Candidates
in 2023

Alekseenok Vitali TMC 2023 candidate

Vitali ALEKSEENOK 
(Belarus) 
32 yr

Professional experience

  • Kapellmeister at Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Düsseldorf and Duisburg, Germany), since 2022
  • guest conductor at the Teatro alla Scala with his own production of the opera Il Piccolo Principe (world premiere) in 2022/23
  • guest conductor at the Beethoven Festival in Bonn, the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro as well as symphony concerts with orchestras of the Arena di Verona, Teatro Massimo Bellini di Catania, and others.
  • Artistic Director of the Ukrainian Festival Kharkiv Music Fest, since June 2021 

Awards

  • 1st prize and audience award - Arturo Toscanini Conducting Competition, Parma, Italy 2021
Barbara Dragan TMC 2023 candidate

Barbara DRAGAN 
(Poland)
33 yr

Experience

  • Young Associate Conductor at Orchestre National de France – since September 2022
  • Conducting Fellow at Cabrillo New Music Festival in Santa Cruz – summer 2022
  • Fellow at Ravinia Festival in Chicago – summer 2022
  • Conducting Fellow at the Dallas Opera – season 2021/22
  • Cover Conductor at Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra – European Tour

Awards / Competitions (finals)

  • Princess Astrid Conducting Competition in Trondheim – August 2022
  • Svetlanov Conducting Competition in Monaco – June 20222
  • Campus Dirigieren in Cologne and Frankfurt – January 202
Kevin Fitzgerald TMC 2023 candidate

Kevin FITZGERALD 
(United States)
31 yr

Current Conducting Positions

  • Jacksonville Symphony - Associate Conductor (2022-present)
  • Alabama Symphony Orchestra (ASO) - Assistant Conductor (2018 - present)
  • ÆPEX Contemporary Performance - Founder & Music Director (2015 - present)

Awards and Fellowships

  • 2022 Sir Georg Solti Foundation, U.S. - Career Assistance Grant Award
  • 2021 Boston Symphony, Tanglewood Music Center - Conducting Fellowship
  • 2021 Sir Georg Solti Foundation, U.S. - Career Assistance Grant Award
  • 2020 Sir Georg Solti Foundation, U.S. - Career Assistance Grant Award
Taichi Fukumura TMC 2023 candidate

Taichi FUKUMURA 
(United States / Japan)
30 yr

Professional Conducting Experience

  • Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra - Assistant Conductor (since Aug 2022)
  • Chicago Sinfonietta - Assistant Conductor (2019-2022)
  • Orquesta de Cámara de Bellas Artes, Mexico City - Guest Conductor (May 2022)
  • Houston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony and Chicago Philharmonic - Cover Conductor

Education

  • Northwestern University Bienen School of Music - Doctoral of Musical Arts and Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting (2021 and 2017)
  • Aspen Music Festival - Conductor Fellow 2022
  • Monteux School and Music Festival - Conductor Fellow 2016

Awards

  • Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award 2021 & 2022, 2023
  • Hong Kong International Conducting Competition 2023 - Semifinalist
Mirian Khukhunaishvili TMC 2023 candidate

Mirian KHUKHUNAISHVILI 
(Georgia)
33 yr

Experience

  • Konzerthausorchester Berlin - conducting engagement in Konzerthaus Berlin, October 2022
  • Ammodo Conducting Masterclass with Fabio Luisi and Concertgebouworkest, June 2022
  • Tbilisi Youth Orchestra - Musical Director & Chief Conductor 2019 - present,
  • The Alter Orchestra,Tbilisi - Musical Director & Chief Conductor 2012 - present
  • Iceland University of the Arts - Invited teacher of conducting & Conductor of the University Student Choir 2022 - present
  • Tbilisi State Conservatoire - Principal Guest Conductor 2016 - 2017 
  • Telavi International Music Festival - Assistant Conductor 2015 - 2017

Awards

  • Paavo Järvi Scholarship and the international audience vote at the Conductors’ Academy with Paavo Jarvi & Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, November 2022

Scholarships, i.a.

