The finalists for Delaware Symphony Orchestra’s next maestro take center stage
By Ken Mammarella
The Delaware Symphony Orchestra has chosen a global ending in its search for a new music director. All four finalists for the job, which also includes conducting performances, were born outside the United States. And all four have interesting, related skillsets.
Mélisse Brunet was born in France and has conducted operas and musical theater.
Filippo Ciabatti was born in Italy and is also a vocal coach.
Michelle Di Russo was born in Argentina, is trained as a dancer and has a background in musical theater.
Taichi Fukumura was born in Japan and has also conducted operas.
The DSO in February 2023 announced that David Amado, music director since 2003, would become music director laureate. The DSO received 147 applications for the job, and it is scheduled to announce the next music director after the four finalists have conducted audition concerts in the 2024-25 season.
The symphony history notes its last three conductors all served for more than 20 years, and the landing page for this search says it has had only five music directors in 118 years.
“Leading an orchestra as music director is always a long-term endeavor,” says Fukumura, one of three candidates in their 30s. “It takes years to influence lasting change and growth in an organization so dynamic. You have to know where you want the ensemble to be in 10 or 20 years to know what we must do next year.”
Concert programs were developed between each finalist and the artistic committee.
“The committee provided a list of important works by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Dvo?ák to be performed, and each finalist then submitted five program samples incorporating these pieces and selected a recently composed work of their choice,” says J.C. Barker, the DSO’s CEO.
The committee reviewed the submissions and worked with the finalists to create a balanced series.
“When programming for a search season, it is very important to provide a level playing field, allowing each finalist the same opportunities to shine in their audition,” Barker says. “What makes this final stage of the search particularly nuanced is the quest for identifying a unique chemistry between the finalist, the orchestra musicians and the audience.”
Audience members will be surveyed following each candidate’s concert. There will be meet-and-greets after each concert, plus meet-and-greet events at The Delaware Contemporary, the DSO says. The finalists will also be out in the community.
The search committee will also review how each finalist handles the 10 hours of rehearsal time that they’re allocated over three days.
“Rehearsals with the orchestra are only a part of their work, however,” Barker adds. “All of the finalists and musicians of the orchestra spend countless hours in preparation before they even come together for the first rehearsal so that from the first downbeat, they are ready to work together to make something truly magical.”
Following are (relatively) brief profiles of the final four, ending with thoughts on their audition programs.
Mélisse Brunet
Mélisse Brunet wants the DSO to be less intimidating and more unifying.
“I do not do classical music,” she says. “I do music. I do orchestral music. I don’t think classical is a good term and does not represent the art that I’m doing. It’s also a very intimidating term, even for me.”
And “I don’t like the divide that we are trying to go through in society right now, and I think that orchestral music, and music in general, heals and brings people together.”
Brunet is a native of Paris who lives in Philadelphia. She is music director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic (since 2020, following two years as interim director) and Lexington Philharmonic (2022-27). She was director of orchestral studies at the University of Iowa (2021-23) and director of orchestral activities at Appalachian State University (2016-21).
She has played the cello, French horn, trumpet and piano and has conducted operas and musical theater. She is a native French speaker, fluent in English, comfortable in Italian, intermediate in German and Mandarin and basic in Hebrew and Spanish.
Here’s what she says when asked to make her elevator pitch for the job: “I’m very good at what I’m doing, very good at working with musicians, very good at making audiences excited. And the organizations with whom I work have raised their profiles and their audience [numbers]. So I think that I’m doing something right. And I truly believe that living nearby is going to be a huge asset.”
She has lived in Philadelphia less than a year, which hasn’t given her much time to explore Delaware.
“Brunet Conducts Tchaikovsky” is Sept. 20 at The Grand.
“I think that this program will really appeal to the audience because it mixes big classics like Tchaikovsky’s ‘Fifth Symphony’ and Florence Price’s ‘Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major,’ ” she says.
