Gemma New receives Solti Foundation Career Award

Gemma New receives The Sir Georg Solti Career Assistance Award on May 11, 2020 (Photo credit: Roy Cox)

For Immediate Release

Today, The Solti Foundation Board Chair Penny Van Horn and Elizabeth Buccheri, Artistic and Awards Committee Chair, released the names of the young conductors who have been selected as 2020 recipients of The Sir Georg Solti Career Assistance Award. 

According to Ms. Buccheri, "Remembering this, the members of the Board and the Artistic and Awards Committee wanted to do something extra special to commemorate the 20th anniversary of The Solti Foundation U.S.."

Gemma New is one of 19 recipients of The Sir Georg Solti Career Assistance Award, the Solti Foundation U.S. announced on Monday, May 11, 2020. This is the third time since 2017 that Gemma has been given the coveted award, which provides significant support for young conductors to further develop their talent and careers.

The Solti Foundation U.S. was established in 2000 to honor the memory of famous operatic conductor Sir Georg Solti by lending significant support to young American musicians. Since then, it has awarded over $900,000 in grants to American conductors.

To read more about last year’s Solti Foundation Career Award, click here.

About The Solti Foundation U.S.

Entering its 20th year of assisting outstanding young U.S. conductors to further develop their talent and careers, The Solti Foundation U.S. is the foremost organization in the United States dedicated exclusively to helping young conductors.

Established in 2000 to honor the memory of the legendary conductor Sir Georg Solti by lending significant support to career-ready young American musicians, in 2004, the Foundation concentrated the focus of its award program to solely assist talented young American conductors early in their professional careers (its original mission was of a more general arts nature). Since then, it has awarded over $900,000 through grants and residencies to American conductors.

The Foundation endeavors to seek out those musicians who have chosen to follow a path similar to that followed by Sir Georg himself. In keeping with the spirit of Sir Georg's active approach to his career, young conductors must apply to be considered for the awards.

While dedicated to identifying and assisting young conductors early on, the Foundation is also concerned with the long-term development of its award recipients, continuing to offer support and maintaining a constant interest in their growth and achievements.

The Foundation currently awards the following grants annually:

The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award.

The largest grant currently given to American conductors in the formative years of their careers, the prestigious $30,000 grant is given annually to a single promising American conductor 38 years of age or younger. The Award, also known as The Solti Fellow, includes door-opening introductions, ongoing professional mentoring, and introductions to two of Chicago's most prestigious performing organizations: Lyric Opera of Chicago and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. 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.

The Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award.
The amounts given for the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Awards vary, but the intent behind them does not.

The Elizabeth Buccheri Opera Residency.

Introduced in the 2014-15 season, the program places former award recipients with a distinguished opera house for one-on-one mentoring and coaching of an opera during the company's professional season. Recipients have worked with numerous stellar opera companies renowned for their artistic excellence across the country, including the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Florentine Opera Company in Milwaukee, North Carolina Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Michigan Opera Theatre. Conductors cannot apply, but are instead selected by the Artistic and Awards Committee.

The Foundation is currently the only American Foundation to grant these kinds of awards each year to young American conductors. Citizens or permanent residents of the United States who are career-ready artists in the field of conducting are eligible to apply.

Applicants for all Solti Foundation U.S. awards must be able to demonstrate that he/she is developing a career as a symphonic/operatic conductor. All applications from The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award are considered for a Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award. Applications are reviewed by an awards committee comprised of a panel of professionals with broad musical and conducting experience. The Foundation reserves the right to withhold a grant in any given year if the Awards Committee does not find suitable applicants in one or more of the various award categories.

For further details on The Solti Foundation U.S., its past awardees, their biographical information, the Foundation's newsletter, as well as guidelines for the upcoming 2021 Awards, and a downloadable application form, please visit the Foundation's website at: www.soltifoundation.us.