Utah Symphony to Welcome Rei Hotoda as New Associate Conductor Next Fall

Utah Symphony announced today the appointment of Rei Hotoda as the new Associate Conductor, starting September 2015. Ms. Hotoda is the first female to hold this post with Utah Symphony.

Ms. Hotoda will work closely with Music Director Thierry Fischer in her role as Associate Conductor. In addition to leading the orchestra in various programs for community and chamber concerts, regional tours, and the Deer Valley Music Festival concerts in Park City, she will play an active role in the orchestra's education department, conducting family, education and outreach concerts. She will also be a spokesperson for the Utah Symphony in pre-concert lectures and community events and will act as a mentor for several youth orchestras in a variety of regional guest clinics and performances.

Utah Symphony's current Associate Conductor Vladimir Kulenovic will conclude his highly-successful four-season tenure on August 31, 2015. He was recently named Music Director of the Lake Forest Symphony in June 2014, and has been the Resident Conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic in Croatia since September 2013.

"We are very fortunate to have Rei Hotoda joining the staff of the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera," said Music Director Thierry Fischer. "Rei will bring extensive education and community engagement experience to share with audiences in this great state. With her charismatic personality and musical talent, I am thrilled to welcome Rei as our next associate conductor."

"I am so honored to be the next Associate Conductor of the Utah Symphony," said Ms. Hotoda. "Working with Music Director Thierry Fischer and the extraordinary musicians of the orchestra is a partnership I know will be deeply meaningful and very exciting. I am really looking forward to getting to know the audiences of the Utah Symphony and look forward to collaborating with such a vibrant community."

Rei Hotoda is rapidly becoming one of America's most sought after and dynamic artists. She has appeared as a guest conductor with many of today's leading ensembles, including the symphony orchestras of Baltimore, Dallas, Edmonton, Fort Worth, Toronto, and Winnipeg, as well as the Colorado and St. Louis Symphonies, the Las Vegas Philharmonic, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, among others. Highlights of Ms. Hotoda's 2014-15 season include return guest conducting appearances with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Las Vegas Philharmonic, as well as her debut with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, she completed a three-year tenure as the assistant conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra where she led the ensemble in many diverse series, and played a key role in their ongoing efforts to involve the local community. As an accomplished pianist, Ms. Hotoda has appeared as both a featured soloist and conductor from the piano with the Dallas, Edmonton, and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras. Ms. Hotoda is the proud recipient of several prestigious awards, including the 2006 Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship, created by Marin Alsop to mentor women conductors. Additionally, she has received a Peabody Career Development Grant, the Women's Philharmonic Scholarship, and an Illinois Arts Council International Arts Exchange Grant.

For more information on Ms. Hotoda, please visit her website at www.reihotoda.com.

Ms. Hotoda's appointment marks the first time a woman has led Utah Symphony in a titled conductor position. Previous female guest conductors have included JoAnn Falletta, Marin Alsop, and the legendary conductor of the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Margaret Hillis.