THE EVENT
The Kharkov Philharmonic Society of Kharkov, Ukraine, announces the fourth Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition. To be held in August/September 2004 in the beautiful, historic city of Kharkov in the northeastern Ukraine, this competition is open to conductors from around the world who wish to enhance their careers through international competition, expand their network of global contacts and have a wonderful experience working with the musicians of this superb orchestra.

THE COMPETITION CONTESTANTS
These are the contestants selected from the international field of almost 75 applicants for the fourth Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition.

KERIM ANWAR — is a citizen of Canada who resides in Brno, Czech Republic where he has conducted the Czech Chamber Orchestra for a CD recording, was the recipient of the final Concert Prize of the Wiener Musik Seminar, and for the past two years has been the Guest Conductor for the Marienbad Westbohmisches Symphonieorchester.

JOERG BIERHANCE — Munich, Germany, is Conductor and Music Director of the Orchestra Ars Musica Freiburg and Principal Guest Conductor of the Philharmonic State Orchestra in Vidin, Bulgaria. He is a teacher of Master Classes in Germany and Bulgaria and a co-professor at Vienna Masterclass for Young Conductors.

CARSTEN BOWIEN — Hamburg, Germany, is the assistant Music Director and Orchestra Manager of the "Neue Flora Musical Theater". Additionally he is experienced in working at lyric theaters with operatic repertoire.

RIHARDS BUKS — Riga, Latvia, is an artist of the Orchestra of the Latvian National Opera. He is the winner of four Latvian competitions and one international competition, with a specialty in percussion instruments and was a participant of the first world master classes by Maestro Kurt Masur in Wrotslav.

DARKO BUTORAC — Canadian residing in Bloomington, Indiana, USA is the Music Director of Musical Arts Youth Orchestra and Center in Bloomington, Conductor of Student Orchestras at Indiana University, Conductor of the Louisville, Kentucky Youth Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the Indiana University Opera Theater. He is the recipient of the American Academy of Conducting Fellowship from the Aspen Music Festival for 2003 and 2004.

SZYMON BYWALEC — Katowice, Poland, is a principal conductor of the New Music Orchestra in Bratislava, Poland. With this ensemble he did several world and Polish premieres and made recordings for Polish Radio, the last CD recording was nominated for the Polish Phonograph Academy Award "Fryderyk 2003". He is the founder and director of 'Ars Musicae' and the Karol Szymanowski Youth Symphony Orchestra in Katowice.

FERNANDO CONDON — Montevideo, Uruguay, is Assistant Director of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Sodre and a member of the Comision de Programacion del Nucleo Musica Nueva de Montevideo.

MARTIN GARCIA — Montevideo, Uruguay was the Assistant Conductor of the University of Northern Colorado (USA) Symphony Orchestra, which was awarded Downbeat Magazine's "Best University Orchestra of the United States in 2003." He was also selected by UNESCO in 1999 as a "Young Artist for Peace."

LAWRENCE GOLAN — Denver, Colorado USA, is the resident conductor of Lamont Symphony Orchestra and Opera Theatre, the Director of Orchestral Studies and Professor of Conducting at the University of Denver, Lamont School of Music, the Music Director/Conductor of Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestras and the Portland Ballet Orchestra.

EDWARD KAWAKAMI — Glendale, California, USA, is the Conductor of the CSUN Youth Symphony and Conductor of the Kadima Conservatory Philharmonic and also serves as Music Director of the Aspiro Orchestra in California. He actively participates in the Mozart Summer Academy in Salzburg, Austria and Jorge Mester Master class as well as conducting Opera and serving as Music Director for FM Radio.

EVGENY KIRILLOV — Nizhny Novgorod, Russia is a Second Prize winner of the All-Russian competition of Choral Conducting in Salavat, Russia for 2002 and a 2003 recipient of a Certificate from the Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition.

ANTONIO LIZARRAGA (Lopez) — is from Mexico and currently resides in Graz, Austria. He has conducted the Graz Aistria Sinfonietta and the Gyor Philharmonic Orchestra of Hungary.

SASHA MAKILA — Kerava, Finland is a postgraduate student in the ÒRimsky-KorsakovÓ State Conservatory of St. Petersburg, Russia. He has been a noted guest conductor with Vaasa City Symphony Orchestra, Seinajoki City Orchestra and Academic Wind Orchestra of Helsinki University in Finland and in 2004 conducter of opera in the Helsinki Conservatory.

OCTAVIO MAS AROCAS — Valencia, Spain, currently living in New York City, USA. He was the Music Director and Conductor of the Silleda City Symphonic Orchestra, Pontevedra, Spain until last year. During his tenure, he conducted two Silleda City Symphonic Orchestra CD recordings and the orchestraÕs international tours to Switzerland, Portugal, and Argentina. The City Council of Madrid and of Pontevedra have awarded him the CouncilÕs MayorÕs Award for the Arts for his artistic work in the Silleda City Symphony Orchestra.

BYUNG-MOO KIM — Gwangju, Republic of Korea, is a graduate of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire where he Guest Conducted the Moscow State Philharmonic Orchestra, the Moscow Orchestre Nationale de la Radiodiffusion, and the State Orchestra of the Ministry of Defense. Currently he serves as Assistant Conductor of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Ulyanovsk Philharmonic.

