Michael Nowak began his musical studies in the Rhode Island public school system, where he studied violin, clarinet, and tuba. His interest in composition and conducting led him to Indiana University where he met and became a student of the legendary violist, William Primrose, who inspired him to devote himself to the viola.

Mr. Nowak has served as violist and assistant conductor with the Dallas Symphony, conductor of the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra, and the Monterey Chamber Orchestra. He was the Music Director of the San Luis Symphony for 31 years with acclaimed performances in Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and Disney Hall. He is widely recognized for his innovative children’s concert programs such as “Fly Me To The Moon” and “How Music Tells A Story” and for designing unique POPS! concerts.

Mr. Nowak is currently the Music Director of the Santa Maria Philharmonic and Founder and Artistic Director of Orchestra Novo. Maestro Nowak is also active as a recording musician and conductor in the motion picture industry. Among the many notable films conducted by Mr. Nowak are Academy Award-winning Life of Pi, The Kite Runner, The Accountant, Fences, King Kong, and Under the Tuscan Sun. He has also been the conductor on several TV shows such as Once Upon a Time, American Crime, and Wonderland. Mr. Nowak made his on-screen acting debut as the Juilliard conductor in the movie, The Soloist, starring Jamie Foxx. He resides on the central coast with his wife, Suzette, and daughter, Julia.

Daniel Gee is a conductor, composer, and educator based out of Southern California where he is currently pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Southern California.   His present conducting duties include serving as Assistant Conductor of the Long Beach Symphony, Associate Conductor of the USC Apollo Chorus, and as the Artistic Director of Choirs at Evergreen Baptist Church of San Gabriel Valley.  He has previously served as Associate Conductor of the USC Oriana Women’s Choir, during which he commissioned and premiered a new choral work for treble voices by composer Emma Lou Diemer. Other conducting duties have included serving as Guest Conductor of the Global Harmony Symphony, Associate Conductor of the USC University Chorus, and Assistant Conductor of the Westmont Orchestra.

As a composer, he has fulfilled commissions for ensembles in the Santa Barbara and Los Angeles music communities, including the Quire of Voyces, the Westmont Orchestra, and College Choir,  and the Westridge School Chamber Orchestra. His choral music has been published by Colla Voce Music on the Jo-Michael Scheibe Choral Series. Daniel has taught as an adjunct instructor of theory and composition at Westmont College, where he also founded the Westmont chapter of the Pi Kappa Lambda music honors society.

Daniel received his Master of Music degree from USC where he studied conducting with Jo-Michael Scheibe and Nick Strimple and composition with Morten Lauridsen and Sean Friar.  Daniel completed his undergraduate work at Westmont College, majoring in both Music Composition and Philosophy, where he was graduated summa cum laude as First Senior of his class.

Daniel also continues his work as a string educator, having taught private cello for over ten years. He has lead rehearsals and sectionals for youth orchestras across the Greater Los Angeles area including the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras and the Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra.

GRAMMY Award winner Jeff Tyzik is one of America’s most innovative and sought-after POPS! conductors. Tyzik is recognized for his brilliant arrangements, original programming and engaging rapport with audiences of all ages. Tyzik holds The Dot and Paul Mason Principal POPS! Conductor’s Podium at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and serves as Principal POPS! Conductor of the Detroit Symphony, the Oregon Symphony, and The Florida Orchestra. This season, Tyzik will celebrate his 23rd season as Principal POPS! Conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Frequently invited as a guest conductor, Tyzik has appeared with over fifty orchestras including the Boston Pops, Cincinnati Pops, Milwaukee Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

In May 2007, the Harmonia Mundi label released a recording of works by Gershwin with Tyzik conducting the RPO and acclaimed pianist Jon Nakamatsu. This recording stayed in the Top 10 on the Billboard classical chart for over three months. Alex Ross of The New Yorker, called it “one of the snappiest Gershwin discs in years.” “His concert is the kind of thing that’s likely to give classical music a good name, perhaps even make it seem, dare I say, relevant,” writes John Pitcher of the Gannet News Service.

