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News > Reno Phil narrows conductor candidates to top five
Reno Phil narrows conductor candidates to top five March 2, 2008 And then there were five. The Reno Philharmonic has narrowed its field of candidates for music director and conductor to five people, each of whom will conduct during the 2008-09 season. Orchestra executive director Tim Young said steering and search committees pored over approximately 200 resumes during the past year, slowly eliminating candidates. When the dust settled, they were left with "» • Jeffery Grogan, education and community engagement conductor of the New Jersey Symphony • Rebecca Miller, resident conductor of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra • Chris Confessore, resident conductor of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Brevard Symphony Orchestra • Sarah Hatsuko-Hicks, assistant conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra • Laura Jackson, former assistant conductor and American Conducting Fellow for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra The next step is for each candidate to lead the orchestra during a show next season. That will allow the search committee, musicians and public to feel out their leadership style and musical taste. "I'm really looking forward to seeing all of these people," Young said. "Every single one of them, I think, has a great personal desire and a great ability to work with the orchestra." Current music director and conductor Barry Jekowsky will leave the group in May after 10 years as its artistic leader, and the five finalists for his slot have varied backgrounds. But, Young said, each possesses qualities that the 15-person search committee deemed key. "We decided that the quality of the conductor was more important than trying to deal with issues of residency or exactly which concerts they would conduct," Young said. "We decided that our job is to find the best conductor, and if that person says, 'I want to move to Reno,' hallelujah, that's fantastic. And if they say, 'I want to stay in Detroit,' then we work around that." While the orchestra isn't concerned about residency, other qualities are mandatory. First, Young said, the eventual winner must be "inspirational on stage and in public." "This person has to be able to stand before the podium and inspire the orchestra to play as it's never played before," he said. "They also have to be inspirational in public because, nowadays, it's not enough to be in the concert hall and be inspirational. You also have to go out in the community and let people get excited about what you're doing because of who you are. So, there's an element of personality and charisma that is a real factor." Young said the search committee is also looking for someone who can work well with the orchestra's musicians and someone who is willing to invest time in community outreach and education programs. Another key skill, he said, is the ability to program quality concerts that could increase the orchestra's marketability. For some candidates, the Reno job would be their first as music director, while others have held similar positions with other organizations. But, Young said, everyone is being considered equally. "All of these people have worked at varying levels, which is important because they've seen how things work at different levels, they have contacts at different levels," Young said. "At the end of (the 2008-09 season) we will sit down and try to collate all that information and find ourselves the very best candidate. Then, ideally, we'll announce that person at the last concert of the season, which will be in March (2009)." Although candidate selection will ultimately be handled by the search committee, Philharmonic marketing director Francine Burge said the public will have the opportunity to take part in the process. "There will be ways that the audience members will be able to chime in," she said. "We're also working on using technology so that people can get a different side of the conductors, whether it be YouTube videos or some podcasts. We're going to work on that so that people can get a well-rounded view on what the conductors are like." Public opinion won't be weighted as heavily as other factors, but Young said it could certainly make a difference. "The orchestra is probably the most important body, and if they say of any candidate, 'We don't want to work with this person,' then that would be the end of the line," Young said. "But if we're in a place where there are two or even three people who are really closely tied, then absolutely (audience reaction would matter)." Jeffery Grogan Qualifications: Education and community engagement conductor of the New Jersey Symphony; works with the Greater Newark Youth Orchestra Education: Stephen F. Austin State University and the University of Michigan Quote: "I always try to pick something that just reaches down into your soul and grabs you. On every program, there needs to be something like that." Rebecca Miller Qualifications: Resident conductor of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra; recently completed tenure as the American Conducting Fellow of the Houston Symphony Education: Oberlin Conservatory and Northwestern University Quote: "I think the role of a music director is at a very interesting point, where you really need to be engaged with the community and be present in the community whether you live there or not." Chris Confessore Qualifications: Resident conductor of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra; music director and principal conductor of the Brevard Symphony Orchestra Education: Florida State University and the University of Southern California Quote: "(The Reno Philharmonic) is the kind of orchestra that I think I would draw the most satisfaction of working with. … I love doing what I do, and I think the environment there would be an incredibly positive one. Sarah Hatsuko-Hicks Qualifications: Assistant conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra; recently completed tenure as associate conductor of the Richmond Symphony Education: Curtis Institute of Music and Harvard University Quote: "I'm one of the few conductors who's conducted a symphony orchestra in a rock club. … It was classical music in a nontraditional venue with people hanging around the bar having drinks. … It wasn't your average orchestral experience." Laura Jackson Qualifications: Recently completed an appointment as the assistant conductor and American Conducting Fellow of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; finalist in Berkeley Symphony music director search Education: University of Michigan; Sejii Ozawa Conducting Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center Quote: "I feel like an orchestra has multiple functions to its community. It's not really just one thing. It has an educational component, it has a component where it's operating as a curator of works of the past, and then it works as an art gallery. It's trying to exhibit works that are being written now." |
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