San Francisco Conservatory of Music Makes Two Prominent Appointments to Faculty
SAN FRANCISCO, March 14, 2005: The San Francisco Conservatory of Music has appointed Richard Harrell director of the opera program and Mark Kosower to the cello and chamber music faculty beginning in the 2005-2006 academic year.
Richard Harrell, an internationally recognized leader in the field of opera training and production, presently serves as artistic advisor at the training program of the New National Theatre in Tokyo, artistic and production advisor for the Bangkok Opera, and as visiting faculty at the International Opera Center Netherlands in Amsterdam. He has previously held positions as director of the San Francisco Opera Center, including the Merola Opera Program, the Western Opera Theater National Tour and the Adler Fellowship Program, and as administrative director of the Juilliard Opera Center and Department of Vocal Arts, where he was also on faculty as a stage director and acting teacher. As a vocalist, Mr. Harrell has recorded with Deutsche Grammophon and performed with various nationally acclaimed opera companies and symphony orchestras.
Mark Kosower is widely regarded as one of the leading cellists of his generation and was awarded a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant by the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 2002. An emerging talent on both the national and the world stage, Mr. Kosower performs regularly with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and has appeared as a soloist with symphony orchestras all over the globe. Among his numerous awards is the Grand Prize in the Seventh Irving Klein International String Competition where he became the first winner in the competition's history to gain a unanimous vote. Mr. Kosower is a graduate of Indiana University and the Juilliard School. Prior to his appointment at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he served as assistant cello faculty at the Juilliard School.
"We are delighted to welcome Rick Harrell and Mark Kosower to the Conservatory faculty as successors to Willene Gunn and Bonnie Hampton," says President Colin Murdoch. "Their breadth of experience and the excitement they bring to their endeavor will serve our students well."
Founded in 1917, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music offers music programs to graduate and undergraduate students, preparatory and adult extension classes and community enrichment programs. The world-class talent of students, faculty, alumni and visiting artists is showcased in over 360 performances annually. The Conservatory will be relocating to completely renovated state-of-the-art facilities on Oak Street in 2006, providing students, faculty and the Bay Area community with access to premiere musical resources in the cultural heart of downtown.
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Press Contact:
Lisa Petrie
PR and Marketing Manager
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
415.759.3465
lep@sfcm.edu
