Music Director Search Committee Chairman Anita Cast and committee members announced the candidates at the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. They are:
HÉLÈNE BOUCHEZ – Age 34
Hélène Bouchez appears as guest conductor around the world in France, Europe and Asia. In the United States, she was invited by Marin Alsop in 2003 to perform in the Cabrillo Festival. Bouchez held a spot in the highly regarded Tanglewood fellowship program, and was chosen by Pierre Boulez to conduct at the Lucerne Festival in 2004. In 2006, she was selected by Leonard Slatkin to perform with the National Symphony Orchestra as part of the National Conducting Institute. Bouchez holds three masters degrees with highest distinction in Conducting, Piano, and Musicology from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and the Paris Sorbonne University.
DAVID IN-JAE CHO – Age 33
David In-Jae Cho is currently the assistant conductor of the Utah Symphony & Opera and until recently was also the resident conductor of the San Antonio Symphony. This past fall, Cho won first prize in the 3rd Eduardo Mata International Conducting Competition in Mexico City and will be guest conducting over 20 international orchestras over the next two seasons. He was a conducting fellow at Tanglewood in 1999 and participated in the 2003 National Conducting Institute with Leonard Slatkin. He holds a Master of Music degree in Instrumental Conducting from Rice University, The Shepherd School of Music.
ANDREW CONSTANTINE – Age 46
Andrew Constantine was appointed music director of the Reading Symphony in Pennsylvania earlier this season. Prior to that, he was the associate conductor for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He has worked extensively in Europe and the UK as a guest conductor of many major symphony orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestras in London. He holds degrees from the University of Leicester.
ANDREW GRAMS – Age 30
Andrew Grams began his one-year tenure as resident conductor of the Florida Orchestra this season after completing a three-year term as assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, where he was an American Symphony Orchestra League conducting fellow. Grams participated in the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival in 2003 and 2004. Grams began conducting at the age of 17, when he conducted the World Youth Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen Arts Camp. Also an accomplished violinist, Grams was a member of the New York City Ballet Orchestra at Lincoln Center from 1998 to 2004. Grams holds a conducting degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and a bachelor’s degree from the Juilliard School of Music.
DANIEL MEYER – Age 35
Daniel Meyer is currently the music director of both the Erie Philharmonic and the Asheville Symphony, as well as resident conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony and music director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony. He won the 2002 Aspen Conducting Prize after his second season as a fellowship Academy Conductor at the Aspen Music Festival. He has conducted the Cleveland Orchestra, as well as the Utah, Fort Worth, and San Antonio symphonies. Meyer’s education includes doctoral studies at Boston University and he holds a Master of Music degree in Conducting from the Cincinnati College – Conservatory of Music.
TITO MUÑOZ – Age 24
A New York City native, Tito Muñoz is currently assistant conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and a conducting fellow of the League of American Orchestras. Previously, he was assistant conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for the 2006-2007 season. He made his conducting debut in 2006 with the National Symphony Orchestra as part of the National Conducting Institute and has since led the Milwaukee and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras. Also an accomplished violinist, Muñoz has performed in many of New York's leading ensembles as well as numerous Broadway shows. He studied violin with Daniel Phillips at the Aaron Copland School of Music, Queens College (CUNY) and conducting with David Zinman at the Aspen Music Festival where he won the Aspen Conducting Prize and Robert J. Harth Conducting Prize.
DANAIL RACHEV – Age 37
Danail Rachev is presently in his third season as assistant conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as well as his first as artistic director for the Camerata Winds chamber ensemble in Texas. Next season, he begins an appointment as assistant conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Rachev participated in the National Conducting Institute as well as in the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival and School in 2002. Previously, he was the first apprentice conductor for New World Symphony, working under Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas. Rachev’s education stems from studies in his native Bulgaria at the State Musical Academy, followed by the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore where he earned a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting.
GREGORY VAJDA - Age 34
Gregory Vajda is currently serving his third season as resident conductor of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. Prior to this position, he served for three years as assistant conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as well as music director for the New Theatre Budapest and principal guest conductor of the Hungarian State Opera. Over the course of his career, Vajda has guest-conducted such orchestras as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Montreal Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. This season, he appears again with the Montreal Opera and leads two subscription concerts with the Oregon Symphony as well as concerts with the Baltimore Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony and, during the summer, at the Salzburg Festival. Next season he returns to the Atlanta Opera and conducts the Toronto Symphony, Edmonton Symphony and Fairfax Symphony, among others. In addition to conducting, Vajda is also a clarinetist and composer. He studied conducting at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music.
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