As an accomplished composer and arranger, Tyzik has had his compositions recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony and Doc Severinsen with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. He has also produced and composed theme music for many of the major television networks, including ABC, NBC, HBO, and Cinemax, and released six of his own albums on Capitol, Polygram and Amherst Records.

Tyzik worked closely with Doc Severinsen on many projects including orchestrating many of the great band leader’s symphony orchestra programs. He produced a GRAMMY Award-winning album, The Tonight Show Band with Doc Severinsen, Vol. 1. Tyzik’s subsequent recordings with Severinsen garnered three more GRAMMY nominations.

In his twenty-two years with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Tyzik has written over 200 arrangements, orchestrations, and compositions for orchestra. A consummate musician, Tyzik regularly appears as a guest conductor in the orchestra’s classical subscription series. He has also been commissioned to compose original works for orchestra, including a Trombone Concerto, which was funded by a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts and subsequently performed at Carnegie Hall. Tyzik conducted the world premiere of his original work New York Cityscapes with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 2010. Tyzik composed a Timpani Concerto, commissioned by the RPO, and also led the RPO in the premiere of his new orchestral suite, Images: Musical Impressions of an Art Gallery to rave reviews. In the 2015/16 season, Tyzik premiered his new work Jazz Concerto for Violin and Orchestra on his Philharmonic Series performance with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

A native of Hyde Park, New York, Tyzik began his life in music when he first picked up a cornet at age nine. He studied both classical and jazz throughout high school and went on to earn both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Eastman School of Music. While there, he studied composition/arranging with Radio City Music Hall’s Ray Wright and jazz studies with Chuck Mangione. Tyzik subsequently toured with Mangione as lead trumpet and worked on five Mangione recordings as a producer and performer from 1976 to 1981.

Committed to performing music of all genres, Tyzik has collaborated with such diverse artists as Megan Hilty, Chris Botti, Matthew Morrison, Wynonna Judd, Tony Bennett, Art Garfunkel, Dawn Upshaw, Marilyn Horne, Arturo Sandoval, The Chieftains, Mark O’Connor, Doc Severinsen and John Pizzarelli. Tyzik has created numerous original programs that include the greatest music from jazz, classical, Motown, Broadway, film, dance, Latin, and swing.

Broadway Music Director, Pianist and Conductor, William Waldrop, currently serves as Principal Conductor of the Broadway revival of Cats at the Neil Simon Theatre in New York City. Equally comfortable on the podium with the orchestra on stage or conducting from the pit, Maestro Waldrop has been hailed for his ‘dynamic conducting’ and has been praised in cities all over the US and abroad. He most recently completed a 30-city tour as the Music Director and Conductor of the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita. Waldrop conducted the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra in Washington, D.C. for the tour’s final engagement. Prior to leading the very successful national tour, he was the Associate Conductor for the Broadway production starring Ricky Martin, Elena Roger and Michael Cerveris.

Waldrop has conducted productions of Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh (National Tour) as well as in Germany where he was the Associate Music Supervisor for a new production in Oberhausen in 2015.

William has played or conducted in the pits of other Broadway shows including Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, On The Town, and Fiddler on The Roof. As a music director, conductor and pianist, he has led chamber ensemble productions of Grey Gardens (Bay Street Theatre starring Betty Buckley) South Pacific (Asolo Repertory Theatre) and A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (Off-Broadway).

As a composer, William most recently premiered his brand new solo production Still, and Still Moving: The Music of William Waldrop at New York City’s famed Metropolitan Room. William’s music has also been heard in other popular NYC venues such as Birdland, The Laurie Beechman Theatre and New World Stages.

An accomplished vocal coach, William accompanies and advises many star clients performing in current Broadway productions (Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, and Wicked). Also, an active educator, he leads regular master classes throughout New York City for such groups as The Growing Studio and Broadway Classroom. Waldrop’s extensive experience on Broadway as both a conductor and pianist in today’s most popular hits and his love of the American Songbook, have made him a sought-after conductor and one of the best and brightest new faces on the symphonic pops stage today.

