated with

distinguished U.S. opera houses, providing one-on-one mentoring and coaching

to qualified candidates selected by the Artistic and Awards Committee.

ROGER KALIA 2019

Lyric Opera of Chicago

Mentor: Sir Andrew Davis

Rossini: Barber of Seville

SAMEER PATEL 2019

North Carolina Opera

Mentor: Mo. Joseph Rescigno

Puccini: Tosca

STEFANO SARZANI 2019

Michigan Opera Theatre

Mentor: Mo. Stephen Lord

Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel

ARAM DEMIRJIAN 2018-19

Lyric Opera of Chicago

Mentor: Sir Andrew Davis

Massenet: Cendrillon

DANIEL BLACK 2018

Florentine Opera (Milwaukee)

Mentor: Mo. Joseph Rescigno

Mozart: The Magic Flute

JOSEPH YOUNG 2018

Opera Theatre St. Louis

Mentor: Mo. Stephen Lord

Blitzstein: Regina

STEFANO SARZANI 2017-2018

Lyric Opera of Chicago

Mentor: Sir Andrew Davis

Puccini: Turandot

DANIEL BLACK 2017

Opera Theatre St. Louis

Mentor: Mo. Stephen Lord

Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito

GENE CHANG 2017

Florentine Opera (Milwaukee)

Mentor: Mo. Joseph Rescigno

Mozart: Don Giovanni

ANKUSH BAHL 2017

GENE CHANG 2017

Florentine Opera (Milwaukee)

Mentor: Mo. Joseph Rescigno

Rossini: The Barber of Seville

CONNER GRAY COVINGTON 2016

Florentine Opera (Milwaukee)

Mentor: Mo. Joseph Rescigno

F. Lehar: The Merry Widow

SEAN NEWHOUSE 2016

Opera Theatre St. Louis

Mentor: Mo. Stephen Lord

Verdi: Macbeth

VLADIMIR KULENOVIC 2015

Lyric Opera of Chicago

Mentor: Sir Andrew Davis

J Lopez: Bel Canto

SEAN NEWHOUSE 2015

Florentine Opera (Milwaukee)

Mentor: Mo. Joseph Rescigno

Donizetti: The Elixir of Love

VLADIMIR KULENOVIC 2014

Florentine Opera (Milwaukee)

Mentor: Mo. Joseph Rescigno

Wagner: The Flying Dutchman

CASE SCAGLIONE 2013-14

Lyric Opera of Chicago

Mentor: Sir Andrew Davis

R. Strauss: Elektra

IN PHOTOS | LADY VALERIE SOLTI

A special feature will be included on our website celebrating Lady Valerie Solti. We will miss her

prescence dearly at Solti Night 2021. Please visit soltifoundation.us for more information.

Photos from several Solti Night celebrations at the Casino (left to right): Richard Gray and Lady Solti (2016); Kay Mabie and Lady Solti

(2018); Lady Solti (2016). Photos courtesy of Dan Rest.

In alphabetical order, left to right:

NATHANIEL EFTHIMIOU, founding Music Director of

Orchestra Contempo, Assistant Conductor of Boston Civic

Symphony, Assistant Director of Music at Boston’s historic

Park Street Church and acting Assistant Conductor, Rhode

Island Philharmonic;

KEVIN FITZGERALD, Assistant Conductor of the Alabama

Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the Alabama

Symphony Youth Orchestra, and founder of ÆPEX

Contemporary Performance;

TAICHI FUKUMURA, Fellow and Assistant Conductor of the

Chicago Summer Opera, Director of Orchestras, Merit School

of Music, Cover Conductor for the Chicago Philharmonic,

and Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, Northwestern

Medical Orchestra;

LINA GONZALEZ-GRANADOS, Solti Conducting

Apprentice, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Conducting Fellow

with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Seattle Symphony;

KEITARO HARADA, Music and Artistic Director of the

Savannah Philharmonic and Associate Conductor of the

Tokyo Symphony Orchestra;

JONATHON HEYWARD, Chief Conductor Designate of the

Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie;

