OCC alumni

Orkney Conducting Course

Australian-British conductor Jessica Cottis (2007 OCC) has recently been appointed assistant conductor to Donald Runnicles at the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra; her first engagements included work at the BBC Proms and the Edinburgh Festival. She combines this post as Fellow in Conducting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and Manson Fellow in Contemporary Music at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
For the Aldeburgh Festival she recently conducted the première of Anna Meredith's opera 'Tarantula in Petrol Blue' and performances of 'Don Giovanni' and ‘Die Fledermaus' as Music Director of Bloomsbury Opera. Future engagements include work with the London Sinfonietta, a tour with Scottish contemporary music group 'Red Note', concerts as Associate Conductor of the Azalea Contemporary Music Ensemble, the stage première of Martin Georgiev's opera 'The Mirror' at the Bulgarian State Opera in Sofia, and work as assistant conductor to Donald Runnicles with the Berlin Philharmonic.

Michael Francis (2008 OCC) was asked to stand in for Andre Previn in January 2009. The request to have two distinct programs ready in six days for four concerts in three cities, beginning on January 7, with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Stuttgart Radio Symphony came in on New Year's Eve. As a result of his success and the great critical praise which followed, the SRSO immediately engaged Michael to conduct concerts in June 2009 and March 2010 - and - he will join forces with Anne-Sophie Mutter in April 2010, conducting a series of concerts in Tokyo and Taiwan, as well as in November 2010 for the world premiere of Wolfgang Rihm's Violin Concerto with the New York Philharmonic.

Contact Michael through his agent, Columbia Artists' Management Inc..

Chris Kim (2003 and 2004 OCC) married composer Kay Rhie. Their son Ian Rhie-Kim was born on 17th May 2009. On a professional front, the Cornell University orchestras, directed by Chris, were recently awarded first prize among all USA collegiate orchestras in the Adventurous Programming Award by the ASCAP and the League of American Orchestras.

Akiko Fujimoto (2007 OCC) is about to begin her third season as Conducting Associate for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and the director of Orchestras at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA. She is also music director for the Williamsburg Youth Orchestras.

Clement Power (2004 OCC) recently conducted Boulez, Le marteau sans maitre, with the Ensemble Intercontemporain, and made his debut with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Future orchestral engagements include the Philharmonia (Music of Today series), concerts and tours with the Orchestre de Bretagne, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. This summer Clement performs Stockhausen's Gruppen with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo. With the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Clement recently gave the world premiere of Hypermusic, an opera by Hector Parra, in Paris' Centre Pompidou, the Teatro Liceu, Barcelona, and the Philharmonie, Luxembourg. He is currently making his debut CD with the Ensemble Intercontemporain and KAIROS music.

Since taking part in the 2006 OCC, Daniel Cohen has been appointed Chief Conductor of the Jersey Chamber Orchestra. He is also Music Director of the Eden Sinfonia in London and Artistic Director of the Gropius Ensemble in Israel. This summer (2009) he will assist Maestro Pierre Boulez at the Lucerne Festival Academy, and next season he will conduct the Israel Philharmonic, Israel Chamber Orchestra and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra.
www.danielcohenconductor.com

We are always pleased to hear from our alumni. If you have any news you would like us to publish here, please contact Angela Henderson.