Young Concert Artists (YCA), the prestigious New York-based international advocacy organization to champion young classical musicians, has honored Sinfonia Gulf Coast Music & Artistic Director Demetrius Fuller with an appointment to its Board of Directors.
"We are delighted to welcome Demetrius Fuller to the YCA Board of Directors,” said YCA president, Dan Kellogg. “Maestro Fuller has a long association with our organization and has engaged many YCA artists over the years. He cares deeply for our mission and supporting young artists. It will be a gift to have his voice on our Board as we begin the many bold initiatives outlined in our new Strategic Plan. He not only brings the passion and expertise of an accomplished conductor, Demetrius is also a skilled administrator and fundraiser. His many skills and long dedication to our work make him an excellent addition to our Board of Directors.”
A versatile conductor and accomplished musician, Fuller founded Sinfonia Gulf Coast in 2005 to “redefine” the symphony experience in Northwest Florida. The nonprofit orchestra is in its 17th season of innovative musical programming, designed to entertain, educate and inspire the community. Since 2020, he has also served as CEO of the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation in Destin, Florida.
A Fort Walton Beach native, Fuller trained at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, receiving both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. An innovative and energetic conductor, Fuller has been chosen to work with some of the world’s most prestigious conductors and orchestras. A champion of contemporary music, he has premiered, commissioned, and/or collaborated with numerous international composers from Augusta Read-Thomas, Dorothy Hindman, and Nico Muhly to Tan Dun and Chris Brubeck. Fuller is an award recipient from the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts, the Werner Foundation, and the International Music Foundation.
“I am honored to join the Board of the Young Concert Artists, a venerable international institution dedicated to nurturing young musicians. As a prize giver each year for a winner, Sinfonia already has a standing relationship with YCA and I am excited to serve in this additional capacity to help the organization continue to be a leading and guiding force in the development of young musicians."
YCA was founded in 1961 to discover and launch the careers of brilliant but unknown young classical musicians from all over the world. Each year, the organization holds its International Auditions in New York City and hears hundreds of applicants. The winners are presented in their New York debuts as part of the Young Concert Artists Series. The list of YCA's discoveries includes some of the most illustrious names in the classical music world today: Pinchas Zukerman, Emanuel Ax, Dawn Upshaw, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet.
Fuller will continue to oversee the annual Sinfonia Gulf Coast Prize offered to a winner of the YCA finals each fall. Several Sinfonia Gulf Coast Prize winners have gone on to major international careers including soprano Julia Bullock now artist in residence with the San Francisco Symphony and Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and heralded violinist Caroline Goulding.
For information on volunteer opportunities, email Sinfonia Gulf Coast at info@sinfoniagulfcoast.org or call (850) 460-8800.
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