“It was never performed when she was alive, but I performed that piece recently, and the audience loved that piece, without really knowing of it.
“The other piece is by Anna Clyne, called ‘This Midnight Hour.’ … I’ve worked with Anna Clyne, and she is not only one of the most sought-after living composers, but she also is a wonderful human being, very humble, very hard worker, and that piece relates to my own story a lot, and I will talk about that to the audience during my week with the DSO.”
Filippo Ciabatti
Filippo Ciabatti, who is 36, started playing the piano for singers when he was “very young,” and he wants the symphony to work harder to reach children, particularly in underserved communities.
“Exposure to music in the early years of an individual’s education is key. … As music director of DSO, I guarantee you that you will be seeing our musicians going into those [underserved] communities, among young people. It is not a question of if, but when. And early exposure will bear fruit. It will help us expose younger generations to this great art form, and bring more and more people from the most diverse backgrounds into the concert hall.”
“Working with singers has increased my appreciation for the beauty and the flexibility of a melody,” he says of his work in operas. “An orchestra is made up of many wonderful singing instruments that need to blend together into one voice, and I think my operatic experience helps me achieve that.”
He is a native of Florence who lives in Vermont. “My wife and I are very excited to explore the Delaware Valley, which we know has a great cultural scene and where we already have many friends,” he says.
He is the director of orchestral and choral activities at Dartmouth College. He is also the music director of the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra (since 2015), the Opera Company of Middlebury (since 2022) and Opera Viva Summer School (since 2019). He is assistant conductor of Boston Baroque (since 2023), and in 2021 he founded the Upper Valley Baroque Ensemble. He is a vocal coach at Teatro Grattacielo (since 2020).
He has a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the University of Illinois, following a master’s in orchestral conducting from Truman State University and degrees in choral conducting and piano performance from Italian conservatories.
His pitch: “In life, as in music, chemistry is everything, and as music director of the DSO I would strive to create connections with both my orchestral colleagues and the audience to create a positive and long-lasting impact on the community.”
“Ciabatti Conducts Beethoven” is Nov. 15 at The Grand and Nov. 17 in Lewes.
“Programming a concert or a season is a complicated process,” he says. “It needs to take into account when a piece was last performed, how many times it was programmed, how long it is, the number of musicians involved, etc…. Beethoven’s ‘Fifth Symphony’ was suggested to me as a possibility. It is one of the most iconic and recognizable works in all the classical repertoire — how could I say no?”
Michelle Di Russo
“I truly believe that my experience as a professional performer (dancer and singer) in a musical theatre company and in other roles has had a major influence in who I am as a conductor and musician,” Michelle Di Russo says. “These skills have helped me come into the classical music industry from a different perspective, with developed interpersonal and teamwork skills, and an understanding of the importance of our audiences and communities. I got to experience music through my body first and I think that has never left me, even when I perform now as a conductor.”
Di Russo, who is 33, was born in Argentina and lives in the Washington suburb of Cheverly, Maryland. She says she has “loved the charming downtown [of Wilmington] and exploring new coffeeshops to study and lovely places to eat.”
She is associate conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony and co-creator of Girls Who Conduct.
“I am looking forward to working with the Delaware Symphony to continue building and nourishing our audiences,” she says. “This work will focus on connecting with our community, tapping into the potential of local artists and businesses to create strong relationships and awareness of the mission and vision of the DSO. My dream is to have our concert hall represent the demographics of our city and to have a welcoming safe space for everyone to come together and experience music as well as the exquisite performances of our DSO. Music has no boundaries; it connects, inspires and transforms people and communities.”
She has three degrees in orchestral conducting: a doctorate from Arizona State University, a master’s from the University of Kentucky and bachelor’s from a university in Argentina. She also trained as a dancer and has a background in musical theater.
“Di Russo Conducts Brahms” is March 28 at The Grand and March 30 in Lewes.