William received his Masters of Music degree from The Peabody Conservatory of Music and his Bachelors of Music degree from The University of Mississippi.

With a dynamic podium presence and noted passionate interpretations, Indian American conductor Roger Kalia has been celebrated continuously by audiences and industry professionals alike, with Symphony Magazine recently recognizing him nationally as one of five first-year music directors for his innovative programming during the pandemic. Praised for bringing a “fresh view to classical music” (The Republic, IN), Kalia is now in his third season as Music Director of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, fourth season as Music Director of the 100-year-old Symphony New Hampshire, and fifth season as Music Director of Orchestra Santa Monica. He is also Co-Founder and Music Director of the 12-year-old celebrated Lake George Music Festival in upstate New York. The recipient of several awards from the Solti Foundation U.S., including an Elizabeth Buccheri Opera Residency with Lyric Opera of Chicago and five Career Assistance Awards, Kalia has been praised for his “extraordinary leadership” (Courier & Press).

In recent seasons, Kalia has appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, Chicago Sinfonietta, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Szczecin Philharmonic (Poland), Boise Philharmonic Orchestra, Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of Redlands, Lima, Adrian, Bakersfield, Great Falls, Owensboro, Spokane, and Wheeling. The 2022-23 season features debuts with the Terre Haute Symphony, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, and the Longy School of Music Orchestra Flex as well as a return to the Redlands Bowl with the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra.

2022-2023 season highlights include collaborations with Time for Three at the Lake George Music Festival and the world premiere of Pascal Le Boeuf’s Triple Concerto with violinist Barbora Kolarova, arx duo, and the Lake George Music Festival Symphony Orchestra; a Musicians’ Choice concert with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra – works chosen by EPO Musicians bringing them front and center – featuring Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration and Louise Farrenc’s Overture No. 1; the Evansville premieres of Joel Thompson’s An Act of Resistance and Valerie Coleman’s Seven O’Clock Shout; and the debut of EPO’s Uncorked Series, a series of concerts in non-traditional settings including distilleries, craft breweries, and restaurants/cafes.

A native of New York State, Kalia holds degrees from Indiana University, the University of Houston, and SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music.

Golden Globe nominated composer Brian Byrne moved to Los Angeles from Ireland in July 2003 to expand his career as a film and television composer. Since then, Brian has consistently worked as a composer, conductor, songwriter, arranger and pianist in the US and in Europe. Brian recently won two World Soundtrack Awards and a Satellite Award for his music to the song and score for the movie Albert Nobbs and received his third World Soundtrack Award nomination for Best Original Song in 2016.

From huge orchestral scores to minimal ensemble compositions, Brian has written music for films in many genres. He won his first Irish Film and Television Award for his original score for the Irish Sci-Fi comedy Zonad, directed by John Carney (Once). He then scored an indie drama called The Good Doctor, starring Orlando Bloom and went on to compose the score and song to the Oscar nominated movie Albert Nobbs starring Glenn Close. Brian just completed the score to Jim Sheridan’s new movie The Secret Scripture, starring Rooney Mara and wrote and produced the end title song for Kelly Clarkson.

Brian has composed and conducted original songs for Barbra Stresiand, Josh Groban, Alanis Morrisette, Kelly Clarkson, Sinead O’ Connor, Kurt Elling and many more high profile recording artists.

As well as an in-demand film composer, Brian is a much sought after arranger and producer. He recently worked on Sarah McLachlan’s 2016 album.

In 2014, Brian completed composing the music to Heartbeat of Home a new show from the producers of Riverdance featuring Paddy Moloney, Carlos Nunez, The RTE Concert Orchestra, Jessica Sanchez and guests. It toured North America and China to critical acclaim.

Brian has collaborated with such international luminaries as Katy Perry, Bono, Barbra Streisand, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Josh Groban, Lisa Stansfield, Van Morrison, Alanis Morissette, The Corrs, Sinead O’Connor, Alan Bergman, Ronan Tynan, Luis Miguel, Vince Gill, Gladys Knight, to name a few. He arranged a song for the movie Sex and the City 2 and played piano on Liza Minnelli’s cover of Beyonce’s Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it).

