SoltiNight2024_Program

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Building

opportunities

for young

American

conductors

SOLTI NIGHT 2024

“It is little keys that open

up big doors on small

steps leading to great

achievements.”

– Lamine Pearlheart

OCTOBER 16, 2024

AN EVENING OF MUSIC

AND CELEBRATION

SOLTI FOUNDATION U.S.

SOLTI NIGHT 2024

Georg Solti described himself as “First

and foremost a musician. . . at the service of

the composer whose music I am playing.” Solti

spent countless hours studying musical scores.

He approached each work with a fresh score, a

No. 2 pencil and a red crayon—making meticulous

markings to capture the intention of the composer.

Having completed the first pass, he would begin

again with a fresh score—this time seeking to

reveal the true heart of the piece. And then, a third

time, the whole process again, hunting for subtle

points he might have missed. Those scores are

now held in safe keeping at Harvard University

where students may explore the true genius of a

maestro at work.

Thanks to the dedication of our sponsors and

contributors, The Solti Foundation U.S. continues

to provide substantial support and increased

opportunities for young American conductors.

Tonight, we are honored to celebrate the legacy

of Sir Georg Solti and our 2024 awardees.

Thank you for your generosity and for your

presence here this evening.

the Beat GOES ON

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

financial support and the invaluable recognition

that comes with receiving one of our awards. This

backing allows young conductors to secure their

first 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 exemplified 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 U.S. and internationally,

thanks to your support.

Tonight, we gather not only to celebrate our

exceptional awardees but to recognize the profound

difference 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—your

presence here truly makes a lasting difference.

dear friends,

Claudia Solti

Gabrielle Solti

SIR GEORG SOLTI

OCTOBER 21, 1912 -

SEPTEMBER 5, 1997

dear friends,

Claudia Solti

Gabrielle Solti

dear friends,

the Beat

Since 2004, The Solti Foundation U.S. has awarded

grants to young American conductors totaling more

than $500,000. Those who support our mission

are helping make a substantial impact on the future

of classical music in America.

The Solti Foundation U.S. is the foremost organization

in the United States solely devoted to helping young

conductors futher develop their talent and establish

their careers.

The Foundation identifies and promotes emerging

young American conductors, age 36 and under, by

awarding grants to assist with expenses in the early

years of their careers.

Through these grants, the Foundation seeks to

extend the legacy of Sir Georg Solti by assisting these

talented young men and women to develop their skills

in leadership and musicianship, and to communicate

their full potential to the broadest possible audience.

Since 2004, The Solti Foundation U.S. has awarded

grants totalling more than $1,500,000 and created an

innovative opera residency program.

We thank our donors for the support and

encouragement they have given the Foundation, its

mission and the young people who receive these

awards.

THE MISSION OF THE

SOLTI FOUNDATION U.S.

LEARN MORE ABOUT US AT

SOLTIFOUNDATION.US

the Beat

WELCOME TO SOLTI NIGHT 2024!

HONORING THE LEGACY OF SIR GEORG SOLTI

PRESENTED BY THE SOLTI FOUNDATION U.S.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2024

WELCOME

CAREER

ASSISTANCE

AWARDS

INTRODUCTION

OF MUSICIANS

MUSICAL

INTERLUDE

OPERA

RESIDENCY

PROGRAM

REMARKS

TONIGHT’S

HONOREE

CLOSING

REMARKS

PENNY VAN HORN

FOUNDATION BOARD CHAIR

MICHELLE MILLER BURNS

FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBER

FRANK VILLELLA

FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBER

TENG LI, VIOLA

PRINCIPAL VIOLIST, CHICAGO

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

KAY KIM, PIANO

DINNER IS SERVED

DAVID NEELY

MEMBER OF THE ARTISTIC AND

AWARDS COMMITTEE

ELIAS BROWN

WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA

CAREER ASSISTANCE AWARDEE

FRANÇOIS LÓPEZ-FERRER

SOLTI FELLOW - 2024

INTRODUCED BY

PENNY VAN HORN

GOES ON

the Beat

WE ARE GRATEFUL TO OUR INDIVIDUAL

SPONSORS FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT

LEGACY LEVEL

$20,000 AND ABOVE

OVATION LEVEL

$10,000 - $19,999

JIM AND KAY MABIE FAMILY

CHEERS FOR OUR DONORS!

