Rodolfo Barráez has been named assistant conductor and Ann Ronus Chair of the LA Phil for 2023-24. (photo courtesy of the LA Phil)

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association announced on July 11 the appointment of former Dudamel Fellow Rodolfo Barráez as assistant conductor and Ann Ronus Chair of the LA Phil for the 2023-24 season.

As part of his duties, Barráez will serve as the cover conductor for Dudamel and guest conductors throughout the orchestra’s subscription season and on tour. He will also make his Hollywood Bowl debut in 2024.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association also announced the 2023-24 Dudamel Fellows: Anna Handler, Ross Jamie Collins, Carlos Ágreda and Michelle Di Russo. The four Dudamel Fellows selected are rising international conductors chosen by music and artistic director Dudamel and the LA Phil.

Handler (Colombia/Germany) recently made her debut at the Salzburg Festival as director of the Káťa Kabanová Camp. Collins (Finland/United Kingdom) is a member of the inaugural class of Salonen Fellows in the Negaunee Conducting Program at the Colburn Conservatory of Music. Ágreda (Colombia) recently conducted the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia at the Rheingau Musik Festival in Germany. Di Russo (Argentina) recently made her debut with the Portland Symphony Orchestra in Maine and the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and is in her second season as associate conductor with the North Carolina Symphony.

Dudamel created the Dudamel Fellowship Program in 2009 to provide a unique opportunity for young conductors from around the world to develop their craft and enrich their musical experience through personal mentorship and participation in the LA Phil’s orchestral, education and community programs. The fellows work alongside Dudamel and musicians of the LA Phil, as well as visiting artists and conductors, to hone their skills through observation and application, participating as cover conductors and featured conductors, and serving as mentors themselves through participation in Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, known as YOLA.

“It is with deep pride that we welcome the upcoming season’s Dudamel Fellows to Los Angeles, in our 13th year of this program, where we share music and provide mentoring to the next generation of extraordinary artists,” Dudamel said. “Watching these young conductors grow during their time with us, and then continue to expand their artistic vision in the years that follow, is one of my greatest joys. Through their talent and hard work, we are helping to build a socially conscious, global music community and together, we are expanding the very nature of what an orchestra can be.”

For information, visit laphil.com.

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