Signature Symphony at TCC Names Finalists in Conductor Search

Signature Symphony at Tulsa Community College has narrowed its search for a new artistic director and conductor to three finalists: Andrés Franco, Michael Rossi and Tim Verville.

Franco, Rossi and Verville were chosen from a pool of more than 50 applicants during a nationwide search that began when Dr. Barry Epperley announced he would step down as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Signature Symphony at Tulsa Community College on July 31, 2014.

“The search for the new conductor and artistic director attracted artistic talent from across the country. The search committee is thrilled with the high caliber of the candidates,” said TCC Southeast Campus Provost and Search Committee Chair Dr. Brett Campbell.

The selection process will continue through the 2014-2015 Signature Symphony season when each of the three candidates will return to Tulsa to program and conduct a Pops program and a Classics program. The performances will give additional insight to the selection committee before it selects the new artistic director and conductor in spring 2015.

“It will allow the candidates to be creative and we will see how they work with our Signature Symphony musicians and chorale members,” said Signature Symphony Advisory Board Chair Dr. Carol Messer. “The search committee had a goal of continuing the legacy and educational outreach of Dr. Barry Epperley who formed the ensemble that would become TCC’s orchestra-in-residence.”

• Andrés Franco has established himself as a conductor to watch and was recently promoted to Resident Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of its summer festival, Concerts in the Garden. A frequent guest conductor in the U.S., Europe and South America, Franco has appeared with the Corpus Christi, Eugene, Fort Worth, Houston, St. Louis and Stockton symphony orchestras, the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León/Spain, the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru, as well as with the Bogota Philharmonic, Medellin Philharmonic and EAFIT Symphony Orchestra in Colombia. Because of his wide range of interests, Andrés Franco has participated in projects as diverse as “The Planets: an HD Odyssey,” a multimedia concert developed by the Houston Symphony, and “Caminos del Inka: a musical journey,” a multimedia concert of music and motion graphics inspired by the Inca Trail.
• Michael Rossi is quickly becoming recognized in the next generation of conductors. During the 2012-2013 season he made debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the opening season concerts with the Charleston Symphony and also returned to the Washington National Opera to lead their production of “Hansel & Gretel.” He made his Washington National Opera debut conducting Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” during the 2010-2011 season. This was followed by his Carnegie Hall debut conducting the premiere of Marcos Galvany’s opera “Oh My Son.” Rossi made his international debut conducting Plácido Domingo and the Chinese National Opera Orchestra in Beijing in a live television broadcast.
• Timothy Verville is widely praised for his enriching and dynamic performances which have been proclaimed as “exuberant, energetic and musically pleasing.” In Phoenix, he created the first orchestral summer series of classical concerts which resulted in sold out performances. Verville made his Japanese debut at the Kyushu International Festival in January 2014, appearing with the Kyushu Philharmonic Orchestra, Chikushi Jogakuen Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Fukuoka University Orchestra. He is currently Artistic Director and Conductor of Arizona Pro Arte and also Music Director of the North Valley Chamber Orchestra and Associate Conductor of the Boston Chamber Orchestra. With the Boston Chamber Orchestra, he has recorded music of Vaughan Williams for their most recent CD release.

Each candidate will travel to Tulsa to watch a separate performance of the Signature Symphony’s 2013-2014 season. Signature Symphony staff will work with the three candidates in the coming weeks to put together an exciting and diverse 2014-2015 season.

“This is a great opportunity for the Tulsa arts community to see three different conducting styles from three amazing candidates,” said TCC Dean of Performing Arts Kelly Clark. “This has been a very thorough search process and we believe Tulsans will be pleased with the three outstanding finalists.”

You can reserve your 2014-2015 season tickets or purchase tickets for the current season by calling the TCC Southeast Campus VanTrease Performing Arts Center for Education ticket office at (918) 595-7777.