The Illinois Symphony Orchestra has signed Taichi Fukumura as music director, starting next month. He succeeds Ken Lam.
Taichi Fukumura came second in the 2o23 Mahler conducting competition. He has received four Solti Foundation US Career Assistance Awards.
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A highly mediocre conductor. Why not Chelsea Gallo? She is an astounding young woman and we need more women on the podium.
Even more? Thanks God Klaus isn’t woman, but still there is too much focus on conducting and conductors. Guys, what will you leave behind?
Taichi? Mediocre? What are you smoking? Gallo is wayyy less talented. And who is ‘we’?
We don’t need more women on the podium, we need better conductors regardless of their gender.
Taichi is one of the most gifted musicians–but more importantly–gracious and humble human beings I know, always taking care of musicians while conducting, 100%, the music. Any orchestra would be lucky to have him. Let the sound be the telling judge, please.
The Illinois Symphony’s last female music director was an unqualified disaster, who nearly destroyed the orchestra and from whom it has not yet fully recovered.
Illinois has a symphony? Never heard of it and I am from there.
The Solti Foundation needs to come clean and admit that they have no meaningful interest in advancing the careers of American-born conductors, whatever their gender. They should be honest about their work and re-incorporate themselves in London.
Solti himself was not even “american born”. Nothing in the award ever mention that you have to be “american born”. It is a “US CAREER assistance award”, not a presidential election. Stop being bitter about other’s achievements and move on.
There is nothing wrong with supporting a talented young conductor who grew up in the US and also just won a position with a professional US orchestra.
The award is not a gift voucher, people have to earn it -regardless of race or gender.
You are letting the xenophobia and ideocracy shown.
And evidently you can’t see the forest for the trees.