FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
GIRLS WHO CONDUCT / GEORGIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
WOMEN CONDUCTOR FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
2021 FELLOWS
Renata Berlin (she/her) from Charlotte, NC, founder of Ethiopian Peace Choir, the first initiative of its kind in the Horn of Africa, which brought multiple ethnicities and nationalities together to promote musical literacy through the performance of serious repertoire from around the globe.
Read More About Renata
Renata Dworak Berlin studied music education at DePauw University, then went on to earn her Masters of Choral Conducting at the Eastman School of Music. She taught in the choral department at Princeton University, working with all three choirs of various levels and supporting the ‘Glee Club Presents’ series. She formed The William Trego Singers, where she instilled the love of choral singing in those who were new to singing, backed by lessons in sight reading. Renata has served as a clinician with multiple ensembles in East Africa, Europe, North America and Asia. She spent two years in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she founded the Ethiopian Peace Choir. The choir of 80 was the first initiative of its kind in the Horn of Africa, one which brought multiple ethnicities and nationalities together to promote musical literacy through the performance of serious repertoire from around the globe. An advocate for Music Education, Renata worked at Castleton Festival as their Director of Community Engagement, and her work allowed her to design and implement music curriculum and outreach programs in underprivileged areas. In 2020, Renata began her Doctoral Studies in Music Education at Boston University.
Cuban born conductor Sandra Cepero Alvarez (she/her) from Clarksville TN is founder of Women”s Chamber Orchestra (Sorellanza in Puebla) and was awarded Alondra de la Parra and Montblanc Scholarship to study in the United States.
Read More About Sandra
Sandra Cepero was born in Cuba and began her musical studies at 6 years old. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Orchestra Conducting at The Superior Institute of Arts in Cuba. She has received masterclasses from great conductors including: Juan la Magna, Lanfranco Marceleti, Felipe Aguirre, Francesco Belli, Ronald Zollman, Benjamín Zander, Elena Herrera, Kenneth Kiesler, Valery Gergiev, Lior Shambadal, Collin Meters, and others. She has conducted in the Czech Republic, Spain, Cuba, México, Germany, United States, Uruguay, Argentina, and Venezuela. In Mexico, she has conducted The Symphony Orchestra of Hidalgo-Pachuca, The Symphony Orchestra Carlos Chávez, Chiapas Symphony, Symphony Orchestra of Oaxaca, Philharmonic of Puebla, various youth symphony orchestras, The Symphony Orchestra ISMEV in Xalapa-Veracruz, and The Symphony Orchestra OSBUAP, together with The Opera’s Chorus. She has also conducted The Berlin Sinfonietta (Germany), Montevideo Philharmonic (Uruguay), Symphony Orchestra OSSODRE (Montevideo), Symphony Orchestra of Portland-Maine (United States), Symphony of Olomouc (Czech Republic), Symphony Orchestra of Louisiana University, Symphony Orchestra of San Diego State University, and other orchestras in Spain, Venezuela, and Brazil. She was awarded the Alondra de la Parra and Montblanc Scholarship to study with maestro Kenneth Kiesler in the United States. She was invited to take part in the Second and Third International Symposium of Women’s Conductors. She was a finalist in The International Competition for Conductors in Paraguay with The National Symphony and the winner of The First prize in The Conducting Competition (Musicalia). She founded and is a principal conductor of a women’s chamber orchestra called Sorellanza in Puebla. She won the National Award in the Wiener World Music Competition for conductors in June 2020. She has been selected to participate in the Lonel Perlea Orchestra Conductor Competition in Romania, the Conductors Competition in Augsburg, and the Competition for Conductors in Armeria (Spain). She gave a conference at the Italian Chamber of Deputies as a collaborating conductor with the Samnium Orchestra University. She was recently appointed Honorary Conductor of the K-Classic Orchestra in Korea. She is currently the assistant conductor of the Austin Peay State University Orchestra.
Colombian conductor Maria del Mar Goyes Rojas (she/her) believes that music is an important mechanism to change the live of people and build society, is currently serving as Band and Orchestral Conductor from “Escuela de Música Desepaz”, a musical school which gives free musical education to the population of “Comuna 21”, helping children to see other paths for their lives and keeping them away from drugs, criminal gangs and so on.
Read More About Maria del Mar
Colombian conductor Maria del Mar Goyes Rojas was born and raised in the city of Cali, and she was the first student to graduate with a public orchestral concert from the Universidad del Valle. She is the founder and artistic director of Proyecto Mozart Orchestra, a youth orchestra which explores different types of repertoire, from baroque, classicism, romanticism to Colombian and Latino American music, offering to the community (and the belonging musicians) a diversity of ensembles and music. A woman who strongly believes in music and sees it as an important mechanism to change the live of people and build society, she works with children and youth as a Band and Orchestral Conductor from “Escuela de Música Desepaz”, a musical school which gives free musical education to the population of “Comuna 21”, helping children to see other paths for their lives and keeping them away from drugs, criminal gangs and so on. Since April 2021, she has been the conductor of “Cacerolazo Sinfónico Cali”, an orchestra born due to a national strike, aiming to support, give a voice and make visible the social situations the city and country are going through. This orchestra has turned music into a powerful medium to express, protest, and make a difference.