“The concert will open up with Gabriela Ortiz’ piece ‘Kauyumari’ written in 2021,” she says. “This composer is a force of nature, her music is beautiful, captivating and strong and I think you will be delighted by this concert opener that will bring my Latin American roots to shine. I first encountered her music when I was a Dudamel Fellow with the LA Philharmonic and have been enthralled by it.
“Next we will perform Prokofiev’s ‘Third Concerto’ for piano, featuring the amazing Janice Carissa and closing our program with Brahms’ ‘Symphony No 4.’ These two challenging masterworks, I believe, capture the essence and musical language of both composers, one looking back in a neoclassical style and the other, breaking barriers within his romantic language while looking into the future.”
Taichi Fukumura
Taichi Fukumura emphasized dialogue and storytelling in his interview.
“As music director, I am part musician and part cultural ambassador: bringing people together around the spirit of music and building or strengthening connections across the community,” he says. “Welcoming new audiences and making a meaningful impact is an essential part of what we do.
“Dialogue is the essential process of better engaging with all members of our society. I’ve led many successful initiatives and transformations with past organizations, all totally specific to the needs and particulars of those groups and locations.”
“I grew up playing the violin in operas as well as the symphony, which helped me understand how alive music is from early on,” he says. “Music at its core is drama and storytelling. Even for works without words, this holds true and sometimes even more profoundly so.
“Much of our orchestral repertoire also comes directly or indirectly out of opera. Conducting or studying an entire opera is always an eye-opening experience, informing you of where the music is coming from, what the character motivations and emotions are, and how to bring it all to life.”
Fukumura, who is 31, was born in Tokyo, grew up in Boston and lives in Chicago. He is currently the music director of the Illinois Philharmonic. He was the assistant conductor at the Chicago Sinfonietta (2019-22) and cover conductor at the Chicago Philharmonic (2019-22).
In a Juilliard blog, Sasha Scolnik-Brower explains that being a cover conductor means “I attend all the rehearsals, listen for balance, take notes on questions from members of the orchestra, and, if needed, step in to conduct.”
Fukumura has a master’s and doctorate in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University, following a bachelor’s in violin performance at Boston University (and playing the violin since age 3). He has also conducted operas.
“Fukumura Conducts Dvo?ák” is Jan. 24 at The Grand.
“Normally, I study the performance history of any given orchestra in depth to determine what are worthwhile projects and repertoire to pursue,” he says. “I try to bring a mix of familiar and unfamiliar works in a balanced program that makes for a special evening for both the audience and the performers. The programming process in this search was uniquely collaborative but aligned with how I usually program. We were provided lists of major works and concertos that haven’t been done in recent years to choose from, and then we brought our own works of choice that’s new to the orchestra.
“I’m very excited to share the first performance of a work by Brian Nabors in Delaware, as well as get to know each other well through the beloved Korngold ‘Violin Concerto’ and Dvo?ák ‘Symphony No. 8.’ A vibrant and rich program indeed!”
— The DSO’s 2024-2025 season consists of five (full-orchestra) Classics Series concerts at The Grand in Wilmington; two Classics Series concerts at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes; and three smaller-ensemble Musicians’ Series concerts, held at Westminster Presbyterian Church and the Hotel duPont Gold Ballroom. In Spring 2025, the DSO will also collaborate to include their Explorer Concert for school-age audiences to The Grand’s Stages of Discovery series. Season subscriptions and single tickets are available for purchase online at DelawareSymphony.org or by calling the office at 302.656.7442.
Above: Delaware Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director search includes (left to right) Mélisse Brunet, Filippo Ciabatti, Michelle Di Russo, and Taichi Fukumura.
A Delaware native, Ken Mammarella was 18 when he was first paid as a freelance writer, and since then he’s written extensively about the interesting people, places and issues of Delaware and nearby areas. He also teaches at Wilmington University and Goldey-Beacom College. For fun, he enjoys watching theater and creating it, playing board games and solving crosswords in ink.