MARIN ALSOP – UNITED STATES
JURY CHAIR
In addition to her role as jury chair, she will conduct the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra with the six finalists during the Competition’s Final Round. As chair, she will oversee the jury selection process, consult on jury rules and procedures, and set the tone and mandate of the jury; but she will abstain from voting throughout the Competition, except in the case of a tie after the Final Round.
One of the foremost conductors of our time, Marin Alsop represents a powerful and inspiring voice. The first woman to serve as the head of a major orchestra in the United States, South America, Austria, and Britain, she is internationally recognized for her innovative approach to programming and audience development, her deep commitment to education, and her advocacy for music’s importance in the world.
Ms. Alsop currently serves as chief conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the first music director of the University of Maryland’s National Orchestral Institute + Festival, and the first chief conductor and curator of Chicago’s Ravinia Festival, summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She is also Conductor of Honour of Brazil’s São Paulo Symphony Orchestra and holds the title of Music Director Laureate and OrchKids Founder at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, after recently concluding an outstanding 14-year tenure as its music director.
As well as enjoying longstanding relationships with the London Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestras, she regularly guest conducts such major international ensembles as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Orchestre de Paris, and The Cleveland, La Scala, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Philadelphia, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestras. An ardent champion of new composition, she was music director of California’s Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music for 25 years. Last season, in collaboration with YouTube, Google Arts & Culture, and a host of the world’s leading arts organizations, she spearheaded the #GlobalOdeToJoy, a crowd-sourced video project to celebrate Beethoven’s 250th anniversary and amplify his Ninth Symphony’s call for tolerance, unity, and joy.
The first and only conductor to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, Ms. Alsop has also been honored with the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award and numerous honorary doctorates. Recognized with Grammy®, Classical BRIT, and Gramophone awards, her extensive discography includes recordings for Decca, harmonia mundi, Naxos, and Sony Classical. To promote and nurture the careers of her fellow female conductors, in 2002 she founded the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship, now renamed in her honor as the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship. The Conductor, an award-winning documentary about her life, debuted at New York’s 2021 Tribeca Film Festival.