Allentown Symphony Conducting Fellows Program 2012-2013
This is a new program established by the Allentown Symphony to offer opportunities for conductors to learn more about being a Music Director of a regional orchestra. The conductors selected for the program are experienced conductors who will each be assigned a concert in which they will be helping in a variety of ways. This would include listening for the balance of the orchestra in the hall, acting as a score-reader for our multi-media concerts, running super-titles for our semi-staged opera, and conducting off-stage instruments when needed. Each of the conductors will also have career mentoring sessions with the Allentown Symphony Music Director and Conductor, Diane Wittry, as well as the opportunity to attend any of the orchestra’s rehearsals throughout the season. Through this program, each of the Conducting Fellows will be able to meet with our professional staff in order to enhance their knowledge of the skills and expertise required to be an effective musical leader.
Marc-André Bougie
Canadian conductor Marc-André Bougie is currently Music Director for the Texarkana Symphony & Texarkana Regional Chorale. Recent conducting engagements have included concerts with the Pleven Philharmonic in Bulgaria, European and Carnegie Hall conducting debut in 2010, and countless concerts with the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra.
A native of Montreal, Marc-Andre first studied piano at the College of St. Laurent. He completed a Bachelor of Music at the University of Montreal and was admitted to the University of Missouri for his Master's in Orchestra Conducting under Maestro Edward Dolbashian. In Missouri, he conducted the University Philharmonic, the Contemporary Chamber Players, the University Singers, the Columbia Youth Orchestra, and the Show-Me Opera Studio. Arriving in Shreveport in September 2001 he held a four-year tenure with the Shreveport Opera as Education Director, Chorus Master, and Assistant-Conductor, making his professional conducting debut with the Shreveport Symphony in January 2004. Also active as a composer, he won the 2001 MTNA National Composition Competition with his piece String-Quartet.
Marc-André Bougie is married to soprano Candace Taylor, with whom he collaborates as pianist and conductor in recitals. They are proud parents of Miriam Taylor Bougie.
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Gemma New
New Zealand born conductor Gemma New, currently holds the positions of Assistant Conductor with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and Director of the Baltimore-based Lunar Ensemble. She is one of two conductors, chosen by members of the Vienna Philharmonic and Austrian-American Foundation, to attend the 2012 Salzburg Music Festival as an Ansbacher Fellow. New has been selected for fellowships with the Hot Springs Music Festival, Atlantic Music Festival, and more recently a conducting fellowship with the Allentown Symphony. New is also one of six conductors, selected by Kurt Masur, to participate in his masterclass, and share the podium with him in concert with the Baltic Youth Philharmonic.
New has made concert appearances with many orchestras and contemporary ensembles, including the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, Macon Symphony Orchestra, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Peabody Concert Orchestra, Hebrides Ensemble and Hexacollective. New also enjoys a career in operatic conducting. She has conducted contemporary operas by Jake Runestad, Emily Koh and Joanna Lee, and has worked additionally as Assistant Conductor for the Peabody Opera Theatre and Southern Opera in New Zealand.
Born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand, Gemma New started her violin and piano studies at the age of 5 and 8 respectively, and performed her first concert as a conductor, aged 15. A graduate of the Peabody Institute, New studied with Gustav Meier, and Markand Thakar. During this time, she served as cover conductor for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and assistant conductor for Peabody Concert Orchestra. She has made contemporary-music recordings with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra.
New has received numerous awards, including first prize in the International Conducting Competition in Macon, GA. She is recipient of the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Excellence in Arts Performance Award, NZ Federation of Graduate Women Scholarship, Peabody Grants, AMP New Zealand Scholarship, NZ Vice-Chancellors Committee Scholarship and Adastra Foundation Award.
Christopher Ramaekers
Winner of the 2011 American Prize in Orchestral Conducting, Christopher Ramaekers is currently Principal Conductor of the Ravenswood Community Orchestra and is Music Director of the Hyde Park Youth Symphony in Chicago. Chris just completed a five-year tenure as Music Director of the Orchestra of St. Vincent’s, and the summer of 2012 marks his third season as Director of Orchestras at Camp Encore/Coda in Sweden, Maine. As a guest conductor, Chris has appeared with the Kalamazoo Symphony, North Shore Chamber Orchestra, Salt Creek Sinfonietta, the Alice Millar Brass Ensemble, ensemble dal niente, the Palomar Ensemble, and the Chicago Opera Vanguard. Chris holds a Master's Degree in orchestral conducting, and is currently pursuing aDoctor of Music at Northwestern University where he studies with Victor Yampolsky.
Dominique R ø yem
An active guest conductor, Dominique Røyem has worked with ensembles such as the Plevin Philharmonic [Plevin, Bulgaria], Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra, Galveston Symphony, Moores Opera Center, Sugarland Opera, HBU Opera Theatre, and the Houston Civic Orchestra. She was named a Conducting Fellow for the Allentown Symphony Orchestra’s 2012-2013 season, and currently serves as Assistant Conductor of the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her orchestral work, she serves as Conductor for the Bayou City Concert Musicals, and was Resident conductor for Masquerade Theatre during their 2011-2012 season.
She has a Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Houston Moores School of Music, where she studied with Franz Krager and was attached to the Moores Opera Center. Her dissertation, entitled “Generic Integration and Its Expressive Potential in the Music of Kurt Weill and Richard Rodgers,”uses semiotic and genre theory to illuminate the similarities between opera and musical theatre in the 1940’s and 1950’s.
Her upcoming engagements are posted on www.dominiqueroyem.com.
David Upham
David Upham is recognized as an outstanding conductor of a wide variety of ensembles, ranging from professional symphonies to ballet, youth, and community orchestras. In the Seattle area, he was Music Director of the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Rainier Symphony, and served a long tenure with the prestigious Seattle Youth Symphony organization. He made his international debut at the French contemporary music festival, Aujourd’hui musiques, David regularly conducts orchestras and summer festivals across the country and currently serves as the Director of Orchestras at the University of New Hampshire.
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