THEIR SUPPORT

IN 2023 FUNDED

THE GRANTS

OFFERED IN

2024

BATON $5,000 - $9,999

DORA AND JOHN AALBREGTSE

ERIKA AND DIETRICH M. GROSS

WILLIAM R. JENTES

JENTES FAMILY FOUNDATION

LORI JULIAN

JULIAN FAMILY FOUNDATION

DONNA L. KENDALL FOUNDATION

JOHN W. KURTICH FOUNDATION FOR

STUDY & RESEARCH

DAVID E. MCNEEL

MR. AND MRS. STEPHEN N. POTTER

PATRICK G. AND SHIRLEY ANN RYAN

-In honor of Penelope Steiner

SARGENT FAMILY FOUNDATION

BRUCE AND NANCY STEVENS

PENNY AND JOHN VAN HORN

LIZ STIFFEL

the Beat

AND MORE DONORS!

THEIR SUPPORT

IN 2023 FUNDED

THE GRANTS

OFFERED IN

2024

PATRON $3,000 - 4,999

ELIZABETH C. BUCCHERI

ANTONIO PAPPANO AND

PAMELA BULLOCK

MARY JANE DREWS

OLD TOWN SCHOOL OF FOLK MUSIC

OWEN AND LINDA YOUNGMAN

HELEN ZELL

MICHAEL AND GRETCHEN ZOOK

FRIEND $1,000 - $2,999

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

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

WILLIAM AND ANN GOLDSTEIN

-In honor of Penny Van Horn

ROBERT KOHL AND CLARK PELLETT

MR. AND MRS. THOMAS SHEFFIELD, JR.

MUSIC MAKER $500 - $999

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

GOES ON

the Beat

EVEN MORE DONORS!

THEIR SUPPORT

IN 2023 FUNDED

THE GRANTS

OFFERED IN

2024

MUSIC MAKER (continued)

PHILLIP AND FRANCES HUSCHER

DONALD AND MARY KOSS

WILLIAM J. LAWLOR

NICHOLAS MARTIN

ZARIN AND CARMEN MEHTA

VIBEKE ROESCHE

FRANK VILLELLA

DUAIN WOLFE

KAREN ZUPKO

SUPPORTER $100 - $499

MARY H. ANDERSON

NANCY BERMAN

ANASTASIA BOUCOURAS

JOHN COVELL

MARY DOLD

-In honor of Kay Mabie

LAEH GRANT

-In honor of Kay Mabie

BEATRIZ IORGULESCU

BLAKE-ANTHONY JOHNSON

CHICAGO SINFONIETTA

STEPHEN A. KAPLAN

FLORENCE NELSON

CAROL OLSON

JIM STONE

RICHARD AND MARIETTA TOFT

EXCITING

NEWS!

$60,000 GRANT RECEIVED

WE ARE THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE

THE RECEIPT OF A GENEROUS

GRANT FROM THE JOHN W.

KURTICH FOUNDATION FOR STUDY

& RESEARCH IN SUPPORT OF THE

SOLTI FOUNDATION U.S. 2025

AWARDS.

the Beat GOES ON

Spanish-American conductor François López-Ferrer’s

international career has been marked by recent debuts

with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles

Philharmonic, 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. In January 2022 he

stepped in for Louis Langrée with the CSO for the US

premiere of Mark Simpson’s Violin Concerto. López-Ferrer’s

artistry was further refined 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.

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 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 fluently.

THE SOLTI FELLOW - 2024

FRANÇOIS LÓPEZ-FERRER

the Beat

NATHAN BLAIR

2nd Kapellmeister with the

Deutsches Nationaltheater

and Staatskapelle Weimar.

Career Assistance Award

2024

CAREER ASSISTANCE AWARDS - 2024

ELIAS BROWN

Assistant Conductor of the

Odense Symphony Orchestra

in Denmark.

Career Assistance Award

2023, 2024

CONNER GRAY COVINGTON

Associate Conductor,

Jacksonville Symphony.

Career Assistance Award

2014, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2024

AUSTIN CHANU

Conducting Fellow, The

Philadelphia Orchestra.

Career Assistance Award

2023, 2024

MAURICE COHN

Music Director, West Virginia

Symphony; Artistic Partner

and Conductor, New York

City’s Camerata Notturna.

Career Assistance Award

2020, 2022, 2024

MICHELLE DI RUSSO

Associate Conductor, Fort Worth

Symphony.

Career Assistance Award

2024

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