ROBERTO KALB, international guest conductor, Resident

Conductor and Head of Music at Opera Theatre of Saint

Louis (2014-2019);

ROGER KALIA, Music Director of the Evansville

Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony NH (Symphony New

Hampshire), Orchestra Santa Monica, and the Lake George

Music Festival;

EARL LEE, Associate Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony

Orchestra and former Resident Conductor of the Toronto

Symphony Orchestra;

LEE MILLS, Associate Conductor, Seattle Symphony;

VINAY PARAMESWARAN, Associate Conductor, The

Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director, the Cleveland

Orchestra Youth Orchestra;

MICHAEL REPPER, Music Director, New York Youth

Symphony and Northern Neck Orchestra of Virginia;

STEFANO SARZANI, international guest conductor;

KENSHO WATANABE, international guest conductor;

LIDIYA YANKOVSKAYA, Music Director, Chicago Opera

Theater.

CAREER ASSISTANCE AWARDS

The Solti Foundation U.S. recognizes 15 young conductors

with Career Assistance Awards in 2021

DORA AND JOHN AALBREGTSE

JOHN BUCCHERI - in memory of

Francis S. Buccheri, M.D.

MR. AND MRS. CYRUS F. FREIDHEIM, JR.

RICHARD AND MARY L. GRAY FOUNDATION

DIETRICH AND ERIKA GROSS

MR. AND MRS. WILLIAM R. JENTES

ELIZABETH BUCCHERI

OWEN AND LINDA YOUNGMAN

NANCY A. ABSHIRE

JEFF AND KEIKO ALEXANDER

JERRY AND JEANETTE GOLDSTONE

MR. HOWARD L. GOTTLIEB AND

MS. BARBARA GREIS

DRS. MARK GEORGE AND ELIZABETH CALIHAN

JOHN H. HART FOUNDATION

DON HORISBERGER

JORGE AND BEATRICE IORGULESCU

JOHN NOTZ, JR.

BILL AND BLAIR LAWLOR

MARY H. ANDERSON

DAVID CHAMBERS - in honor of

David McNeel and Penny Van Horn

JOHN COVELL

MOLLY D'ESPOSITO

JANET DESFORGES

MITCHELL AND KRISTINA ENGEL

JACK ANDREWS

NANCY BERMAN

HEIDI HUETEL BOHN

BERNARD AND SALLY DOBROSKI

CARA GLYNN

RICHARD HOSKINS

PHILLIP AND FRAN HUSCHER

PHILIP AND PATRICIA MOREHEAD

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AND DONORS*

Their generous support provided all of the grant opportunities offered in 2021.

MRS. LORI JULIAN

JOHN KURTICH FOUNDATION

JIM AND KAY MABIE

DAVID E. MCNEEL

MR. AND MRS. STEPHEN POTTER

PENNY AND JOHN VAN HORN

LADY VALERIE SOLTI

HELEN ZELL

MICHAEL AND GRETCHEN ZOOK

JOYCE IDEMA

WALTER G. LARKIN AND DR. SUSAN E. CLARE

ROBERT KOHL AND CLARK PELLETT

DEBORAH AND JEFFREY ROSS

SARGENT FAMILY FOUNDATION

NICHOLAS MARTIN

DIANA DAVIS AND WILLIAM MASON

EARL J. RUSNAK

MR. AND MRS. THOMAS C. SHEFFIELD, JR.

FRANK VILLELLA

DUAIN WOLFE

MR. AND MRS. JULIAN D’ESPOSITO

STEPHEN HERSETH

DONALD AND MARY KOSS

SARAH D. MIRKIN

WILLIAM OBENSHAIN

ERIE MILLS AND TOM RESCIGNO

- in honor of David McNeel

ELIZABETH NICKLES

SUE ANN PARSEGHIAN

JAMES T. REID

JESSE ROSENBERG

MARJORIE STAPLES

PODIUM

$20,000 AND UP

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$5,000 ~ $10,000

PATRON

$3,000 ~ $4,999

FRIEND

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