New York, NY – The Vakhtang Jordania/New Millennium International Conducting Competition is pleased to announce the results of its 2001 competition held in Kharkov, Ukraine between September 10 and 16.

First Prize of $2000 and an upcoming full concert with the Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra was awarded to Giorgi Jordania, who lives in Tbilisi, Georgia and is the Conductor of the Tbilisi State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet. He was also awarded the Best Performance of a Contemporary Composition (for Linda Worsley’s Sundance) and Orchestra Favorite prizes.

Second Prize of  $1500 and an upcoming full concert with the Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra was awarded to Sandra Dackow, who lives in New Jersey and is the Music Director and Conductor of the Ridgewood, New Jersey and Hershey, Pennsylvania Symphonies.

Third Prize of $1000 and an upcoming full concert with the Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra was awarded to Rodolfo Bonucci, who lives in Rome, Italy and is the Conductor of the Bilkent Symphony of Ankara, Turkey and Second Principal conductor and Principal Soloist of Italy’s I Solisti Aquilani.

Other Third Round diploma recipients were James Allen Anderson of Missoula, Montana, who is Music Director/Conductor, Butte Symphony Orchestra, Butte, Montana and Director of Orchestral Activities at University of Montana in Missoula, Oscar Bustillo, who lives just outside of New York City and who is the Music Director, Pan American Sinfonica of Miami, Florida and Assistant Conductor of the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, Connecticut and Maria Makraki of Berlin, Germany, who serves as Conductor of the Academy of the Bergische Symphony Orchestra, Remscheid-Sollingen, Germany.

Other participants in the competition included Fernando Condon from Montevideo, Uruguay, Lance Friedel of Baltimore, Maryland, Gabriel Hwang, who lives in Strongsville, Ohio, Jin-Hyung Kim of Seoul, Republic of Korea, Mycola Lysenko — from Kyiv, Ukraine, Oksana Madarash, also from Kyiv, Mark Allen McCoy of Baltimore, Maryland, Rebecca Miller, who lives in London, England, Michael Mishra  from Edwardsville, Illinois (who was the recipient of the Audience Favorite award),
Viktor Ploskina of  Kyiv, Ukraine, Myron Romanul from Stuttgart, Germany, Ho Chung Yeh of  Chicago, Illinois and Ignacio Yepes, who lives in Madrid, Spain.

More information about these participants is available at the Vakhtang Jordania/New Millennium International Conducting Competition website - http://www.jamesarts.com/VJKRKVCNDCMP.htm

The competition jury was composed of Marcello Abbado of Milan, Italy, Vakhtang Jordania of Fairfax, Virginia, Yuri Yanko of Kharkov, Ukraine, Jonathan Sternberg of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, David Winkler of New York City and Linda Worsley from Mountain View, California.

More information about the jury is also available at the Conducting Competition website - http://www.jamesarts.com/VJKRKVCNDCMP.htm.

The 2001 Vakhtang Jordania/New Millennium International Conducting Competition was a great success, both artistically and as a means for introducing the Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra (http://www.jamesarts.com/KHRKVPHILWEBPAGE.htm) to the rest of the world. In addition to the lively competition, contestants also participated in a series of Master Classes and special events and enjoyed the opportunity to have individual and small group instruction and interaction with jury and orchestra members. Also important was the chance to meet and spend time with other conductors from around the world.

Building on the great success of this year’s event, planning for the 2002 Vakhtang Jordania/New Millennium International Conducting Competition has already begun.

For information about this or the 2001 or 2002 Competitions, please contact Jeffrey James Arts Consulting at 516-797-9166 or jamesarts@worldnet.att.net.