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  • LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF JOANA CARNEIRO AS CONDUCTING FELLOW
  • Jun. 29, 2004

  • Carneiro Is Part of Inaugural Class of American Symphony Orchestra League's Conducting Fellows Program

    The Los Angeles Philharmonic announces the appointment of Joana Carneiro as the orchestra's American Symphony Orchestra League Conducting Fellow according to Esa-Pekka Salonen, Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. As part of her two-year appointment, Carneiro will conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall under Salonen's guidance, and will lead the orchestra in community concerts throughout her residency. She will also serve as the cover conductor for Salonen or visiting conductors throughout the orchestra's subscription season and on tour.

    "My mentor, Jorma Panula, had an enormous influence on me. Now, it is especially important to me to pass along what I have learned to the next generation," says Salonen. "Joana Carneiro is clearly one of today's most promising talents, and I look forward to working with her; she will be a terrific match for this orchestra. We are grateful to the American Symphony Orchestra League for developing this crucial program to develop our musical leaders."

    Carneiro's appointment comes as part of The American Symphony Orchestra League's new American Conducting Fellows Program. Beginning with the 2004-05 season, four conductors in the early stages of their careers take up two- to three-year appointments with four American orchestras. The matches were made following a year-long competitive application process. Host orchestras and their music directors were selected for their ability to provide a rich, guided learning environment, substantial mentoring, and meaningful performance opportunities; and for their commitment to nurturing both the musical and the leadership skills of the Fellows.

    Then, from a pool of nearly 300 applicants, 20 conductors were invited to a preliminary audition with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. Based on this audition, adjudicated by a distinguished panel of music professionals, eleven conductors qualified as finalists to audition with host orchestras. Each host orchestra selected candidates from this group, and eventually chose its Fellow based on superior musical talent and potential for continued growth.

    A key component of the new program is the plan to actively engage music directors and orchestral musicians as mentors for the conducting fellows. As part of her residency, Carneiro will work closely with Salonen and will lead the Philharmonic in five to seven education and community concerts throughout the season.

    The Los Angeles Philharmonic begins its 86th season in October 2004 at Walt Disney Concert Hall and has developed steadily in artistic stature and prominence since it was founded in 1919. Today, under the dynamic leadership of Esa-Pekka Salonen, who became the orchestra's tenth music director in 1992, the Philharmonic is recognized as one of the world's outstanding orchestras, received enthusiastically by audiences and critics alike.

    At the age of twenty-seven, JOANA CARNEIRO has already attracted considerable attention as an outstanding young conductor. A native of Lisbon, Carneiro began her musical studies as a violist before receiving her conducting degree from the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra in Lisbon. Carneiro received her Masters in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University, as a student of Victor Yampolsky and Mallory Thompson, and she has pursued Doctoral conducting at the University of Michigan, studying with Kenneth Kiesler. Carneiro serves as Music Director of the Los Angeles Debut Orchestra. Carneiro is also one of three conductors chosen to participate in the newly founded Allizanz Cultural Foundation International Conductors Academy in London. As part of this program, Carneiro will conduct both the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra. She has also served as Assistant Conductor of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. In past seasons Carneiro served as Music Director of the Campus Philharmonia Orchestra (Michigan), and she conducted the Toledo Symphony Orchestra (Ohio); the Macau Chamber Orchestra and Beijing Orchestra at the International Musica Festival of Macau (China); the Portuguese National Symphony Orchestra; the Northshore Chamber Orchestra and the Lake Forrest Symphony Orchestra (Illinois); and several youth orchestras in the U.S. and Portugal.

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  • Contact:

    Rachelle Roe, 213.972.7310; Ryan Jimenez, 213.972.3405