SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (November 19, 2017) –NOVA Chamber Music Series (NOVA), announced that Madeline Adkins has been appointed as Music Director for the 2018-2019 season.
This new one-year appointment is a result of the Board of Directors’ recent restructuring of NOVA’s artistic staffing needs. In this position, Adkins will create a programmatic vision that is unique, accessible yet challenging, and relevant to the greater Salt Lake City community.
In addition to the Music Director position, the Board of Directors’ worked closely with Jason Hardink, current Artistic Director, to create the new position of Artistic Advisor which Hardink will assume on July 1, 2018. In this position, Hardink will provide upper level artistic management for NOVA by influencing NOVA’s long-term artistic vision and by providing articulation of said vision to NOVA staff and the public. This restructuring will allow the positions of Music Director and Artistic Advisor to work closely together in order to maintain artistic synergy with previous seasons while allowing the freedom for new passions and interests to influence NOVA programming.
Francis V. Hanson, Board Chair stated, “NOVA is grateful for Hardink’s vision and willingness to continue serving the organization in this new and original way. The Board of Trustees is excited about the fresh perspective that Madeline Adkins will bring to our audiences, and for the new experiences that this blend of positions will offer. We are thrilled to pioneer this new model, and build on the innovative spirit and creativity that has kept NOVA successful and relevant to our community for 40 years.”
Hailed as "deliciously exuberant" by the Baltimore Sun, violinist Madeline Adkins has established herself as equally at home in the spheres of solo performance, chamber music, and orchestral playing. In September 2016, Adkins assumed her new post as Concertmaster of the Utah Symphony under Maestro Thierry Fischer. She made her concerto debut with the Utah Symphony in November 2016, performing Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2. which was immediately followed with her NOVA debut on December 4, performing music by Francis Poulenc and Olivier Messiaen. Most recently she was the featured soloist on NOVA’s 40th Anniversary opening concert at Libby Gardner performing Chausson’s Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet, opus 21. Prior to her Utah Symphony appointment, Adkins was the Associate Concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
"I am thrilled to be joining NOVA as Music Director for the 2018-19 season!” stated Madeline Adkins. “Since I arrived in Utah last year, I have been incredibly impressed by the extremely high quality of the concerts, the sophistication and adventurous spirit of our audiences, and Jason Hardink's compelling artistic vision. I want to thank the Board for inviting me to become part of this vibrant organization!"
“The board and I are tremendously excited about bringing Madeline on to the NOVA team,” said Jason Hardink. “She is a charismatic and dynamic leader, and we are looking forward to having her direct our artistic planning next season, we can’t wait to see what music she programs!”