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PRESS RELEASE ~ ALEXANDRA ARRIECHE TAKI FELLOW 2011

OCTOBER 21, 2011 ~ NEW YORK

The Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship is proud to announce the selection of its newest fellow, Alexandra Arrieche.

The native Brazilian began her musical study as a pianist and vocalist and as a teenager was invited to study composition with Cristobal Halffter, the renowned Spanish composer. Her first conducting teacher was Roberto Tibiriçá, with whom she studied for three years. She has participated in master classes with Kurt Masur, Fabio Mechetti, Kirk Trevor, Johannes Schlaefli, Cliff Colnot, and Daisuke Soga. Ms. Arrieche finished her undergraduate studies in conducting and composition at the University of São Paulo State, UNESP in 2006.

In 2007 she won the OSUSP conducting competition and became the Assistant Conductor of University of São Paulo Orchestra, one of Brazil's finest. In 2008 she was invited to attend the Festival Villa-Lobos as Assistant Conductor and Music Adviser. As a result of her work, she was invited to conduct a several concerts with the orchestra, her first opportunity working with world-class artists. In 2009 Maestro Fabio Mechetti cited Alexandra as "one of the best Brazilian Conductors of the new generation."

Ms. Arrieche has conducted with the Brazilian Youth Symphony, the North Czech Philharmonic Teplice, Minas Gerais Philharmonic, and Londrina Symphony Orchestra, to excellent reviews.

In 2009-2010, motivated by the lack of opportunities for young Brazilian conductors to work with native orchestras, Ms. Arrieche planned and organized a series of conducting workshops in Brazil. In 2010 Ms. Arrieche was offered a full scholarship and a place in Maestro Harold Farberman's master conducting class at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.
She is pursuing a master's degree in orchestral conducting and is expected to graduate in July 2012.

In 2011 while at Bard, she accepted invitations to guest conduct the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra on March 4-6, 2011; and the Pittsburgh New Music Festival with Alia Musica, in September.

The Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship Founding Director, Marin Alsop, established the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship in 2002, with the mission "to promote, present, and encourage talented women conductors at the beginning of their professional careers."
Alsop comments that "It is a privilege to be in a position to impact the lives of aspiring women conductors. Through the efforts of my conducting colleagues and the TCCF Advisory Board members, we have been able to greatly expand our program and offer far more learning opportunities for the Taki Fellowship recipients to work with celebrated maestri and great orchestras."

As the winner of the 2011 Taki Concordia Fellowship, Alexandra Arrieche will be working with Marin Alsop and other mentors through the 2012-2013 season and receive an honorarium to support her work.

Honorable Mention was awarded to conductor Tong Chen.

Past recipients of the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship include: Carolyn Kuan (Music Director, Hartford Symphony), Laura Jackson (Music Director, Reno Philharmonic), Jeri-Lynne Johnson (Music Director, Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra), Rei Hotoda (Assistant Conductor, Dallas Symphony), Mei-Ann Chen (Music Director, Memphis Symphony and Chicago Sinfonietta),and Mihaela Cesa-Goje (Los Angeles Philharmonic - Dudamel Fellow).