Solti Foundation US Celebrates 25th Anniversary, Names 2025 Solti Fellow

Celebrating 25 years, The Solti Foundation U.S. Board Chair Penny Van Horn and Artistic and Awards Committee Chair Elizabeth Buccheri have announced the 2025 recipient of the Foundation's current major grant, The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award. Since 2004, 20 young American conductors have received prestigious top awards from the Foundation.

In 2006, in recognition of the exceptional quality of the applicants for The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award (also known as the Solti Fellow), The Solti Foundation U.S. introduced its first Career Assistance Award, which is awarded to selected musicians that applied that season. To date, 166 Career Assistance Awards have been distributed.

Introduced in 2014, The Elizabeth Buccheri Opera Residency Program (officially named in 2018) is the Foundation’s other program for which one cannot apply but rather are selected. Since its establishment, 25 awardees have participated in residencies with major opera companies throughout the United States.

Mrs. Van Horn stated, “This year, 2025, we are celebrating the 25th Anniversary of The Solti Foundation U.S. This marks a quarter century of our unwavering commitment to exceptional young American conductors as they embark on their professional careers. We do this in honor of the legendary conductor, Sir Georg Solti. The Maestro firmly believed that the aid he received while a young man enabled him to achieve his future success. Sir Georg provided mentorship and assistance to aspiring musicians throughout his life.

“Since our founding by Lady Valerie Solti and their two daughters and with the enthusiastic support of the Solti family, we have continued his legacy. Over the course of our 25 years, Solti Foundation U.S. grant recipients have appeared as guest conductors and held positions with distinguished orchestras, festivals, and opera houses worldwide.

“When the concept of a Foundation came to fruition, our Board had no idea we would be celebrating such a momentous anniversary all these years later. This is confirmation of the importance of symphonic and operatic music and a tribute not only to Sir Georg’s memory but to the talented musicians of today. Our grant awards and opera residencies help to foster professional careers providing much needed support at a pivotal juncture in their young careers.

“And so, in this special milestone year, The Solti Foundation U.S. is proud to announce Holly Hyun Choe, newly named Principal Conductor and Musical Advisor of Norwegian Radio Orchestra beginning in 2026, Principal Conductor of chamber orchestra Ensemble Reflektor, and Associate Artist of the Orchestre de Chambre de Genève as the 16th recipient of The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award. 

“A fine example of Sir Georg Solti’s get-up-and-go spirit, a true self-starter and innovative personality on stage and off, we have watched Ms. Choe’s musical growth since 2020, when we first selected her with a Career Assistance Award. I am pleased, on behalf of the Foundation, to congratulate Holly.”

Said Maestra Choe, “It is with a heart full of gratitude and humility that I receive the next Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award. Accepting this award is truly life-changing, not just for the recognition, but as a promise to myself to continue striving towards an utmost dedication to the arts, following in the footsteps of Sir Georg Solti, whose life’s work was deeply rooted in reaching the highest level of music-making and profundity in the power of music.

“Since receiving a Career Assistance Award in 2020 and now this prestigious award, I strive to contribute to the tapestry of the art world, to be a role model, and to further develop my impact in our society and culture through music that encompasses the tradition of innovation, the inter-, and trans-disciplinary across art forms, and actively work to close the gap in privilege, diversity, and socioeconomics. 

“I extend my most sincere thanks to The Solti Foundation U.S. for following my growth in the last several years and for believing in my potential and talent.”

"Holly is an inspiring musician," Ms. Buccheri stated. "A natural born artist, Holly was a clarinetist until the age of 19. She is passionate, driven, and absolutely committed to music and a career in conducting, as her growing career demonstrates. She has carved out a career internationally and in the United States, and we cannot wait to see where her goals take her. Congratulations!

“Holly is also the third woman conductor to receive the Solti Fellow,” continued Ms. Buccheri. “As a Foundation which awards grants based on talent and not via competition, we can only consider conductors who apply. We hope that Holly’s well-deserved success spurs more women conductors to apply for The Solti Conducting Fellow Award in the future.”

The Sir Georg Solti Fellow, as the grant is also known, is awarded annually to a single, promising American conductor 36 years of age or younger. One of the largest of its kind, it provides essential career guidance, industry connections and a cash purse of $30,000 to aid grant recipients as they further hone the skills of their craft. Previous recipients include François López-Ferrer, Keitaro Harada, Earl Lee, Gemma New, Aram Demirjian, Yaniv Dinur, Roderick Cox, Christopher Allen, Karina Canellakis, Vladimir Kulenovic, Cristian Măcelaru, James Feddeck, Case Scaglione, Eric Nielsen, and Anthony Barrese.

Recipients of The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award may use the financial portion of the grant in various ways to specifically advance his/her career, whether it be further studies, language study, purchases of scores, or travel. The Foundation's Board of Directors comprises experts from all areas of the classical music industry, and therefore the Award also brings door-opening introductions within the industry and valuable access to professional mentors.

 Photo credit: Emily Turkanik