  • Scholarship of Tbilisi City Hall for the Successful Outcomes 2016
Zofia Kiniorska TMC 2023 candidate

Zofia KINIORSKA 
(Poland)
26 yr

Experience

  • Sinfonia Varsovia - Conductor in Residence 2022/2023 artistic season
  • Polish National Ballet - Assistant Conductor, since 2021
  • worked with, among others, Baltic Sea Phiharmonic, Polish Radio Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic, Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra of Łódź.
  • Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich - Conductor's Academy with Paavo Järvi, April 2022

Awards and Competitions

  • Winner - The Audience Award of The Conductor's Academy Zurich, April 2022
  • 2nd Prize and Special Award - Chamber Orchestra, 3rd Adam Kopyciński Competition for Student Conductors, Wroclaw, March 2020
  • one of eight semi-finalists - The Premio Guido Cantelli Conducting Competition, Torino, September 2022
Georg Koehler TMC 2023 candidate

Georg KÖHLER 
(Germany/Austria)
35 yr

Experience

  • Recent and future debuts and returns include orchestras such as Sinfonieorchester Basel/Ballet Basel, Collegium Musicum Basel, Göttinger Symphonieorchester, Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, Orchestre national Avignon-Provence.

Positions

  • Assistant Conductor with Orchestre National d'Île-de-France (ONDIF) 2021-2023
  • Chief Conductor of the Academic Chamber Orchestra Zurich (AKO), since 2023
  • Chief Conductor Symphonic Orchestra Klangattacke Heilbronn, since 2020

Competitions

  • semi-finalist of the "57me Concours de jeune chef d'orchestre Besancon", September 2021
Polina Lebedieva TMC 2023 candidate

Polina LEBEDIEVA 
(Ukraine)
21 yr

Music Education

  • National Superior Conservatory of Music and Dance in Paris - Orchestral Conducting Department, since April 2022
  • National Music Academy of Ukraine - Opera and Symphony Conducting Department, since 2020
  • Masterclasses with Mikko Franck, Pascal Rophé, Oksana Lyniv and Victoria Zhadko

Experience

  • Conductor of Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine at The Bachfest, Leipzig 2022
  • Conductor of the recording for BBC Digital for the UNICEF initiative with Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, June 2022
  • Assistant conductor of Oksana Lyniv, Benjamin Levy and Jean-Jacques Kantorow in Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Staatsoper Stuttgart, at the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele and with with Orchestre national de Cannes, since 2022

Achievements & Awards

  • One of 5 finalists selected to the Riccardo Muti Italian Opera Academy, December 2022
  • Finalist of Prix Fabuleuse Signature (the winner will be announced in June 2023)
     
Lee Samuel Seungwon TMC 2023 candidate

Samuel Seungwon LEE 
(Korea)
32 yr

Education

  • Bachelor and Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting, HfM "Hanns Eisler" Berlin, 2014-2018
  • Konzertexamen in Orchestral Conducting, HfMT Hamburg, 2019-2021

Masterclasses

  • Daniele Gatti (Chigiana Festival 2019)
  • Riccardo Muti (Tokyo Spring Festival 2019)
  • Cristian Macelaru (Conducting Fellow at the Cabrillo Festival 2021, 2022)

Experience

  • Assistant Conductor of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, since August 2022
  • Music Director and Conductor of C.P.E.Bach Musikgymnasium Orchestra Berlin, Germany, 2016-2022
  • W2 Professor for Viola at Hochschule fur Musik und Theater “Mendelssohn-Bartholdy” Leipzig, Germany, 2018-2022

Awards

  • 1st Prize at the Taipei International Conducting Competition, Taipei, Taiwan, March 2019
  • 1st Prize at the BMI International Conducting Competition, Bucharest, Rumania, July 2018
Lee Sora Elisabeth TMC 2023 candidate

Sora Elisabeth LEE 
(Korea)
34 yr

Professional Experience

  • Assistant Conductor, Orchestre de Paris/ Paris, France (2022~ ) 
  • Assistant Conductor, Opéra national du Rhin/ Strasbourg, France (2021-2022)

Music Education

  • Master in Orchestral Conducting, Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, France/ Prof. Alain Altinoglu, 2017-2019 
  • Bachelor in Orchestral Conducting, University of Music and Performing Arts Munich, Germany/ Prof. Bruno Weil, 2012-2016 

Masterclasses i.a.

