Ditson Conductor's Award

{{short description|American music award honoring conductors}}

The Ditson Conductor's Award, established in 1945, is the oldest award honoring conductors for their commitment to the performance of American music. The US$5,000 purse is endowed by the Alice M. Ditson Fund at Columbia University, increased in 1999 from US$1,000.

The Ditson Conductor's Award was established five years after the 30 April 1940 death of Alice M. Ditson, widow of music publisher Charles Healy Ditson and daughter-in-law of Oliver Ditson, founder of the publishing house that bore his name. Her will bequested $400,000 (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|0.4|1940|r=1|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}) to Columbia University was for "the encouragement and aide of musicians."{{cite news |title=Columbia Receives Trust to Aid Music |newspaper=The New York Times |page=31 |date=1940-05-16 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/05/16/archives/columbia-receives-trust-to-aid-music-mrs-charles-h-ditson-widow-of.html |access-date=2021-02-20 |url-access=subscription}}{{cite web |title=About the Fund |work=The Alice M. Ditson Fund |url=https://ditsonfund.org/ |access-date=2021-02-20}} From this was born fellowships, public hearings, publication of the work of talented musicians and the Ditson Conductor's Award.