Opera Southwest has been selected by the Solti Foundation to host Nathaniel Efthimiou, a recipient of the Sir Georg Solti Foundation’s U.S. Career Assistance Award and 2023 Elizabeth Buccheri Opera Residency program.

Opera Southwest’s Apprentice Artist program has offered early career singers a rare opportunity to perform a staged, professional principal role, with orchestra. As a result, this approach was a perfect fit for the Solti Foundation’s Opera Residency program for early career opera conductors.

Awardee Efthimiou will conduct one of the performances of Opera Southwest’s Apprentice Opera in 2023, which will be Rossini’s “L’occasione fa il ladro.”

The young conductor will also have the opportunity to study and be mentored intensively by OSW Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, Anthony Barrese.

In a statement, Barrese said, “I am delighted to collaborate with the Solti Foundation U.S. to provide young conductors with this opportunity. When I was a young conductor, awards and assistantships provided money and experience, but this award is unique in the opera world in that it comes with a guaranteed performance, conducting a complete staged opera with orchestra.”

Efthimiou is the founding Music Director of Orchestra Contempo, Interim Assistant Conductor of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music. He has conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic, and Amarillo Symphony.