LA Philharmonic Announces Conductors for 2010/11 Dudamel Fellowship Program

Beginning with the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 2010/11 season, four conductors will participate in the Dudamel Fellowship Program. Music Director Gustavo Dudamel, together with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, created the Dudamel Fellowship Program (in 2009)to provide a unique opportunity for promising young conductors from around the world to develop their craft and enrich their musical experience through personal mentorship and participation in the LA Phil's orchestral, education and community programs.The fellows will work alongside Dudamel and musicians of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and also work with students in key LA Phil education programs. The program for each of the fellows will run separately for approximately 4-6 weeks each. The fellows will hone their skills through observation and application, such as conducting Los Angeles Philharmonic youth concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall, conducting Los Angeles Philharmonic Neighborhood Concerts, participating as a cover conductor, and serving as mentors themselves through participation in LA Phil education programs such as Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA).

The Dudamel Fellowship Program launched in conjunction with Gustavo Dudamel's 2009/10 inaugural season as Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Please visit laphil.com for complete programming information.

The 2010/11 participating fellows are:

Manuel Lopez (Sept 26 - Oct 20, 2010), from Caracas, Venezuela.

Twenty-six-year-old conductor Manuel Lopez, is a product of the internationally recognized State Foundation for the National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras of Venezuela (FESNOJIV - Fundación del Estado para el Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela), commonly known as El Sistema. Lopez began his musical studies on the violin at the age of 6, and joined the Youth Orchestra of Venezuela in 1999, subsequently touring with the orchestra to the United States, Uruguay, Argentina, Italy, Germany, and Austria. Lopez also served as concertmaster of the Youth Orchestra of Caracas for 4 years under the baton of Maestro Gustavo Dudamel.

Active internationally as a conductor, Lopez has recently guest conducted the Orquesta Sinfonica de Bahia (Brazil), the Orquesta Sinfónica "Carlos Chávez" de Ciudad de México, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Gulbenkian (Portugal). He is also a frequent guest conductor of the Teresa Carreno Youth Orchestra and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and continues to perform as violinist with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra.

Manuel was a finalist in the Eduardo Mata International Conducting Competition in Mexico, as well as the Sir George Solti International Conducting Competition in Frankfurt, Germany, and is the conducting student of José Antonio Abreu, Gustavo Dudamel, and Sung Kwak.

To Conduct:
* September 29, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.
LA Phil Neighborhood Concert
Cerritos Performing Arts Center
SMETANA The Bartered Bride Overture
DVORAK Slavonic Dances, Op. 46, No. 1 in c major, No. 2 in e minor, No. 8 in g minor
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7

* October 1, 2010 at 7:30 p.m., October 2, 2010 at 1:35 p.m.
Phil the House Concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall
"Pianissimo!"

* Saturday, October 2 at 11 a.m., Saturday, October 9 at 11 a.m.
Toyota Symphonies for Youth (TSFY) Subscription Series
"Pianissimo!"

* October 3, 2010 at 4 p.m.
LA Phil Neighborhood Concert (wind/brass ensemble)
McArthur Park Band Shell

Jean-Michael Lavoie (Oct 22 - Nov 16, 2010), from Paris, France/Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Jean-Michael Lavoie is one of the most successful young Canadian conductors on the international scene. Pierre Boulez appointed him Assistant Conductor to the Ensemble intercontemporain in 2008 and chose him to be his First Assistant Conductor at the 2010 Lucerne Festival Academy. He also collaborated with the Orchestre de Paris as Assistant Conductor to Esa-Pekka Salonen and with Accentus as Associate Conductor during the Festival Musica in Strasbourg and the Venice Biennale.

In 2009 and 2010, he made his debut with the Ensemble intercontemporain, the Orchestre de Bretagne and the Ensemble orchestral de Paris. During the 2010/11 season he is intensifying his guest conducting appearances in France, returning to both the Ensemble intercontemporain and the Orchestre de Bretagne, in addition to debuts at the Opéra de Rennes and the Orchestre d'Auvergne. Other engagements include a return guest conducting appearance in Montreal for a Radio-Canada broadcast and debut performances with the Israel Contemporary Players in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Lavoie is the 2010 laureate of the Prix Opus New Artist of the Year, which allows him to be in residence at Radio-Canada for the entire year. He also recorded his first CD for the French label Naïve.

Born in Quebec (Canada) in 1982, 28-year-old Lavoie completed his musical studies in Montreal at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. Grant holder from the Quebec government, the Canadian government and McGill University, he studied piano in Richard Raymond's class before specializing in orchestral conducting, musical analysis and music history. A highly talented pianist, he won several first prizes in competitions and recorded two recitals broadcasted by Radio-Canada (1999 and 2002).

