Love Notes

Taichi Fukumura is the Music Director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra (ISO) and the current Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra appointed by Franz Welser-Möst. A rising Japanese American conductor acclaimed for his dynamic stage presence and musical finesse, Fukumura is the Second Prize Winner of The Mahler Competition 2023, and a four-time recipient of the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award.

Recent and upcoming international engagements include guest conducting debuts with the Bamberg Symphony and the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony. Fukumura will lead concerts with The Cleveland Orchestra this season as part of his new position, including a collaboration with Itzhak Perlman on tour in Miami. He also returned to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as guest conductor, where he previously conducted over 110 concerts as an Assistant Conductor appointed by Robert Spano. Other recent guest debuts include the Utah Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic, Eugene Symphony, Delaware Symphony, and Colorado Springs Philharmonic.

As the Music Director of the Illinois Symphony, Fukumura has led an ongoing initiative to broaden the repertoire of the orchestra. Focusing on well-balanced, impactful programming, he has highlighted the work of living composers including Brian Raphael Nabors, Christopher Theofanidis, Stacy Garrop, and Gala Flagello. The 2025/26 season includes the world premiere of a new work by Michelle Isaac, commissioned by the ISO.

Fukumura served as the Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Sinfonietta where he previously received mentorship from Music Director Mei-Ann Chen as a Freeman Conducting Fellow. He also returned to the Aspen Music Festival as guest assistant conductor following a summer as a conducting fellow and was invited by Barbara Hannigan to assist at the Munich Philharmonic and the Musikkollegium Winterthur in Switzerland.

Born in Tokyo, Taichi Fukumura spent his childhood in Boston and began music studies at age three on the violin. He holds a Bachelor of Music in violin performance from Boston University, and both Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University under the mentorship of Victor Yampolsky. He is a recipient of the Concert Artists Guild Richard S. Weinert Award. Fukumura is fluent in both English and Japanese.

Valentin Kovalev is a passionate and dedicated classical saxophonist who is seeking to elevate the voice of saxophone in classical music. Named the winner of the most prestigious  international saxophone competitions, Valentin is also the recipient of significant awards from foundations in France (Fondation pour la vocation), Russia (the Rostropovich Foundation), and the United States (Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia). His international career spans performances as a soloist across the U.S., Russia, France, Andorra, and Asia.

Valentin was recently named a winner of the 2024 CAG Louis and Susan Meisel Competition and, in addition, received the coveted Audience Award. As the recent winner of the esteemed Naumburg Foundation 2022 Saxophone Competition, during the 2023-2024 season Valentin gave a sold-out debut recital at Carnegie Hall premiering the newly commissioned piece by GRAMMY Award-winning composer Steven Mackey.

One of Valentin’s most significant achievements has been cultivating an engaged community of music lovers across his social media platforms. Valentin’s Instagram account (@valentinkmusic) has reached 65,000 followers, while his YouTube channel (V&A TV) has 42,000 subscribers.

Aiwen Zhang is a forward-thinking artist dedicated to exploring eclectic musical repertoire and multi-media artforms that engage her global audience. A classically-trained saxophonist, she is in demand as both a performer and an educator, reaching audiences throughout the United States, China, France, Germany, Japan, and Thailand.

Aiwen was the first person of Chinese descent and the first female to secure a Top Prize at the 5th Jean-Marie Londeix International Saxophone Competition, one of the most prestigious saxophone competitions in the world. Winning concerto competitions at the University of Michigan, Bowling Green State University, and with the Lima Symphony, Aiwen was also awarded first place in prestigious solo competitions including the Musicians Club of Women Awards Competition, the Prix du Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, and the Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition.

A highly sought-after performer and educator, Aiwen has received invitations to give recitals and lead master classes from musical institutions worldwide. Such performance venues include the Lincoln Center (NYC), Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington D.C.), Beijing National Center for the Performing Arts (China), Université Européenne de Saxophone (Gap, France), and Prince Mahidol Hall (Thailand). Aiwen has led master classes at a variety of educational institutions including The Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Central Conservatory of Music (China), and Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (Singapore).

Aiwen holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Paris Conservatory, and the Eastman School of Music. Her past instructors include Timothy McAllister, Claude Delangle, Chien-Kwan Lin, Vincent David, and John Sampen.

Complementary to her passion for music, Aiwen has a love for and experience in the visual arts as a freelance videographer, photographer, and editor for V&A TV. She is experimenting new concert format with a multi-media/multi-sensory performance experience that showcases saxophone music by Chinese-born composers (who no longer reside in China) and incorporates traditional legend, costumes, choreography, and food.

Photo credit: Valentin Kovalev