Marin Alsop (Photo by Grant Leighton)

Marin Alsop (B.M. '77, M.M. '78, violin) has been named a 2005 MacArthur Fellow. She was one of 25 recipients of the honor, often called the "genius award," each of whom received a phone call from the foundation last month informing them that they will be given $500,000 in "no strings attached" support over the next five years. Among the other recipients (11 women and 14 men) are a pharmacist reducing preventable drug and drug delivery errors in the healthcare industry; a violinmaker producing new and world-class instruments; and a fisherman fusing the roles of applied scientist and lobsterman to respond to increasing threats to the fishery ecosystem.

"The call can be life-changing, coming as it does out of the blue and offering highly creative women and men the gift of time and the unfettered opportunity to explore, create, and contribute," said Jonathan F. Fanton, president of the MacArthur Foundation. MacArthur Fellows are selected for their creativity, originality, and potential. By providing resources with no stipulations or reporting requirements, the MacArthur Foundation offers the chance for fellows to accelerate their current activities or take their work in new directions.

The 48-year-old Alsop made headlines recently when the Baltimore Symphony appointed her as music director, beginning in the 2007 season, making her the first woman to hold that post with a major American orchestra. In 2001 Alsop, a native New Yorker, assumed her current position as principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in England. She also has served as music director for the Eugene (Ore.) Symphony Orchestra and the Long Island Philharmonic (1989-95). In 1991, she was appointed music director of the Cabrillo Music Festival, and in 1993, music director of the Colorado Symphony.

Read a recent Juilliard Journal article about Marin Alsop. For a complete list of the 2005 fellows, visit the MacArthur Foundation's Web site.