Congratulations to Emily Freeman Brown ’89E (DMA) on receiving the 2026 Conductor’s Award from The Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University. Established in 1945, the award is the oldest continuing honor recognizing conductors for distinguished contributions to American music. Brown received a $5,000 prize and a citation from interim President, Claire Shipman.
She joins an esteemed group of Eastman School of Music recipients, including Howard Hanson, the first to receive the award, as well as Frederick Fennell and Brad Lubman.
Brown, the first woman to earn a doctorate in orchestral conducting from Eastman, is music director and conductor of the Bowling Green Philharmonia and Opera Theatre at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and the author of A Dictionary for the Modern Conductor (Roman & Littlefield). She has led orchestras across the United States, Europe, Central Asia, and South America and has recorded for labels including Naxos and Albany Records.
Emily currently serves as Professor of Creative Arts Excellence at Bowling Green State University, where she was formally presented with the Conductors Award on Sunday, April 19, in Kobacker Hall.
Please visit here to learn more about The Alice M. Ditson Fund.