Newsletter #11 - Handel Week welcomes Eli Zelman as the Mark and Randi Ravitts Woodworth conducting Intern for 2026

In Eli's application, he states: I am passionate about Baroque because of it DRAMATIC ENERGY and VIBRANT CLARITY. Specifically Bach's and Handel's music captures me- they mastered sophisticated forms while making them feel immediate and universally stirring. In Handel I like the rhythmic drive and deep emotional life in his Oratorios. This is exactly why I connect with the Handel Week festival; Handel's works deserve to be enthusiastically popularized and shared with every audience.

A little about Eli: Eli Zelman brings a well-rounded background in conducting, music education, and orchestral performance. He currently serves as Assistant Conductor, Production Assistant, Assistant Librarian, and Musician Liaison for The Hamptons Festival of Music in East Hampton, NY, and holds the positions of Assistant Conductor and Assistant Librarian with the Atlanta Musicians' Orchestra. In addition, Zelman works as the Academy Development & Production Assistant at The Art of Conducting Academy and is the Principal Guest Director of Concordi Laetitia in Atlanta, GA.

His past roles include Library Assistant with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Coach for the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra. Eli has taken part in numerous conducting workshops and festivals, such as the International Conducting Workshop & Festival, the Conductor's Institute of South Carolina, and masterclasses in Chicago and at USC.

Zelman has been teaching violin, music theory, and history privately since 2017, while also holding several leadership positions in the Georgia State University Symphony Orchestra, including Student President, Concertmaster, Associate Concertmaster, and Principal Second Violin.

His extensive accolades include 1st and Platinum Prizes in conducting and orchestral competitions, such as the New York Classical Music Competition, VanBach International Music Competition, and the World's Best Musicians Competition. Zelman is currently pursuing an MM in Orchestral Conducting at the Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University, after earning a BM in Violin Performance from Georgia State University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.