In Tuesday’s (11/5) New York Times, Allan Kozinn announces winners of the 2014 Musical America awards, which will be presented in a ceremony at Lincoln Center on December 17. “The soprano and actress Audra McDonald, though better known for her theater and jazz performances than for her classical work these days, has been named musician of the year.… The British composer George Benjamin, whose 2012 opera, ‘Written on Skin,’ had its American premiere at the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music this summer, won the composer of the year award. The 35-year-old Spanish conductor Pablo Heras-Casado, who makes his Metropolitan Opera debut conducting ‘Rigoletto’ on Nov. 11, was named conductor of the year; Jeremy Denk, the pianist and sometime author, won for instrumentalist of the year; and the International Contemporary Ensemble (known as ICE) won for ensemble of the year.” Kozinn notes that two of the winners, Denk and ICE founder Claire Chase, are recent recipients of MacArthur Fellowships. Heras-Casado is principal conductor of the New York-based Orchestra of St. Luke’s.
Posted November 6, 2013
