Until 2022 Maria Benyumova worked as a conductor and choral director at Theater Krefeld and Mönchengladbach. As a guest conductor and music promoter she conducted concerts with Jena Philharmonic, New Philharmonic Orchestra of Westphalia, and Beethoven Orchestra Bonn. Maria is part of the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme (2023/24), Mentee Conductor of the TAKI Alsop Conducting Fellowship (2022/23), and Conducting Fellow of the Carlos Miguel Prieto Conducting Fellowship (2023). She has worked with Choir Komische Oper Berlin, RIAS Chamber Choir, NDR Choir, and Bavarian Radio Choir. Maria has been sponsored by the Conductors’ Forum of the German Music Council, the Bavarian Radio Choir Forum, the Alfred Toepfer Foundation, and the Liselotte- Klein-Foundation.

Micah Gleason, Conducting Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music, has been recognized for her diverse performance abilities as a conductor and vocalist. She holds master’s degrees in Conducting and Voice from Bard College-Conservatory of Music, and is an alumna of notable training programs including the Aspen and Eastern Music Festivals. Interdisciplinary collaboration and community building are fundamental in Micah’s music-making. At home in the worlds of symphonic music and opera, Micah has conducted notable ensembles including The Orchestra Now, Curtis Symphony Orchestra, and Eastern Festival Orchestra; and this season looks forward to working with Curtis Opera Theater, The Glimmerglass Festival, and Opera Philadelphia; and covering for Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Michael Stern, and Robert Spano.

Jingqi Zhu is a DMA conducting candidate at the University of Minnesota, where she conducts and assists nearly every orchestral, choral ensemble, and opera. In the community, she guest-conducts the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony Orchestra and assists the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota’s most highly regarded civic orchestra. She received the Music Director Fellowship with Spokane Symphony and was invited to masterclasses taught by Marin Alsop, Johannes Schlaefli, Carl St. Clair, James Ross, and James Lowe. As a pianist, Jingqi performed with Indiana University Chamber Orchestra under Carl St. Clair as the winner of the concerto competition. She holds a double degree in Master of Music at Indiana University Jacobs School of music in choral conducting and piano performance.