  • Fabio Luisi (Fondazione Arturo Toscanini), Jorma Panula (Panula Academy), Stefan Asbury (Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellowship Program), Richard Hetherington & Mark Shanahan (Royal Opera House Covent Garden), ...
Måseidvåg Nils Erik TMC 2023 candidate

Nils Erik MÅSEIDVÅG 
(Norway)
30 yr

Education

  • Advanced Post-graduate studies, Orchestral Conducting, The Royal Danish Academy of Music with Giordano Bellincampi and Michael Schønwandt (2017-20) 
  • Bachelor and Master in Orchestral Conducting, Norwegian Academy of Music with Ole Kristian Ruud and Sigmund Thorp (2011-17)

Positions

  • Assistant Conductor of Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (2018-19) 

Awards

  • Leonie Sonning Talent prize (2020) 
  • Princess Astrid International Music Competition, 3rd prize winner (2018)
Mengoli Giuseppe TMC 2023 candidate

Giuseppe MENGOLI 
(Italy)
29 yr

Experience

  • Assistant Conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dutch National Opera (DNO), Amsterdam, since July 2021
  • Assistant Conductor with Oleg Caetani, John Axelrod, Valery Gergiev, Teodor Currentzis, Daniel Barenboim, Christoph König (2014-2018)
  • Working with Real Orquesta Sinfonica de Sevilla, Oslo Opera House, Mariinsky Theater, LaVerdi Symphony Orchestra, Utopia Orchestra, London Covent Garden
  • made his debut with the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester in Bad Schandau in 2018. 

Education

  • completed his violin studies with the distinction "cum Laude" and special mention
  • Master’s degree in chamber music in Italy
  • Master’s degree in violin with the highest honors at the HfM Würzburg with Prof. Tianwa Yang
  • now attends the Master programme in Orchestra Conducting (working with orchestras such as Staatskapelle Weimar, Jenaer Philharmonie, and the Göttinger Symphoniker)
Tristan Rais-Sherman TMC 2023 Candidate

Tristan RAIS-SHERMAN 
(United States)
33 yr

Professional Experience

  • The Philadelphia Orchestra - Conducting Fellow, since February 2022

Awards

  • Career Assistance Award - Solti Foundation U.S., April 2022 
  • Friedlander Presidential Scholarship - New England Conservatory, 2019-2021 

Music Education

  • 2019-2021 - New England Conservatory - Artist Diploma, Orchestral Conducting
Ilya Ram TMC 2023 candidate

Ilya RAM 
(Israel)
32 yr

Experience

  • IMPULS Festival, Young Conductor Spotlight, Tempus Konnex and Magdeburgische Philharmonie, October-November 2022
  • Music Director, FNK (New-Art-Forum) Oldenburg, August 2022
  • Music Director, Leipzig University Orchestra, since 2019
  • guest conductor, Theater Chemnitz and the Robert-Schumann Philharmonie, 2019-2020

Education

  • advanced professional training in Orchestral Conducting, UdK Berlin, 2019-2022
  • Master of Music in orchestral conducting, Dresden Academy of Music “Carl Maria von Weber”, 2016-2020

Awards

  • audience prize and laureate, Evgeny Svetlanov Competition, 2022
  • semifinalist, Premio Guido Cantelli (Turin, Italy), 2020
Matthew Rhodes TMC 2023 candidate

Matthew RHODES 
(Great Britain)
23 yr

Experience

  • conducted in the Fiskars Summer Festival (Finland), August 2022
  • in the upcoming season of 22/23, he will make his debut with the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, Belgium

Education

  • completing his Masters degree in Orchestral Conducting at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm, and the Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo
  • Bachelor's degree - conducting, Sibelius Academy, Helsinki
  • masterclasses with Jorma Panula, David Zinman, Johannes Schlaefli, Bjarte Engeset, Gerard Korsten and Sian Edwards

Competitions

  • finalist of the upcoming 2023 ‘Donatella Flick Conducting Competition’ (with the London Symphony Orchestra)
Aleksei Rubin TMC 2023 candidate

Aleksei RUBIN 
(Russia)
35 yr

Experience

  • conductor in the State Symphony Orchestra “Novaya Rossiya”, since September 2022
  • collaborates with the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra, since 2018
  • assistant conductor of Yuri Simonov – chief conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, since 2015
  • assistant conductor with Valery Gergiev, Mikhail Jurowski, Daniele Gatti, and Charles Dutoit

