Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship Announces 2007 Fellow Mei-Ann Chen

October 24, 2007 - New York

The TAKI CONCORDIA CONDUCTING FELLOWSHIP is pleased to announce that conductor MEI-ANN CHEN has been named the 2007 Taki Concordia Conducting Fellow. Ms. Chen was recently appointed as the Assistant Conductor and American Symphony Orchestra League (ASOL) Conducting Fellow for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. She will be conducting the ASO's Young People's Concerts and serve as cover conductor for the ASO subscription series and be training under Robert Spano, Music Director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

MARIN ALSOP founded the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship in 2002, with the vision of a mission to create a program which fosters and encourages women who are studying or training to be orchestral conductors. Marin Alsop comments that "It is a privilege to be in a position to impact the lives of aspiring women conductors. Based on personal experience, I can clearly see what is needed to assist emerging conductors in the pursuit of their dreams and want to make the road easier and more rewarding for them."

As the winner of the 2007 Taki Concordia Fellowship, Mei-Ann Chen will work with Marin Alsop and Stefan Sanderling in coaching sessions, rehearsals and concerts throughout the season. Mei Ann will receive feedback from orchestral musicians and community leaders during her weeks with various orchestras. Ms. Chen will receive an honorarium and is slated to conduct the opening work on a subscription concert series with Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra and with The Florida Orchestra under the direction of Stefan Sanderling during the 2007/08 season.

TCCF extends special recognition to conductor Kelly Lynn Corcoran, honorable mention for 2007 TCCF, as a candidate with significant conducting talent. Ms. Corcoran has been invited to conduct and study with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (UK) in January 2008. Travel assistance and sponsorship for Ms. Chen is provided in part by the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce and Ms. Corcoran is being sponsored in part by the Soroptimists International group of Bournemouth (UK).

Mei-Ann Chen, conductor - brief bio

In 2005, Ms. Chen received the ASCAP Award for Creative Programming with the Portland Youth Philharmonic, where she was their Music Director and conductor. Mei-Ann Chen led PYP on a tour of Taiwan and Korea in August 2007.

Ms. Chen was the First Prize winner of the 14th International Malko Competition for Conductors (2005), as hosted by the Danish Radio National Symphony (first woman awarded in the competition's 40-year history). Mei-Ann Chen also served as Assistant Conductor of the Oregon Symphony from 2003-05.

Chen studied at the New England Conservatory, simultaneously earning a double Master's degree in Orchestral Conducting and Violin. NEC awarded her with two of its most prestigious medals:
Chadwick Medal for being the most outstanding undergraduate and
Schuller Medal for her extraordinary sontribution to musical life in the community.
Ms. Chen was a doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan prior to her appointment in Portland, OR, and was a student of Kenneth Kiesler and Martin Katz.

TCCF Mission

The Mission of the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship is to create a program which fosters and encourages women who are studying or training to be conductors in orchestras or ensembles.

Founded by Marin Alsop in 2002, the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship (TCCF) is a unique opportunity for young women conductors to immerse themselves in the art and business of performing classical music under the leadership of Marin Alsop, the first female music director of a major American orchestra.

The TCCF Advisory Board is comprised of composers, business leaders and several internationally known conductors, including Maestros Bernard Haitink, Michael Tilson Thomas, Leonard Slatkin, JoAnn Falletta and others, who have recently joined Marin in their support of nurturing young talent.