Four Candidates to Conduct the 2017-2018 Season
The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) announced its finalists for its next Music Director, and the four selected candidates will conduct and program four pairs of concerts during the ASO’s 2017-2018 season as their final audition.
The final candidates are: Michael Rossi, conducting September 23 and 24, 2017; James Ross, conducting October 21 and 22, 2017; José-Luis Novo, conducting February 10 and 11, 2018 and Nicholas Hersh, conducting April 7 and 8, 2018.
Related community events to meet and interact with the candidates will occur during concert weeks. The ASO will engage its audience and musicians through targeted surveys to further evaluate the finalists.
According to a press release, the ASO Search Committee followed the suggested guidelines established by the League of American Orchestras, and have diligently explored the 170 candidates from around the world.
The inclusive Search Committee consisted of Alexandria citizens, ASO musicians, and members of the orchestra’s Board of Trustees.
“The ASO is thrilled to announce the final candidates, one of which will be the ASO’s next Music Director,” said Ronal Butler, President of the ASO Board of Trustees. “The search committee received a qualified pool of applicants. These four finalists have unique backgrounds and fresh ideas to offer the ASO for its upcoming 75th Anniversary year and beyond.”
The finalists are indeed diverse, conducting symphonies from Xalapa, Mexico to Lucena, Spain—from the Los Angeles Philharmonic to the Washington National Opera.
Michael Rossi is the founder and Artistic Director of the Miami Summer Music Festival; Nicholas Hersh serves as Associate Conductor with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; José-Luis Novo leads the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra as Music Director and Conductor.
Complete details for the 2017-2018 Season, including programming, will be announced by May 1. Tickets are going fast for the ASO’s 2016-2017 Season finale on May 20, featuring Dvořák’s New World Symphony and Barber’s Violin Concerto with guest conductor Emil de Cou and violinist Marlisa Woods.
The fully-professional Alexandria Symphony Orchestra performs Saturdays at Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center and Sunday matinees at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. Single ticket prices: $20- $80 adult, $5 youth, and $10 student with military, senior and group discounts available. To order tickets and for more information, visit www.alexsym.org or call (703) 548-0885.
