LexPhil Music Director Mélisse BrunEt Featured in Documentary Maestra
PHOTO: Mélisse Brunet, pictured in the film’s promotional poster and other materials, conducting from Sacré-Coeur Basilica, in her hometown of Paris, France.
Maestra premieres at Tribeca Festival in NYC on June 9, 2023
LexPhil Music Director Mélisse Brunet is featured in a documentary Maestra, set to premiere during the prestigious Tribeca Festival in New York City this June.
Maestra follows five women from around the world as they prepare for and perform in La Maestra, the only competition in the world for female orchestra conductors. In the documentary, “personal stories of survival, passion and perseverance are woven together with the drama and excitement of this one-of-a-kind event created to break yet another glass ceiling for women.”
Brunet was one of 14 finalists from a pool of over 200 applicants selected for the 2022 competition, and is one of the five finalists followed in filmmaker Maggie Contreras’ directorial debut.
“All of us at LexPhil are very excited that Mélisse is a big part of this important documentary about women in classical music. Seeing our Music Director featured in such a high profile premiere at an internationally celebrated festival is, in one word, incredible,” says Allison Kaiser, Executive Director.
"We can’t wait to have the opportunity to watch the film and for viewers everywhere to experience Mélisse’s artistry, passion, and dedication.”
Maestra premieres at the Tribeca Festival in New York City on June 9, with two additional showings on June 10 and 15. For tickets and to learn more, visit tribecafilm.com.
ABOUT LA MAESTRA
The La Maestra competition was founded in 2019 by the Philharmonie de Paris and the Paris Mozart Orchestra to address the discouraging lack of women conductors leading orchestras. A study by La Maestra found that while attitudes have evolved to support more women leading orchestras, only 8% of orchestras worldwide have a female conductor, up from 4.3% in 2018. The competition is open to women of all ages, and “showcases candidates of the highest musical and technical caliber following a rigorously managed selection process.” Learn more about the La Maestra competition here.
ABOUT MÉLISSE BRUNET
French conductor Mélisse Brunet, currently living in Philadelphia, PA, is quickly gaining attention on both sides of that Atlantic as a “skilled and polished conductor with panache” (ClevelandClassical.com).
In July 2022, she became the fifth Music Director of the Lexington Philharmonic, KY, and the first woman to hold the position, she is also in her third season as the Music Director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, PA.
A protégée of Pierre Boulez, Brunet was one of the 14 finalists selected over 200 applicants for the second edition of the International Competition La Maestra in 2022 in Paris. She was one of six conductors selected for the 2018 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview, chosen for their “experience, talent, leadership potential, and commitment to a career in service to American orchestras.” In 2017 she was one of six conductors chosen for the international Hart Institute for Women Conductors at the Dallas Opera, selected out of 161 applicants from 33 countries.
Brunet has been an educator since she was 17 years old, and has taught in France and the USA, all levels and ages. She was named the first woman Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Iowa-School of Music from 2021 to 2023, where she conducted the orchestras in symphonic concerts, operas, and musical theater, as well as taught orchestral conducting Master and Doctoral students, where her students have won major jobs. Previously she was the Director of Orchestral Activities at Appalachian State University, NC, from 2016 to 2021.
A native of Paris, Brunet began her studies on the cello, and also learned to play the trumpet, French horn and piano. She holds six diplomas from the Paris Conservatory (Analysis, Harmony, Counterpoint, Renaissance Counterpoint, Orchestration, and a Masters in Orchestral Conducting), a Bachelor in Music from the Université la Sorbonne, a Professional Studies diploma from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Doctorate in conducting from the University of Michigan. Aside from Pierre Boulez, her mentors have included Kenneth Kiesler, Lawrence Loh, Carl Topilow, Zsolt Nagy, and Joel Smirnoff. Brunet also took part in international workshops where she studied with Marin Alsop, Gustav Meier, David Stern, Peter Eötvös, and Jorge Mester. She has studied French, English, German, and Italian lyric diction, and speaks English, French, Italian, Chinese, Hebrew, and German.
Learn more about Mélisse Brunet at melissebrunet.com.
VISION: LexPhil believes in the transformative power of live orchestral music and envisions a culture of curiosity for the creation and performance of great music and the essential role it plays in a vibrant community and education system.
VALUES: LexPhil is guided by an unwavering commitment to its core values of artistic excellence, innovation, collaboration and accessibility.
MISSION: To foster excellence and innovation in the performance and presentation of great music; to enrich the lives of our diverse citizenry; to educate current and future audiences and to bring distinction to our community through the orchestra’s presence and standing.
The Lexington Philharmonic is supported by the Lexington Philharmonic Foundation.
All Lexington Philharmonic programs are made possible through the generous support of LexArts.
The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, provides operating support to the Lexington Philharmonic with state tax dollars and along with federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Shawn E. Okpebholo’s appointment as LexPhil’s 2023-2024 Composer–in-Residence is made possible by the Saykayly Garbulinska Composer-in-Residence Fund. Founded in 2012 through the generous support of the late Dr. Ronald Saykaly, this bi-annual program has commissioned world premieres of works by five living composers since its inception.
The Hamilton Saykaly Garbulinska Fund supports LexPhil’s commitment to continued artistic growth and collaboration.
LexPhil’s Learning & Partnership programs are generously supported by Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK).
The Singletary Center for the Arts hosts the core of LexPhil’s Season Series programs, and is a valued institutional partner of the Lexington Philharmonic.
Dupree Initiative for Innovation supports LexPhil’s commitment to innovation and artistic excellence.
Special thanks to the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government for its continued partnership in ensuring a flourishing future for the arts in Lexington and central Kentucky.
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Press contact: Mollie Harris, Director of Marketing & Development: mollie@lexphil.org