Brian’s American conducting debut came in 2004 at Carnegie Hall. He was commissioned to write all the arrangements and conduct the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the release of Ronan Tynan’s first solo album for Decca. Brian also released a Classical album called Tales From the Walled City on the Decca label and is working on a large scale project based on poems by James Joyce.

Brian was educated at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He graduated in 1997 with first-class honors in music and was awarded The Peter Knox Memorial Award for overall performance. Later that year he received the Outstanding Musicianship Award from Berklee College’s touring faculty in Scotland as well as winning the PRS Sir Arthur Bliss Prize Scholarship for composition that enabled him to study film composition at London’s Royal College of Music.

Although living in Los Angeles, Brian has been Artist in Residence with the RTE Concert Orchestra in Ireland since 2012 and has conducted and arranged many Pops Concerts and TV shows for both RTE and the BBC Ulster Orchestra since 2003.

With a contagious smile and captivating charm, trumpet virtuoso, Byron Stripling, has ignited audiences internationally. As soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Stripling has performed frequently under the baton of Keith Lockhart, as well as being featured soloist on the PBS television special, Evening at Pops, with conductors John Williams and Mr. Lockhart. Currently, Stripling serves as artistic director and Conductor of the highly acclaimed Columbus Jazz Orchestra. Since his Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops, Stripling has become a pops orchestra favorite throughout the country, soloing with Boston Pops, National Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Seattle Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and Dallas Symphony, to name a few. He has been a featured soloist at the Hollywood Bowl and performs at jazz festivals throughout the world.

An accomplished actor and singer, Mr. Stripling was chosen, following a worldwide search, to star in the lead role of the Broadway bound musical, Satchmo. Many will remember his featured cameo performance in the television movie, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, and his critically acclaimed virtuoso trumpet and riotous comedic performance in the 42nd Street production of From Second Avenue to Broadway. Television viewers have enjoyed his work as soloist on the worldwide telecast of The GRAMMY Awards. Millions have heard his trumpet and voice on television commercials, TV theme songs including 20/20, CNN, and soundtracks of favorite movies.

Mr. Stripling earned his stripes as lead trumpeter and soloist with the Count Basie Orchestra under the direction of Thad Jones and Frank Foster. He has also played and recorded extensively with the bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Louis Bellson, and Buck Clayton in addition to The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and The GRP All Star Big Band. Mr. Stripling enjoys conducting seminars and master classes at colleges, universities, conservatories, and high schools. His informative talks, combined with his incomparable wit and charm, make him a favorite guest speaker to groups of all ages. Mr. Stripling was educated at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York and the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan. One of his greatest joys is to periodically return to Eastman and Interlochen as a special guest lecturer.

A resident of Ohio, Mr. Stripling lives in the country with his wife, former dancer, writer and poet, Alexis and their two beautiful daughters.

Maestro Paul Polivnick is a prominent figure on the world stage, conducting fine orchestras across the United States, Europe and Asia.

In recent seasons he has focused on guest conducting, continuing long associations with the National Orchestra of Lille, France and Symphony Silicon Valley in San Jose, California for performances and recordings. Other notable recent engagements have included a production of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker with the New York City Ballet at Lincoln Center, return engagements with the orchestras in Barcelona, Spain, Bucheon and Gwangju, Korea and Portland, Maine and debuts with the UNAM Orchestra in Mexico City and the new orchestra in Boca del Rio. On the educational front, Paul conducted a filmed concert with the Carnegie Mellon University Philharmonic.

Currently the Music Director and Conductor Laureate of the New Hampshire Music Festival, Paul was also its Music Director from 1993-2009 enjoying both critical and popular success. Due to his energetic and inspired leadership, the Festival season expanded, the orchestra roster grew, the first commercial recording, “Summer Lightning” was met with enthusiasm and high praise, and ticket sales went over the 100% mark. Musicians came from near and far to live closely together for six weeks each summer creating musical magic, renewing friendships and recharging their energies.

From 1997-2002 Polivnick served as Music Director of the Oberlin Conservatory Orchestras while maintaining an active schedule of national and international guest conducting engagements.

