In Sunday’s (2/20) Chicago Tribune, John von Rhein reports, “The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association announced Saturday that Sean Kubota, a 29-year-old conductor from Japan, has won its First International Sir Georg Solti Conducting Competition and Apprenticeship. The two-season apprenticeship will include at least four weeks a year in Chicago where Kubota will study with music director Riccardo Muti, conductor emeritus Pierre Boulez and key CSO guest conductors. He is to receive a $20,000 cash award each year, along with travel and lodging expenses. One of four finalists chosen to compete for the apprenticeship, Kubota was selected following sessions held Saturday at Symphony Center. Finalists were asked to coach singers from the piano and rehearse the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. The jury consisted of Muti, bass-baritone Samuel Ramey and CSO members Robert Chen, J. Lawrie Bloom, Katinka Kleijn and Michael Mulcahy. Other finalists were David Danzmayr of Austria, Liu Kuokman of Portugal and Ryan McAdams of the U.S. … The competition, a Muti initiative announced by the music director in October 2009, attracted applications from 225 young conductors from 40 countries. The field was narrowed to 10 conductors, who took part in the semifinals Feb. 4-6 here.”
Posted February 22, 2011