JaeEun Kim (she/her) from South Korea is a Doctor of Music candidate in conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and has served as the Choral Director at Skidmore College and Northwestern College.
Read More About JaeEun
Enthusiastic young conductor JaeEun Kim has been praised for her “graceful” gestural vocabulary and “well-planned, prepared and conducted” rehearsal. Her academic training has been cultivated in a wide range of music: conducting, piano, music theory, musicology, early music, and arts administration. She is a Doctor of Music candidate in conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she also earned her Master of Music degree. Her major teachers at IU include Betsy Burleigh and Dominick DiOrio. Her Bachelor’s degree in conducting is from Korea National University of Arts, where she studied with Martin Behrmann and graduated summa cum laude. As an active educator, Kim has served as the Choral Director at Skidmore College and Northwestern College, where she also taught music courses including conducting, music theory, music history, keyboard skills and music appreciation. Additionally, she has worked with nine different types of music ensembles of varying levels at the Indiana University, where she also taught music courses as an Associate Instructor in choral conducting and music theory. As a selected musician, Kim has conducted in masterclasses with world-renowned conductors and pedagogues including Helmuth Rilling, David Hayes, Markand Thakar, Matthew Halls and Simon Carrington. She has been invited to participate in the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra Conducting Workshop, Mostly Modern Festival with American Modern Orchestra, Oregon Bach Festival and Chorus America Conducting Academy as a conducting fellow. Most recently, she has been awarded fellowships from Girls Who Conduct and New York Orchestra Conducting Workshop and gained opportunities to work with Georgia Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of New York.
Constança Simas (she/her) from Lisbon, Portugal received her Orchestral Conducting MMus from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with David Jones. Constança won the Gulbenkian Foundation grant and has conducted the Welsh National Opera orchestra. She is also assistant conductor for the WNO Youth production of Cheryomushki in 2022 with Alice Farnham and a conductor in the Young Women Opera Makers residency of the Académie du Festival Aix-en-Provence.
Read More About Constança
Constança recently graduated with a MMus in Orchestral Conducting at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with David Jones. Constança won a Gulbenkian Foundation grant for her Masters and had the opportunity to conduct the Welsh National Opera orchestra for her final showcase. She is also the appointed assistant conductor for the WNO Youth production of Cheryomushki in 2022, with Alice Farnham. Until July 2022 she is also a conductor in the Young Women Opera Makers residency of the Académie du Festival Aix-en-Provence. Constança is also motivated to conduct productions with relevant concepts, having created a show with a feminist perspective on opera and also worked with Portuguese composers to premiere their work. Constança has worked with several amateur orchestras in the UK, including the North Staffordshire Symphony Orchestra, the Ealing Symphony Orchestra and the Northampton Symphony Orchestra. She also had the opportunity to work with professional orchestras. As assistant of Maestro Pedro Amaral, Constança conducted the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra in 2016, and was selected as one of the 7 finalists to conduct the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra in the International Conducting Masterclasses & Competitions in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Constança has earned a Bachelor in Orchestral Conducting from Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra in Lisbon, led by Maestro Jean-Marc Burfin. In her academic life, she had the opportunity to learn from renowned conductors such as Carlo Rizzi, Ryan Bancroft, Jean-Sebastien Beréau, Scott Sandmeier, Emilio Pomarico, Robert Delcroix and Michalis Economou.
Damali Willingham (they/them) is a Black, Queer, non-binary musician and activist, born and raised on Muscogee/Creek lands, colloquially known as Atlanta, GA. Damali is now a senior composition student at the Berklee College of Music. They currently serve as the music director for the Berklee Motion Picture Orchestra, the school’s largest student-run ensemble.
Read More About Damali
Damali Willingham is a Black, Queer, non-binary musician and activist, born and raised on Muscogee/Creek lands, colloquially known as Atlanta, GA. They began their musical journey at the age of nine, playing saxophone and two years later, the bassoon, in their elementary school band. Damali began to compose at thirteen, eventually having pieces read and performed by the Chamblee Charter High School Wind Ensemble, the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
Damali’s conducting journey began at the age of fourteen, learning from their band director at the time. They would go on to serve as drum major for their high school marching band and musical director for their musical theater program, even earning a Shuler Award nomination for Best Orchestra in their senior year.
Damali is now a senior composition student at the Berklee College of Music. They currently serve as the music director for the Berklee Motion Picture Orchestra, the school’s largest student-run ensemble. Outside of music, Damali enjoys skateboarding, stargazing, and community-based volunteer work. Damali’s passion lies in music that both blends and defies genre, and they hope to pursue a career that advocates for musical innovation and universal accessibility.
