Keitaro Harada Revealed as The Solti Foundation's 2023 Solti Fellow

The Solti Foundation U.S. Board Chair Penny Van Horn and Elizabeth Buccheri, Artistic and Awards Committee Chair, today announced the 2023 recipient of The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award. The 23-year-old organization's major grant is awarded annually to a single promising American conductor 38 years of age or younger. The award, also known as The Sir Georg Solti Fellow, provides essential career guidance, industry connections and a cash purse of $30,000 to aid grant recipients as they further hone the skills of their craft.

Ms. Van Horn stated, "It is a pleasure to announce this year's recipient of The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award. The 2023 recipient is a musician we have watched for some time now, and have provided Career Assistance Awards to him several times as his skills have developed and his career has continued to expand. Over the years, we have witnessed his growth on the podium, and his dedication to learning and mastering the art of conducting, not only in the orchestral and operatic fields, but also in the recording arena. We are pleased to announce Keitaro Harada as the 2023 recipient of The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award. Congratulations, Keitaro! We look forward to your continued success."

Ms. Buccheri stated, "The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award is not an award we lightly bestow, and competition is fierce. Every conductor' materials are carefully reviewed, and members of the Artistic and Awards Committee quietly travel and observe the applicants in action. Keitaro is truly deserving of this award, having constantly challenged himself to grow and diligently working to fine tune his skills in all areas. Congratulations Keitaro!"

Mr. Harada responded, "I am truly honored to receive The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award. I thank the Foundation for its ongoing support, which has helped to advance my career and accomplish many of my goals. The Solti Foundation U.S. has greatly benefited my career development since 2014, when I received my first Career Assistance Award. It - and the subsequent awards - allowed me to fund my projects and hone my craft, and to grow as an artist. Being selected as The 2023 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Fellow inspires me to continue to develop my skills as a leader and a compelling storyteller through music."

The Foundation has diligently helped American conductors in the early stages of their careers for over two decades. A recipient of The Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award may use the financial portion of the grant in various ways to specifically advance his/her career, whether it be further studies, language study, purchases of scores, or travel. The Foundation's Board of Directors comprises experts from all areas of the classical music industry, and therefore the Award also brings door-opening introductions within the industry and valuable access to professional mentors.

Conductor Keitaro Harada maintains a growing international presence throughout North America, Asia, Mexico, and Europe. Having served as Music and Artistic Director of Savannah Philharmonic since the 2020-21 season, his contract was recently renewed through the 2026-27 Season. The 2020-21 season also marked the beginning of Harada's tenure as Associate Conductor of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, creating two cities-and two artistic anchors-where he is based. His broad and eclectic musical scope ranges from symphonic, opera, and chamber works to pops, film scores, ballet, educational outreach, and multidisciplinary projects, all of which enrich his programming.

Recent highlights include engagements with the symphony orchestras of Houston, Seattle, NHK, Yomiuri Nippon, Osaka, Hawaii, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Memphis, Louisiana, Charlotte, West Virginia, Tucson, Phoenix, and Virginia, as well as the Osaka Philharmonic, Kanagawa Philharmonic, Nagoya Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic, and Orquesta Filarmónica de Sonora in Mexico. Well versed in the operatic canon, as a Seiji Ozawa Fellow at Tanglewood Music Center in 2010, Harada led a critically acclaimed performance of Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos. Since then, he has conducted performances with North Carolina Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Bulgaria's Sofia National Opera, Japan's Nikikai Opera and at Arizona Opera, where he served as Associate Conductor for four seasons.

Harada's numerous upcoming guest engagements include Madama Butterfly at Cincinnati Opera (July 2023); Tucson Symphony Orchestra (November 2023); Tokyo Symphony Orchestra (December 2023 and March 2024); The Girl of the Golden West at North Carolina Opera (April 2024); NHK Symphony Orchestra (June 2024); and La fille du régiment at Japan's Nissay Theater (November 2024).

A growing presence on the recording scene, Harada has recorded three CDs with NHK Symphony Orchestra, two with Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, and one with Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.

Prior posts include serving as Associate Conductor at the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops. Harada is a six-time recipient of The Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award. He studied with Lorin Maazel at Castleton Festival and Fabio Luisi at the Pacific Music Festival, where, at Valery Gergiev's invitation, he served on the festival's faculty in 2016, 2018, and 2021.

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