Prior to that he served as Music Director of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra for eight years, during which time the season grew from 40 to 46 weeks. His talent, charisma and energy were very much in evidence at the ASO’s debut at the Kennedy Center in 1988, which resulted in an impressive review in the Washington Post praising… “a fine collection of musicians who gave a bright, precise, energetic and highly enjoyable performance. After three seasons under conductor Polivnick, the ASO seems to be leaving its regional status to claim national attention.” This national attention was further enhanced by the production of a series of critically acclaimed commercial recordings.

From 1988-1993 Polivnick was the Principal Conductor of Harmonia Classica of Vienna, Austria, a composers’ society devoted to “beautiful new music.” This post enabled him to conduct concerts and recordings in all of the principal Viennese halls. The tonal qualities of these great musical spaces have become an inseparable part of Maestro Polivnick’s “sound.”

In the spring of 1987, Mr. Polivnick was nominated for the Seaver Award, an award given annually to the most outstanding young conductor in the USA. In August of the same year, he made his European debut in Portugal with the Gulbenkian Orchestra. Since that time, he has been seen on many podiums abroad including those of the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Austrian Radio Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, National Orchestra of Lille, France, Orchestral Ensemble of Paris, Luxembourg Philharmonic, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Russian Philharmonic of Moscow, Kiev Camerata, Brno Philharmonic, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra London, Ontario, UNAM Symphony Orchestra of Mexico City, Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra and all of the leading orchestras in Korea: the KBS Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, Korea Symphony, and the Philharmonic Orchestras of Busan, Bucheon, Daejon, Taegu and Gwangju.

Polivnick has also guest conducted over 40 orchestras and opera companies in the USA including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Silicon Valley in San Jose, California, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony, San Diego Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, New Mexico Symphony, Central City Opera, Santa Barbara Grand Opera and Charleston Opera.

Maestro Polivnick conducted the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra from 1981-85, first as Associate Conductor and then as Associate Principal Conductor. During those four years, Paul conducted an amazing 360 concerts with a vast amount of repertoire while serving in the demanding role of spokesman to the community-at-large for the orchestra. One of the highlights of his time in Milwaukee was a performance of Messiaen’s monumental “Turangalila Symphony” that was broadcast on 300 classical radio stations nationwide through the WFMT network. This performance prompted the composer to write a personal letter to maestro Polivnick praising the performance as “truly remarkable” and his direction as “magnificent!”

Prior to the MSO, he held a similar title and post with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for three years. While in Indianapolis he was popularly received by its critics, audiences and musicians. He conducted subscription and Bach series concerts, regional touring engagements, Youth Concerts, the “Sunday Night Pops” series, outdoor concerts and special events. He was also the very popular host of the TV show, “Symphony Backstage”.

Maestro Eckart Preu (Eck-art Proy) begins his tenure with Long Beach Symphony as its 8th Music Director. He also serves as Music Director of the Spokane Symphony (WA) and Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. Previously, he held the positions of Music Director of Stamford Symphony (2005–2017), Associate Conductor of the Richmond Symphony (2001–2004), Resident Conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra (1997–2004) and of the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra (1999–2004). Other former posts include Music Director of the Norwalk (CT) Youth Symphony and Principal Conductor of the New Amsterdam Symphony (NY). He was associated with the Bard Music Festival from 1997 to 2004 as both Assistant and Guest Conductor. In Europe, Maestro Preu served as Music Director of the Orchestre International de Paris (1993–1995).

As a guest conductor, he has appeared with the Jerusalem Symphony (Israel), Symphony Orchestra of Chile, Auckland Philharmonia (New Zealand), Radio Philharmonic of Slovenia, Pecs Philharmonic (Hungary), Varna Philharmonic (Bulgaria), and in Germany with the Jenaer Philharmoniker. Recent and upcoming guest conducting engagements include concerts with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the Delaware Symphony, the Duluth Superior Symphony, the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, the Wichita Symphony, and the Portland Symphony (Maine). Recent international appearances include performances with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Chile, the Auckland Philharmonia in New Zealand, and the Philharmonie Baden-Baden in Germany.

