The New Haven Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors is pleased to announce the names of the Music Director candidate finalists who will guest conduct three of the 2017-2018 season concerts:
David Amado has served as the music director of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra since 2003, and in his time there has transformed it into a premier regional orchestra. Amado is also Director of Conducting Programs at the Atlantic Music Festival in Maine and Music Director of the Atlantic Classical Orchestra in Florida. Descended from line of musicians with roots in the New Haven community, including his grandmother, violist Lillian Fuchs, and great-uncle, violinist Joseph Fuchs, Amado served as Associate Conductor of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra from 1998 – 2004. Recent highlights of his career include engagements with the Chicago Symphony, National Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, New World Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, and Detroit Symphony.
Rebecca Miller is the Director of Orchestras for the Royal Holloway University of London and is Music Director for the Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society Chorus and Orchestra, which she has led since 2012. She was recently appointed Principal Conductor of the Bishop’s Stortford Sinfonia and Associate Conductor of the Southbank Sinfonia. Miller made acclaimed debuts with the BBC Concert Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Royal Northern Sinfonia, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and London Mozart Players, and a highly-successful debut at the 2014 BBC Proms. First Prize winner of the fourth Eduardo Mata International Conducting Competition, she previously served as Resident Conductor of the Louisiana Philharmonic in New Orleans and Conducting Fellow of the Houston Symphony.
Alasdair Neale is Music Director of the Sun Valley Summer Symphony and Music Director of the Marin Symphony. In his twenty-two years as Music Director of Sun Valley, Mr. Neale has propelled this festival to national status: it is now the largest privately funded free admission symphony in America. Mr. Neale’s appointment with the Marin Symphony followed 12 years as Associate Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony and Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Previous posts have included principal guest conductor of the New World Symphony, conductor for the Juilliard pre-college orchestra, and Music Director of the Yale Symphony Orchestra. Neale is a 1985 graduate of the Yale School of Music.
The New Haven Symphony Orchestra’s search process began in the Fall of 2015 with the formation of a search committee comprising NHSO Board Directors, musicians, and community leaders. After a rigorous screening process of more than 150 applicants from across the globe, the search committee has invited Mr. Amado, Ms. Miller, and Mr. Neale to rehearse and conduct the orchestra at one concert each during the 2017 – 2018 season. The NHSO will release each candidate’s program and performance date to the public when the NHSO announces the full season programming lineup in March 2017.
Throughout the audition process, the Search Committee will receive input from the orchestra’s musicians, audience members, community stakeholders, and administrative staff, and will announce the new music director in the summer of 2018. The new music director will begin their tenure with the orchestra’s 2019 – 2020 season.
Search Committee Co-Chair and NHSO Board Director Burton Alter says, “We are grateful for the hard work of the committee and are excited for this community to experience our three finalists to New Haven next season. We have been overwhelmed by the caliber of the applicants for this position; the talent and experience of these three finalists speaks not only to the exceptional reputation of our orchestra but also the vibrancy of our city and its status as an international hub for arts and culture.”
The NHSO’s Music Director is responsible for the fulfillment of the orchestra’s artistic potential and its image in the community. The ideal candidate will possess exceptional musicianship and conducting skills; significant conducting experience; knowledge of a broad range of repertoire including new works by American composers; strong interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills; vision, passion, an ability to make symphonic music relevant and exciting for existing and new audiences, and a deep commitment to music education.
Current Music Director William Boughton will be ending his 12-season tenure with the NHSO in May 2019 at the culmination of the Symphony’s 125th Anniversary Season. His future plans include international guest conducting opportunities and devoting more time to his ongoing music education work.
The public can click here to follow the progress of the NHSO’s Music Director search online.
