Western Washington University names Brett Mitchell Young Alumnus of the Year
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Western Washington University has issued a press release announcing Brett Mitchell's selection as the recipient of the university's 2014 Young Alumnus of the Year award. This award, established in 1980, is the most prestigious honor bestowed on a young alumnus.
Mitchell earned a Bachelor of Music in composition from Western in 2001, and will return to WWU to accept this award and lead their orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 on June 2, 2014.
Brett Mitchell followed his love of music around the world and rose to the top. He has become one of the most prominent conductors of our time. He has conducted orchestras in London, Philadelphia, and Dallas. Mitchell serves as the Assistant Conductor of the prestigious Cleveland Orchestra. He is also the Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra.
I love working with people and inspiring the musicians I work with to come together and achieve more than they ever expected. - Brett Mitchell ('01).
Mitchell’s passion for music ignited when he began studying piano with his first grade teacher. Throughout much of his youth, he continued to play piano, saxophone, and percussion. By high school began to compose his own music and to conduct.
Mitchell enrolled at Western in the fall of 1997. He began formal piano, composition and conducting studies.
Mitchell worked with influential professors like Roger Briggs, Margaret Brink, and Jeffrey Gilliam at WWU. He served as the music director of the North Sound Youth Symphony in Bellingham.
The Young Alumnus of the Year Award goes to an alumnus under the age of 40 who achieve personal and professional notoriety. These awards represent the most prestigious honors bestowed by the Western Alumni Association. In 2007, the Western Washington University Alumni Association Board of Directors expanded the recognition. Awards are given to Distinguished Alumni for each college; the Young Alumnus of the Year to acknowledge alumni under the age of 40; and the Legacy Family of the Year Award to honor a family with strong multi-generational affinity for Western.