Violinist gets signed as conductor

Violinist gets signed as conductor

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norman lebrecht

October 08, 2018

Stephanie Childress was twice a finalist in the strings section of the BBC Young Musician of the Year, in 2016 and 2018.

She has also been concertmaster of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

But Stephanie, 19, has another string to her bow.

Today, she signed on as a conductor with Linda Marks at HarrisonParrott.

It’s easier to sell a young conductor at the moment than a young violinist.

 

Comments

  • John McMunn says:

    Fantastic addition to the HP list. Stephanie is a thoughtful and talented musician – a rising star, I’m sure!

  • Stephanie Chidlress says:

    Thank you very much for this Norman! Unfortunately I only led the wonderful NYOGB for a year (2015) but fortunately I am now being represented both as a conductor AND as a violinist. I suppose it is harder to get both!

    All the best, Stephanie

    PS. Thank you John McMunn for your lovely comment!

    • norman lebrecht says:

      Ah! I’ll correct that.

      • Alex Davies says:

        When posts are corrected it would be helpful if it said something like, ‘This post was corrected on 9 October 2018 to remove an inaccurate statement that Stephanie Childress was etc.’ For those of us who didn’t see the original post it makes it rather confusing reading comments that refer to something that is no longer there. And I don’t just mean with regard to this post. It happens quite often on this blog that I read the comments and there are people complaining about something that isn’t actually in the post until I realise that the thing they are complaining about has been removed or altered without acknowledgement.

        A fictitious example: Post: ‘Vaughan Williams was fond of cats.’ Comments: ‘No way was Vaughan Williams fond of dogs! Vaughan Williams was very much a cat person!’ My brain: ‘But that is exactly what Norman said.’ My brain a few minutes later: ‘Ah, I see, Norman originally said dogs, but changed it to say cats.’

  • Robert Groen says:

    Can’t wait so see/hear her development as a conductor. What an exciting journey she’s going on! Hope she doesn’t give up the violin, though.

  • Anthony Kershaw says:

    I’ve watched this young lady’s progress over here in Canada via YouTube and NYOGB and BBC vids. A very talented musician. I’m sure she’ll succeed in both disciplines.

  • Pamela Brown says:

    Very exciting. Best of luck!

  • Conducting Feminista says:

    This gal is destined to surpass all the male greats such as Karajan and Toscanini.

    • JoBe says:

      And what about Walter and Klemperer, Fricsay and Celibidache, Furtwängler and Bernstein, Erich Kleiber and Reiner, Stokowski and Solti, Rojdestvensky and Kegel? Don’t hold back!

        • RW2013 says:

          Conducting Feminista never tires in unkindly making fun of these young women.

          • jaypee says:

            conducting feminista is another troll polluting slipped disc.
            I wonder why Mr. Lebrecht tolerates such obvious idiots who are only here to annoy…
            More clicks?

          • Alex Davies says:

            Oh, is that the way it works? I always assumed Conducting Feminista genuinely believes that women are superior to all male conductors. So she (or he) is still a troll, but a misogynist troll, not a misandrist troll?

          • jaypee says:

            @alex davies

            “I always assumed Conducting Feminista genuinely believes that women are superior to all male conductors”

            You honestly believed “her”? “She”‘s so obvious…

            “So she (or he) is still a troll, but a misogynist troll, not a misandrist troll?”

            “She” is a stupid troll. Like all trolls…

  • Sharon Beth Long says:

    Speaking of young violinists I saw an incredible performance just yesterday of Alexandra Li with the Senior Musicians of New York Orchestra (retirees from professional orchestras like the Met and NY Philharmonic). She had recently won an award from the organization, Senior Musicians of New York, which sponsors the orchestra. She will really be someone to look out for (and who knows, she may go into conducting someday has well).

    Li also has great handlers. She wore a gown that must have been designed just for her and that was so striking that I just gasped and I generally notice clothes very little. I guess that physical appearance matters more in classical music than we like to admit.

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