MICHAEL PON — is Australian living in Marseille, France. He has conducted orchestras in North Carolina, USA, San Francisco, USA, Barcelona, Spain, and Paris, France to name a few. He is the recipient of the Gold Diploma in the Concours des Trophees d'Or des Enfants du Monde. And has been named Australia's Young Conductor of the Year.

DAVID RUDGE — Dunkirk, New York, USA is an Associate Professor and Director of Orchestral Activities and Conductor of the Hillman Opera at State University of New York in Fredonia NY, as well as the Music Director and Conductor of Orchard Park Symphony Orchestra in Buffalo, NY. He has guest conducted in Bulgaria, Egypt, Syria, Oklahoma, Guatemala, Venezuela, the Czech Republic and others.

PABLO SABAT — Lima, Peru living in Hampden, Massachusetts USA was a Guest Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru from 1998 to 2004, and has toured all of South America as a Guest Conductor of high acclaim. Currently he is the Music Director designate of the Symphony Orchestra of the National Conservatory of Music of Peru and the Associate Conductor.

PIERRE SIMARD — Rosemere, Quebec, Canada is the Music Director of the A Tout Chant Society, of the Laval Choir and of the Lanaudiere Festival Choir. In addition to Canada, he has conducted in Belgium, France, Mauritius and Reunion Islands and the USA. He is a Grantee of the Montreal Mayor's Foundation in Canada.

ALFREDO SORICHETTI — Civitanova Marche (MC), Italy, is the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Civitanova Festival in Civitanova. He also conducted at the Verdi Hall of the Conservatory of Milan, at the Bielozelskjj Theatre of Saint Petersburg, at the Bulgarian Hall of Sofia, at the Auditorium of the Villa Aurelia in Rome and at the Philharmonic Hall of Kiev.

YOSYP SOZANSKYY — Chernovtsy, Ukraine, is Chief Conductor of the Chernovtsy Symphonic Orchestra.

ALESSANDRO TORTATO — Venice, Italy, is the 2003 recipient of the first prize at the International Competition for Orchestra Conducting of Maikop (Russia) for which he was selected to conduct the Berlin Kammerphilharmonie. Additionally, he has conducted in Milano, Trieste, Finland, Estonia, Venezia Giulia-Trieste, and Scotland.

SLAVA VALEEV — Moscow, Russia, is the Chief Conductor at the Symphony Orchestra Central Music School of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, the Ensemble New Music of Moscow Ippolitov-Ivanov University, Assistant Conductor of opera theatre "Gelikon-Opera" and Conductor of an operatic studio at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory.

MARCELLO ABBADO — of Milan, Italy is a pianist, composer, former Director of Milan Conservatory and founder of Symphonic Orchestra Verdi in Milan. He is a distinguished juror in many international competitions, including Van Cliburn, Tchaikovsky, Leeds, Tokyo, London, Vienna, Peking and Ibla Grand Prize.

YURI ALZHNEV — of Kharkov, Ukraine is a composer, art director and Chief Conductor of the Oberegy Theater.

DAVID HANDEL — of La Paz, Bolivia is the American-born Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Bolivia. First noticed by Kurt Masur, then music director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, he was invited to serve as his apprentice conductor. Since then, he has performed to wide acclaim in the United States, Europe, Latin America, including programs for international radio and television broadcast.

JOAN MCNEILL-MURRAY — of Chattanooga, Tennessee is the President of Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition and an international consultant on volunteerism within the arts industry. She has served orchestras from Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico and U.S. during the past 20 years. She was elected to the board of the American Symphony Orchestra League and served as President of Council on Volunteerism. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Association, Eos Orchestra of New York and was named an Honorary Doctor of Arts with the Kharkov Philharmonic.

JONATHAN STERNBERG — of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is a renowned conductor and leader of conducting workshops throughout Europe, former Professor of Conducting at Eastman School and Professor Emeritus at Temple University in Philadelphia. He was formerly Music Director of the Royal Flemish Opera, Halifax Symphony and Harkness Ballet.

YURI SUCHKOV — from Moscow, Russia has served as Chief Conductor of Stavropol State Philharmonic and Renaissance Chamber Orchestra. He is guest conductor of the Saratov Philharmonic, Rostov Philharmonic and Kislovotsk Philharmonic.

Founder

VAKHTANG JORDANIA — of New Market, Virginia was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. He is currently Chief Conductor/Artistic, Director of the Russian Federal Orchestra, Moscow, Chief Conductor/Music Director of the Daegu City Symphony, South Korea and Conductor Laureate for Life of the Kharkov Philharmonic Orchestra, He is also Artistic Director for Angelok1 Records.

Special Friend of the Jordania Competition

YURIY SERDYUK — Dniepropetrovsk, Ukraine, is a Conductor, Publisher and Director of "MaestroCD" Records.

Executive Director

JEFFREY JAMES — of Long Island, New York (not part of competition jury), is Executive Director of the Jordania International Conducting Competition, President of Jeffrey James Arts Consulting, 4Tay Records and ClassicalCDs.net and an international arts consultant to organizations and individuals in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America.

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