Very active in Canada, Lavoie was Assistant Conductor of the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble from 2003 to 2007 and Assistant Conductor at Opera McGill in 2005 and 2006. Following his remarkable debut with the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec in 2006 for the Society's 40th-anniversary opening concert, he was quickly re-invited to conduct two North-American premieres during the Montreal/New Music International Festival in March 2007, broadcasted by Espace Musique (Radio-Canada). Assistant Conductor to the Radio-Canada Chorus in February 2006, he was rapidly named Associate Music Director for the 2007/08 season.

To Conduct:

* November 6, 2010 at 11 a.m., November 13, 2010 at 11 a.m.
TSFY Subscription Series
BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique

* November 16, 2010 at 8 p.m.
Green Umbrella Subscription Series
Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group
CRUMB The River of Life (Songs of Joy and Sorrow) - Amercian Songbook No. 1
CRUMB Ancient Voices of Children

Joshua Weilerstein (February 11-March 7, 2011), from Boston, Massachusetts.

Immediately after completing his Bachelor of Music in violin performance at the New England Conservatory in May 2009, 22-year-old Joshua Weilerstein was named the winner of the international 2009 Malko Competition for Young Conductors in Copenhagen. His first-prize honors include conducting engagements over three years with such major Scandinavian orchestras as the Oslo Philharmonic, the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and the Danish National Symphony, among others. In June 2009, in the first of this series of Malko engagements, Weilerstein made his professional conducting debut with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

In the 2009-2010 season he led the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra in Denmark, which quickly re-engaged him, the Danish National Symphony, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, the orchestra of the Skaneatelles Festival and the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuala with his sister, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, as soloist. In addition to his re-engagement with the South Jutland Symphony, highlights of the 2010-11 season include appearances with symphony orchestras of Norrköping, Aalborg, Aarhus, Tapiola, Malmö, South Jutland and Gävle as well as the CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra.

In the summer of 2009, Weilerstein participated in the prestigious American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival, where he studied with David Zinman and was awarded the Robert J. Harth Conductor Prize. In September 2009 he resumed his studies at New England Conservatory, pursuing dual Master of Music degrees in orchestral conducting with Hugh Wolff and in violin with Lucy Chapman. As an NEC junior and senior, Weilerstein initiated and organized several orchestral groups, which he rehearsed and conducted in concert, both in the NEC Preparatory division and in the conservatory.

In 2007, Weilerstein was invited to appear as violin soloist with the Símon Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. Continuing his association with that organization, in 2007 he was also invited to become its first non-Venezuelan guest member, joining the first violin section on the orchestra's acclaimed American tour with Music Director Gustavo Dudamel. Currently living in Boston, he serves as concertmaster of Discovery Ensemble, a Boston-based chamber orchestra established by young musicians dedicated to bringing music to children through interactive workshops in schools and community concerts.

To Conduct:

* Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 11 a.m., Saturday, February 26, at 11 a.m.
TSFY Subscription Series
"Jazz and the Orchestra"

David Afkham (April 11-May 15, 2011), from Freiburg, Germany.

David Afkham is the Assistant Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, a post he has held since winning the 2008 International Donatella Flick Conducting Competition, and Assistant Conductor of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. This Summer Afkham will debut at the helm of the London Symphony Orchestra at a City of London Festival concert. Future highlights also include appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, the Hamburger Symphoniker, MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Gulbenkian Orchestra Lisbon, the Real Filharmonia de Santiago, and Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, as well as return projects with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Gustav Mahler Jungendorchester. In addition, David was a Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic during the 2009/10 season.

Afkham was the first recipient of the "Bernard Haitink Fund for Young Talent", and he continues to work regularly with his mentor Bernard Haitink on major projects with the likes of the Chicago Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw or Berliner Philharmoniker.

Born 1983 in Freiburg, Germany, 27-year-old Afkham received his first piano and violin lessons at the age of six. At the age of 15, he entered his native city's University of Music to pursue studies in piano, music theory and conducting. He won first prize in the solo-piano category of the 2002 Jugend Musiziert German National Piano Competition. He then completed his conducting training at the Liszt School of Music in Weimar. David is a conducting fellow of the Richard Wagner Association Bayreuth and recently became a member of the "Conductor's Forum" of the German Music Council.

To Conduct:

* Saturday, April 23, 2011 at 11 a.m., Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 11 a.m.

TSFY Subscription Series
"The Hero Composer"

Photo Credit: Mathew Imaging

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