MYAC Masquerade Gala To Honor Lyric's Sir Andrew Davis

Midwest Young Artists Conservatory's 2020 Masquerade Gala will honor Lyric Opera of Chicago Music Director and Principal Conductor, Sir Andrew Davis, on March 14 at 6 p.m. at the Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, IL.

Sir Andrew will receive MYAC's 2020 Golden Baton award at the event: a distinction given in recognition of his exemplary and distinguished career in music and the arts.

MYAC's Take Note Award (given to a notable member of the MYAC staff or board) recipient is Dr. Jonathan Felbinger, a 2002 MYAC alum. Dr. Felbinger's career includes work in engineering, physics, mathematics, and in the United States government. He has devoted his time to MYAC over the years as a volunteer, staff member, and as a current member of MYAC's Young Professionals Board.

Sir Andrew Davis is the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Maestro Davis's career spans over 40 years during which he has been the musical and artistic leader at several of the world's most distinguished opera and symphonic institutions, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra (Conductor Laureate; Chief Conductor, 1991-2004), Glyndebourne Festival Opera (Music Director, 1988-2000), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Conductor Laureate; Chief Conductor, 2013-2019), and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Conductor Laureate; Principal Conductor, 1975-1988), where he serves as Interim Artistic Director through 2020. He also holds the honorary title of Conductor Emeritus from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. One of today's most recognized and acclaimed conductors, Sir Andrew has conducted virtually all of the world's major orchestras, opera companies, and festivals. Born in 1944 in Hertfordshire, England, Maestro Davis studied at King's College, Cambridge, where he was an organ scholar before taking up conducting. His wide-ranging repertoire encompasses the Baroque to contemporary, and spans the symphonic, operatic, and choral worlds. A vast and award-winning discography documents Sir Andrew's artistry, with recent CDs including the works of Berlioz, Bliss, Elgar (winner of the 2018 Diapason d'Or de l'Année - Musique Symphonique), Finzi, Grainger, Delius, Ives, Holst, Handel (nominated for a 2018 GRAMMY for Best Choral Performance), and York Bowen (nominated for a 2012 GRAMMY for Best Orchestral Performance). He currently records exclusively for Chandos Records In 1992, Maestro Davis was made a Commander of the British Empire, and in 1999, he was designated a Knight Bachelor in the New Year Honours List.

Jonathan Felbinger received his B.E. in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics with a minor in Music Performance from Vanderbilt University and earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Science & Technology Studies at Cornell University. He performed in chamber ensembles throughout his studies, served as principal clarinet with the Cornell Symphony Orchestra, and played in the Mölndal Symphonic Band while a researcher at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. Jonathan also has held appointments at Draper Laboratory, at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics in Germany, and at the Department of Defense as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow. After working at Booza??Allen and Raytheon, he joined the Government Accountability Office where he leads studies and manages technological aspects of reports that assist the U.S. Congress in its oversight and investigative responsibilities. Jonathan is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and a member of the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory Young Professionals Board.

Midwest Young Artists Conservatory is the largest pre-collegiate youth music ensemble program in the Midwest serving over 900 young musicians from 84 communities throughout Chicagoland and beyond. MYAC provides unparalleled orchestral, chamber music, jazz, and choral programs, as well as master classes, national concerto & chamber music competitions, instrumental festivals, and much more. For tickets to MYAC concerts and events, or more information about our programs visit mya.org or call 847-926-9898.