We proudly introduce six acclaimed conductors to lead the orchestra this season as our Artistic Partners, each brining a new and diverse voice to the podium.
VINAY PARAMESWARAN
Internationally recognized for his energetic presence, imaginative programming and compelling musicianship, Vinay Parameswaran is one of the most exciting and versatile young conductors on the podium today. American born and of Indian descent, Parameswaran is the Associate Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and also serves as Music Director of the Cleveland Youth Orchestra. He came to Cleveland following three seasons as Associate Conductor of the Nashville Symphony, and has also been a Conducting Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Parameswaran holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown and an Artist Diploma in conducting from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied under Otto-Werner Mueller as the Albert M. Greenfield Fellow.
LINA GONZÁLEZ-GRANADOS
Colombian-American Lina González-Granados has distinguished herself as a talented young conductor of symphonic and operatic repertoire, having earned international recognition most recently as the recipient of the 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence. She has also been awarded Third Prize and the ECHO Special Award of La Maestra Competition, the 2020 and 2021 Solti Foundation US Career Assistance Award, and won the Fourth Chicago Symphony Orchestra Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition, serving as Solti Conducting Apprentice under Riccardo Muti through June 2022. She has held positions as Conducting Fellow of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Seattle Symphony, and was recently appointed Resident Conductor of the LA Opera.
Lina is a fervent proponent for the inclusion and development of new works for chamber and large orchestra, especially music from Latin-American composers. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of Unitas Ensemble, a chamber orchestra that performs works of Latinx composers, and provides access to free community performances for underserved communities.
JOSEPH YOUNG
Praised for his suavely adventurous programming, Joseph Young is widely recognized as one of the most gifted conductors of his generation. He currently serves as Music Director of the Berkeley Symphony, Artistic Director of Ensembles for the Peabody Conservatory, and Resident Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra–USA at Carnegie Hall.
Recent tenures include Assistant Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony and Resident Conductor of the Phoenix Symphony. Joseph was a featured conductor at the League of American Orchestras’ Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview and received the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award for young conductors in 2015, 2014 and 2008.
FRANÇOIS LÓPEZ-FERRER
Spanish-American conductor François López-Ferrer came to international attention after a critically acclaimed debut at the 2018 Verbier Festival, where he jumped in for Iván Fischer in a shared program with Sir Simon Rattle and Gébor Takécs-Nagy. In demand as a guest conductor, López-Ferrer’s recent highlights include debuts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orquesta Nacional de España and the Cincinnati Symphony, among others. López-Ferrer was a featured conductor at the 2022 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview. He previously served as Associate Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Chile (OSNCH), Principal Conductor of the Ballet Nacional Chileno, and was the youngest ever Conductor-in-Residence of the OSNCH’s Summer Concert Series.
REBECCA TONG
Rebecca Tong is Resident Conductor of Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra and Artistic and Music Director of Ensemble Kontemporer in Jakarta, where she aims to educate Indonesian audiences about both classical and contemporary orchestral works. Rebecca also founded the Jakarta Christian Youth Orchestra in 2011, and served as Music Faculty of the International Reformed Evangelical Seminary.
Rebecca was the First Prize Winner of the inaugural La Maestra 2020 competition, where she was also awarded the ARTE Prize and the French Concert Halls & Orchestras Prize. She served as Junior Fellow in Conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music, and received the Taki Award for the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship, where she worked closely with Marin Alsop. She was also a Conducting Fellow at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and was awarded the David Effron Conducting Fellowship at the Chautauqua Institution.
KENSHO WATANABE
Kensho Watanabe is fast-becoming one of the most exciting and versatile young conductors on the international stage. He has held the position of Assistant Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra and was an inaugural conducting fellow of the Curtis Institute of Music under the mentorship of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Recent highlights include debuts with the London Philharmonic and Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as his Finnish debut with the Jyväskylä Sinfonia. Equally at home in both symphonic and operatic repertoire, Watanabe has led numerous operas with the Curtis Opera Theatre and has served as Assistant Conductor for Montreal Opera. Watanabe was recently recognized with a Career Assistance Award by the Solti Foundation.