Ricardo Averbach named finalist for the American Prize in Conducting, 2026
Ricardo Averbach named finalist for the American Prize in Conducting, 2026
Miami University proudly announces that Ricardo Averbach, DMA, Director of Orchestral Studies, has been named a finalist for The American Prize in Conducting (college/university orchestra division) for the 2026 award season. This honor places him among the nation’s most outstanding conductors and recognizes his long-standing contributions to the advancement of orchestral music in higher education.
The American Prize is a prestigious national competition celebrating excellence in the performing arts. Founded in 2009, the Prize honors the finest performers, ensembles, and composers across the United States based on submitted recordings. Winners will be announced later this year.
Averbach, who previously won The American Prize in 2010, continues to set a national standard through his leadership of the Miami University Symphony Orchestra. His innovative programming, commitment to student development, and artistry on the podium have shaped the ensemble into one of the most visible and artistically ambitious groups on campus.
Under Averbach's direction, the Miami University Symphony Orchestra has flourished, gaining national recognition for its outstanding performances. His commitment to fostering young talent and promoting the arts has significantly enriched the cultural landscape of both the university and the broader community.
Averbach's influence extends beyond the university setting. He has conducted internationally, collaborating with renowned composers and musicians across South and North America, Europe, and Asia. His global engagements have included performances in Bulgaria, Russia, Portugal, Italy, Luxembourg, France, China, Brazil, Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Argentina, Armenia, Japan, the Dominican Republic, and the United States. His work with Grammy Award-winning artists embraces a wide array of genres including Latin American music, contemporary works, and symphonic collaborations across cultures, consistently demonstrating how classical music can serve as a vibrant platform for diversity, innovation, and global engagement.
In addition to his achievements as a conductor, Averbach is the author of the acclaimed book Villa-Lobos and Modernism: The Apotheosis of Cannibal Music (Lexington Books, 2022). The book offers a groundbreaking examination of Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos through the lens of modernism and cultural anthropophagy, bridging the worlds of musicology, post-colonial studies, and Latin American cultural theory. A Portuguese-language edition is currently being prepared in collaboration with renowned musicologist Paulo de Tarso Salles.
The announcement comes just weeks before the culminating performance of the Miami University Symphony Orchestra’s 2024–2025 season, taking place on Saturday, April 26 at 2pm in Hall Auditorium. The concert will feature an inspiring and eclectic program that reflects Averbach’s visionary approach to orchestral programming. Highlights include Florence Price’s Symphony No. 4, a monumental work by one of America’s most important and long-overlooked composers; Richard Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, showcasing the orchestra’s expressive depth; and the world premiere of Action Potentials by Gabe Hardman, winner of the 2025 Miami University Composition Competition—an initiative founded by Averbach to support and elevate new voices in contemporary music. The event promises to be a fitting celebration of a remarkable season under his leadership.