Career highlights include performances at Carnegie Hall, the Sorbonne in Paris, a live broadcast with the Jerusalem Symphony, and his first commercial recording of the world premiere of Letters from Lincoln – a work commissioned by the Spokane Symphony from Michael Daugherty featuring baritone soloist Thomas Hampson. 2012 also saw a live CD recording featuring Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with Sergey Malov and the New Zealand Philharmonia. His concerts have been aired from coast to coast and on Jerusalem Radio.

An innovative and passionate force both on and off the conductor’s podium, Mei-Ann Chen is one of America’s most dynamic young conductors. Music Director of the Memphis Symphony since 2010 and of the Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011, she has infused both orchestras with energy, enthusiasm and high-level music-making, galvanizing their audiences and communities alike. A sought-after guest conductor, Ms. Chen’s reputation as a compelling communicator has resulted in growing popularity with orchestras both nationally and internationally.

Following debut performances with Sweden’s Gothenburg Symphony, Canada’s Calgary Philharmonic, and Brazil’s Minas Gerais Philharmonic Orchestra, closing the season for the Wintergreen Festival in Virginia and the Texas Music Festival in Houston, and concerts with Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago, Maestra Chen’s 2014-15 season includes concerts throughout the United States and in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Taiwan. Performances of note include Maestra Chen leading Germany’s Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe and Taiwan’s National Symphony Orchestra in November 2014, and San Francisco Symphony’s renowned Chinese New Year celebration and the Netherlands Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw in February 2015.

Recent performance highlights include an impressive debut with the Indianapolis Symphony as a last-minute step-in engagement, debuts with the Chicago Symphony on its subscription series, the San Francisco Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony (where she stepped in on short notice and was immediately re-engaged), and San Diego Symphony nationally, and engagements abroad with Austria’s Gross Orchester Graz, Brazil’s São Paulo Symphony, Finland’s Tampere Philharmonic, the Netherlands Philharmonic, NorrlandsOperan (Norrland’s Opera), the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, and Sweden’s Göteborgs Symfoniker. Among her many North American guesting credits are appearances with the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Colorado, Columbus, Florida, Fort Worth, Grand Rapids, Nashville, North Carolina, Oregon, Pacific, Phoenix, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, and the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. Overseas guesting credits include the principal Danish orchestras, the BBC Scottish Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, Orquestra Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, and the Trondheim Symphony. U.S. summer music festivals credits include the Aspen Music Festival, Britt, Grand Teton, Wintergreen, and the Chautauqua Institute.

In addition to the 2012 Helen M. Thompson Award from the League of American Orchestras, Mei-Ann Chen’s skill on the podium, and as a music educator, has been recognized with several honors, awards and posts. In 2005 Ms. Chen became the first woman to win Copenhagen’s esteemed Malko Competition. She served as Assistant Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony and Baltimore Symphony, under the aegis of the League of American Orchestras, with the Oregon symphony as well. Recipient of the 2007 Taki Concordia Fellowship, she has appeared jointly with Marin Alsop and Stefan Sanderling in highly acclaimed subscription concerts with the Baltimore Symphony, Colorado Symphony and Florida Orchestra. In 2002, Ms. Chen was unanimously selected as Music Director of the Portland Youth Philharmonic in Oregon, the oldest of its kind and a model for many youth orchestras in the United States. During her five-year tenure with the orchestra, she led its sold-out debut in Carnegie Hall, received an ASCAP award for innovative programming, and developed new and unique musicianship programs for the orchestra’s members. She was also the recipient of a Sunburst Award from Young Audiences for her contribution to music education.

Born in Taiwan, Mei-Ann Chen has lived in the United States since 1989. She was the first student in New England Conservatory’s history to receive master’s degrees, simultaneously, in both violin and conducting, later studying with Kenneth Kiesler at the University of Michigan, where she earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting. Ms. Chen also participated in the National Conducting Institute in Washington, D.C. and at the American Academy of Conducting in Aspen.

Photo credit: Rosalie O’Connor