Award Winners

Since 1988 the Guild has presented three categories of awards: 1) to a conductor who has made a significant lifetime contribution to the art and profession of conducting; 2) to a conductor in recognition of outstanding achievement as both conductor and pedagogue, with significant service to the profession in the realms of scholarship, advocacy and/or orchestra building; and 3) a scholarship/award (presented biannually) to the outstanding participant from the preceding two seasons of conductor training workshops, to be used for career-related expenses or advanced conducting study.

The Theodore Thomas Award is presented biennially to a conductor in recognition of outstanding achievement as a conductor and extraordinary service to one’s colleagues in advancing the art and science of conducting, reflecting honor upon our profession. Past recipients have included:

1988 – Max Rudolf
1989 – Leonard Bernstein
1990 – Leon Barzin
1991 – Sir Georg Solti
1992 – Maurice Abravanel
1993 – Robert Shaw
1994 – Frederick Fennell
1995 – Margaret Hillis
1996 – Pierre Boulez
1997 – Leonard Slatkin
1998 – Kurt Masur
2000 – Claudio Abbado
2002 – James Levine
2004 – Michael Tilson Thomas
2006 – David Zinman
2008 – Marin Alsop
2010 – Esa-Pekka Salonen
2012 – Sir Colin Davis
2014 – Bernard Haitink 
2016 – Sir Simon Rattle

The Max Rudolf Award is presented biennially in recognition of outstanding achievement as a conductor and pedagogue, and significant service to the profession in the realms of scholarship, advocacy and/or ensemble building. This award was established by the Conductors Guild in 1997 in memory of Max Rudolf – a longtime supporter of the Guild, conducting pedagogue and scholar. Past recipients have included:

1997 – Gunther Schuller
1999 – Gustav Meier
2001 – Otto-Werner Mueller
2003 – David M. Epstein
2005 – Daniel Lewis
2007 – Herbert Blomstedt
2009 – Paul Vermel
2011 – Jonathan Sternberg
2013 – Donald Hunsberger
2015 – Helmuth Rilling
2018 -- Harold Farberman
2022 - Dr. John Farrer

The Thelma A. Robinson Award is a scholarship/award formerly sponsored by the National Federation of Music Clubs was presented biennially to an outstanding participant from the preceding two seasons of Conductors Guild conductor training workshops for career-related expenses or advanced conducting study. Past Recipients have included:

1990 – Miriam Burns
1992 – Steven Martyn Zike
1994 – Laura Rexroth
1996 – Beatrice Jona Affron
1998 – Annunziata Tomaro
2000 – Eric Bell
2002 – Kevin Geraldi
2004 – Carolyn Kuan
2006 – Octavio Mas-Arocas
2008 – Katherine Kilburn
2011 – Matilda Hofman
2013 – Jamie Reeves
2016 --  Robert Whalen
2018  -  Isaac Hutton