“The Minnesota Orchestra has named a new assistant conductor—the second woman ever to join its conducting ranks,” writes Jenna Ross in Tuesday’s (5/16) Star Tribune (Minneapolis). “Akiko Fujimoto, who is the associate conductor of the San Antonio Symphony, will start in September, the orchestra announced Tuesday. (The first female conductor to join the Minnesota Orchestra was Sarah Hicks, the principal conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall.) In Texas, Fujimoto has conducted a variety of concerts, including classical, pops and community performances. She hosts the symphony’s ‘Classical Conversations,’ pre-concert lectures, according to a press release. She has also led the Houston Symphony and the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra as a guest conductor, among others. At the Minnesota Orchestra, assistant conductors typically lead family programs, outdoor concerts and shows for young people. They also assist with Live at Orchestra Hall—a series that includes popular music and movie scores—and more traditional classical performances. The orchestra also announced Tuesday that Roderick Cox has signed a one-year extension to his contract as associate conductor.” Cox participated in the League of American Orchestras’ 2016 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview.
Posted May 17, 2017
