The League of American Orchestras’ Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview put the spotlight on six conductors on the rise—Bertie Baigent, Tong Chen, Gonzalo Farias, Norman Huynh, Yuwon Kim, and François López-Ferrer—who led the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans on March 16 and 17, 2022. One of the orchestra field’s most prestigious opportunities for conductors to showcase their talent, the Preview offered the conductors two days of rehearsals, networking, and meetings with industry professionals, culminating in a free public concert with the Louisiana Philharmonic in music by Beethoven, Brahms, Haydn, Montgomery, Ravel, and Stravinsky. Orchestra search committees, artist managers, and artistic administrators could observe and evaluate participants in rehearsal and performance, and meet them individually. Postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic, this year’s showcase featured all six conductors from the 2020 Preview. The concert was streamed live and available on demand for 45 days.
Caption: At the League of American Orchestras’ Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview in New Orleans, left to right: conductors François López-Ferrer, Tong Chen, Bertie Baigent; League President and CEO Simon Woods; Louisiana Philharmonic Executive Director Anwar Nasir; conductors Gonzalo Farias, Norman Huynh, Yuwon Kim. Photo by Ryan Hodgson-Rigsbee.
