François López-Ferrer (Photo: Noah Shaye)
The Solti Foundation US has named François López-Ferrer the 2024 Solti Fellow.
The Evanston organization, which was founded in 2000, cites the Spanish-American conductor’s “hard work, talent and commitment to the field of symphonic music.” The award includes a $30,000 grant, one of the largest of its kind given to emerging conductors.
López-Ferrer is resident conductor of the academy at the Paris Opera and was formerly the associate conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He was the 2021-22 Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In fall 2023, he made his CSO debut conducting a CSO for Kids program. The [age] conductor’s upcoming engagements include the Paris Opera, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the LA Phil.
Previous recipients have included Karina Canellakis, Roderick Cox, Gemma New, and last year’s winner, Keitaro Harada.
The legendary Sir Georg Solti was the CSO’s music director from 1967 to 1991. Until 2023, he remained the most awarded individual artist in Grammys history, with 31 trophies. 24 of those Grammys came with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Solti Foundation US was established in his memory and is now dedicated to supporting the careers of young conductors.