Awards

  • 2nd place in the All-Russian conducting competition (2015)
  • 3rd prize - Ilia Musin conducting competition (2013)

Music Education

  • graduated from the Saint-Petersburg State Conservatoire, symphony conducting department (professor Simonov Yuri) in 2015
Mikhail Shekhtman TMC 2023 candidate

Mikhail SHEKHTMAN 
(Israel)
33 yr

Experience

  • Artistic director - festivalorchestra, including musicians from Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Germany, 2021; recorded Sravinsky Sacre du Printemps to critical acclaim
  • Conducted recently performances with instrumentalists, including Ilya Gringolts, Valentine Michaud & singers, including Anna Netrebko, Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov
  • Conducted Concerto Köln for a Decca recording
  • as pianist performed with Luzern Symphony and Gewandhaus under Maestro Blomstedt
  • assistant conductor at the Verbier Festival, 2021

Education

  • studied conducting under Mikhail Jurowski and Georg-Christoph Sandmann
  • Advanced professinal training for conductors at the UDK
  • masterclasses with Mikhail Yurowski, Teodor Currentzis
  • assisted Klaus Mäkelä, Daniel Harding & Sir Antonio Pappano

Awards

  • OPUS-Klassik 2018, BR CD of the Month 
Dayner Tafur-Díaz TMC 2023 candidate

Dayner TAFUR-DÍAZ 
(Peru)
24 yr

Experience

  • Conductor - Aalen Symphony Orchestra, since 2020

Education

  • studies orchestral conducting at the HMDK Stuttgart (Bachelor)
  • masterclasses: Trumpet with Jose Luis Cueto Gomez (2017), and Campus Dirigieren (Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt), 2021

Awards

  • 1st prize - 2nd Conducting Competition of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Liège, Belgium, August 2022
  • 2nd prize - 2nd Conducting Competition of the 'Universidad de Almería', Spain, November 2022
Benjamin Perry Wenzelberg TMC 2023 candidate

Benjamin Perry WENZELBERG
(United States)
23 yr

Professional Experience

  • Guest Conductor with Tonkünstler Orchester, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Dutch National Opera Academy, Members of Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Boston Pops (2018-2024)
  • Assistant Conductor with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, Belgian National Orchestra, Noord Nederlands Orkest, Residentie Orkest (2022-2023)
  • Masterclasses with Marin Alsop (Britten-Pears), Jaap van Zweden (Gstaad), Johannes Schlaefli (Gstaad), Stefan Asbury (Tanglewood Music Center) (2018-2022)
  • Music Director and Commissioned Composer/Librettist of Lowell House Opera (2020-2022), Harvard College Opera (2018-2021), and Mozart Society Orchestra (2017-2021)

Education

  • Completing his Master’s degree at the Nationale Master Orkestdirectie (Conservatorium van Amsterdam/Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag), mentored by Jac van Steen, Kenneth Montgomery, Ed Spanjaard, Antony Hermus, and Anja Bihlmaier (2022-2024)
  • B.A. magna cum laude with Highest Honors in English, Phi Beta Kappa, Secondary Field: Music - Harvard University, 2017-2022

Awards

  • 1st prize - Boston Pops: Bernstein Memorial Conducting Competition, 2018
  • 1st prize - Ink Still Wet Composer/Conductor Competition: Tonkünstler-Orchester/Grafenegg Festival, Austria, 2016 & 2018
Su-Han Yang TMC 2023 candidate

Su-Han YANG
(Taiwan)
33 yr

Experience

  • Assistant Conductor - Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, since January 2023
  • Associate Conductor - Taiwan Philharmonic (National Symphony Orchestra), since August 2021 
  • Chief Conductor - Camerata Taiwan, since 2016

Education

  • Mentoring Program, Conductor - Peter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation, Budapest, Hungary, 2018-2019 
  • Master of Music, major in Orchestral Conducting - Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin, Berlin, Germany, 2016-2018
  • masterclasses i.a. with Jun Märkl, Jorma Panula, György Kurtág, Helmut Lachenmann, Peter Eötvös, Peter Rundel, Riccardo Muti, ...

Competitions

  • 1st prize - the 10th International Grzegorz Fitelberg Competition for Conductors, Katowice, Poland, November 2017
  • semifinalist - the 55th International Competition for Young Conductors, Besançon, France, September 2017