In Thursday’s (6/24) Sacramento Bee (California), Edward Ortiz writes, “The Berkeley Symphony should be on your radar if you like adventurous orchestras. Its new artistic director, Joana Carneiro, 33, has just been awarded the Helen M. Thompson Award from the League of American Orchestras, which is a sign that the Berkeley Symphony’s reputation will stay intact under its new leadership. Carneiro follows former artistic director Kent Nagano, who was responsible for building the orchestra’s reputation as one of the more adventurous of regional orchestras. The orchestra also has links to the Sacramento region. Two former UC Davis students, including Andy Tan, were picked for its yearlong ‘Under Construction’ composers series. And the Sacramento Opera’s chorus master—Ming Luke—is on staff there as education director and assistant conductor. The orchestra was founded in 1969. Today it offers a four-concert season, a composers series, and employs 70 musicians on a budget of $1.2 million. … Carneiro won the Thompson Award for raising the orchestra’s performance level, and for intelligent and forward-looking programming. … The Helen M. Thompson Award was created in 1981 to celebrate the life and work of Helen M. Thompson, who dramatically advanced and promoted the cause of symphony orchestras in the United States.”
Posted June 24, 2010
Photo of Joana Carneiro by David Weiss
