The Solti Foundation U.S. recently honored Elizabeth Buccheri, retired senior lecturer of the Bienen School of Music, at its annual Solti Night Benefit. 

In June, the Foundation announced the naming of its opera residency program as the Elizabeth Buccheri Opera Residency Program of the Solti Foundation U.S. Buccheri, who serves as the Artistic and Awards Chair of Solti Foundation, conceived the program during the 2014-15 season. The program places former Foundation award recipients with a distinguished U.S. opera house for one-on-one mentoring and coaching during the company's professional season. Conductors cannot apply to the program but are instead selected by the Artistic and Awards Committee.

“Because of [Buccheri’s] close working relationship with Sir Georg and her long career assisting other conductors and singers, she understood passionately the importance of opera to successful conductors,” according to the Solti Foundation press release.

Buccheri is also Head of Music at the Aspen Opera Center. Her varied career includes serving as accompanist/coach for conductors Sir Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta, Sir Andrew Davis, and Christoph Eschenbach. From 1987 to 2013 Buccheri served as assistant conductor of Lyric Opera of Chicago. She served 28 seasons as accompanist for the Chicago Symphony Chorus under the direction of Margaret Hillis.

As an educator, Buccheri supervised the Bienen School of Music’s collaborative piano program from 2000 to 2013. She has given master classes at The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Aspen Music Festival and School, Lawrence Conservatory, and the music academies of Lithuania and Latvia.

Earlier this year, The Solti Foundation U.S. awarded Bienen School alumnus Roderick Cox (G11) the 2018 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award. The $30,000 prize is the largest grant awarded to young American conductors in the United States. In the May announcement of the prize, Buccheri said, “The Solti Foundation U.S. takes great pride in identifying and providing assistance in the development of talented young conductors who are forging a path in music. The Artistic Committee congratulates Roderick Cox on his accomplishments to date. We look forward to what the future holds for him.”