Morning Report

THE ARTS

Young Musicians Alum

Wins Conductors' Prize

Bundit Ungrangsee, 31-year-old conductor and alumnus of the Young Musicians Foundation in Los Angeles, took one of the two top honors in the first Maazel/Vilar Conductors' Competition in New York's Carnegie Hall on Saturday.

Jurors chose Ungrangsee and Xian Zhang, 28, of China, as the competition's laureates from more than 360 conductors. Ungrangsee and Zhang each receive a period of mentorship with New York Philharmonic Music Director Lorin Maazel, several professional engagements to be arranged by the competition and a cash stipend of $45,000.

The competition, open to conductors under age 35, drew applicants from more than 40 countries. Eight semifinalists were invited to New York to perform for jurors last week.

Born in Bangkok, Ungrangsee began as a classical guitarist and earned a master's degree in music at the University of Michigan. He launched his U.S. conducting career in 1996 as music director and conductor of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra in Los Angeles. He served three years, until May 1999. Since September 2000, he has served as associate conductor of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.

The Maazel/Vilar finalists included Joana Carneiro, 26, of Portugal, who in July began her own three-year term as music director of the YMF Debut Orchestra.

*

Rijksmuseum to Open Satellite Space at Airport

Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum will open a satellite exhibition space at the city's Schiphol Airport in November. Designed by Benthem Crouwel, the space will cover about 1,700 square feet and will offer free admission.

Its permanent collection will include 10 Dutch Old Masters, among them works by Rembrandt, Jan Steen and Pieter de Hooch. In addition, several temporary exhibitions yearly will draw on collections of the Rijksmuseum and other Dutch museums.

Although many other airports, including San Francisco International, have long included exhibition spaces in passenger terminals, Rijksmuseum officials told the Art Newspaper that this is the first time a museum has used an airport terminal as a permanent exhibition space.

*

POP/ROCK

Elvis Album, Beatles Song Top British Charts

If you think it will be strange having an Elvis Presley album topping the U.S. sales chart when figures are announced Wednesday, imagine what it's like in England, where they not only have Presley's "Elvis: 30 #1 Hits" at No. 1 on the album charts, but also a Beatles song on top of the singles chart.