Catherine Comet
Catherine Comet (born 1944) is a French-born, American conductor who from 1986 to 1997 was the music director of the Grand Rapids Symphony in Grand Rapids, Michigan, becoming the first woman to hold a post as music director of a professional orchestra in the United States. During her 11-year tenure with the Grand Rapids Symphony, she also served as music director of the American Symphony Orchestra. She received the Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductors Award in 1988. From 1984 to 1986, Comet was associate conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.