Battle of the Batons: Six emerging conductors face off in competitive finale to Georgia Festival of Music | EarRelevant

EarRelevant Staff | 23 JUN 2025

ATLANTA, Georgia— The Georgia Festival of Music reaches a stirring crescendo this coming Saturday when its MainStage Orchestra performance & Emerging Maestros Conducting Competition brings the weeklong TAOC (“The Art of Conducting”) Academy to an electrifying close.

Over five days (June 24–28), six “full participants” from across the nation have immersed themselves in a rigorous blend of masterclasses, rehearsals and brand-building sessions under the tutelage of the festival’s artistic director, Maestro Michael Palmer, a veteran conductor renowned for his blend of European tradition and entrepreneurial insight with a deep Atlanta legacy.

By the end of TAOC, participants will have conducted chamber ensembles, received private lessons, participated in “on-and-off-the-podium” coaching, and prepared to take the podium at Saint Mark United Methodist Church, 781 Peachtree Street, for a public concert with a professional chamber orchestra on Saturday, June 28 at 7:30 pm.

Long before he became the driving force behind the Georgia Festival of Music, Maestro Palmer discovered his calling at age 14, when he founded and conducted a youth orchestra in his native Indianapolis where conductor Izler Solomon took him under his wing. He was later mentored by Julius Herford at Indiana University and, in 1967, was personally invited by Robert Shaw to join the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as assistant conductor at just 21, eventually rising to associate conductor and launching the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra in 1974.

That formative mentorship—shaped by the demanding standards of Shaw and the rigorous score-study of Herford—became a cornerstone of Palmer’s vision for the TAOC Academy.

Michael Palmer (credit: Bob O’Lary)

Reflecting on today’s aspiring conductors, Palmer notes, “Conducting as an art has evolved over several centuries and brings with it the knowledge gleaned by the artists and composers from then up until the present day. It is important that this treasure of collective experience be passed on from generation to generation in order to survive as a legitimate art and not descend into the chasm of commercial theatricality, which constantly threatens it up to our present time.”

The Georgia Festival of Music sets the tone for the week with a chamber concert on June 24, featuring Johannes Brahms’ Horn Trio in E♭ major, Op. 40. Performed by members of the MainStage Orchestra, the program offers a lyrical and intimate kickoff to the TAOC Academy’s launch the following day. With its rare instrumentation—violin, French horn, and piano—the Brahms trio highlights both technical nuance and expressive warmth, reflecting the festival’s dual focus on chamber and orchestral artistry.

The Saturday evening finale features a program of classical favorites spotlighting “six talented conductors from around the country” leading movements from Mozart’s Serenades (Symphonies No. 33 & 29) and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings, plus a Haydn symphony led by GFM associate conductor Logan Souther.

The Emerging Maestros competition is adjudicated by a prestigious panel that includes Palmer, Souther, and members of the festival orchestra. This kind of exposure—conducting a professional ensemble before a live audience and critical judges—is a career-launching milestone for aspiring conductors.

The six finalists taking the podium on Saturday are Robert Botwinski (Schaumburg, IL), Justin Han (Atlanta, GA), Quinn Mason (Dallas, TX), Noah Mittwer (Glendora, CA), Charlotte Wang (Amherst, MA), and Alex Wilkerson (Richmond, VA).

Each finalist earned full-participant status through a selective application process, including video and resume submissions. Once admitted, they navigate private baton coaching, entrepreneurial seminars on branding and PR, and opportunities to rehearse and record their skills with professional musicians . The concluding concert is more than a performance—it is the culmination of an intensive transformation, putting each conductor’s mastery on full display.

For audiences, it is a rare chance to see the next generation of maestros steering a live orchestra through classical staples. With tickets at just $25, the event is priced to invite broad attendance—from seasoned concertgoers to newcomers eager for world-class talent in an intimate Atlanta venue.

This Festival finale promises a compelling drama of ambition, artistry and competition—six emergent conductors vying for recognition, shaped by Palmer’s exacting instruction and the discerning ears of symphony professionals. It’s a defining moment for their careers and a stirring celebration of classical music’s future—a concert that marries skill, passion and possibility. For tickets and more information visit the Georgia Festival of Music website at g‑fm.org. ■

EXTERNAL LINKS:

Georgia Festival of Music: g‑fm.org

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