Conductors
Ari Pelto
Appointed Music Director at Opera Colorado in 2015, Ari Pelto has conducted acclaimed performances of La Traviata, Don Giovanni, Madama Butterfly, Aida, La Boheme, Falstaff, La Fanciulla del West, Le Nozze di Figaro and Lucia di Lammermoor, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, I Pagliacci, Otello, Carmen, Rigoletto and Die Tote Stadt for the company to date; Opera Colorado’s contemporary titles include The Shining; their world-premiere…
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George Manahan
The wide-ranging and versatile George Manahan has had an esteemed career embracing everything from opera to the concert stage, the traditional to the contemporary. In the 24/25 season, he debuts at New Orleans Opera for Tosca and Opera Colorado for La bohème and returns to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for Die Fledermaus. Mr. Manahan continues his commitment to working with young musicians as Director of Orchestral…
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Sahar Nouri
Iranian conductor and pianist Sahar Nouri is the Music Director of Lamont Opera Theater at University of Denver since 2019. She also serves at Opera Colorado as chorus master and assistant conductor since 2016. Ms. Nouri is the founder and director of Dandelion Opera Institute. Most recently, Ms. Nouri has conducted performances of La fille du régiment, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, Carmen, and Il barbiere di Siviglia…
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Melisse Brunet
Renowned as a conductor of “uncommon emotional intensity” (Marie-Celine) and a “force at the podium” (Eugene Scene), American conductor Mélisse Brunet is a native of Paris, France with Spanish and Italian roots. She is quickly gaining attention on both sides of the Atlantic as “a skilled and polished conductor with an excellent pedigree… Brunet led the orchestra with panache and clarity, giving inspiring…
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Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser
A passionate communicator, Canadian conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser brings clarity and meaning to the concert hall, fostering deep connections between audiences and performers. Daniel is an innovative creative visionary, who believes that the beauty of music can heal and unite all of us beyond differences. Mr. Bartholomew-Poyser holds the positions of Resident Conductor of Engagement and Education at the San…
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Stephanie Rhodes Russell
Stephanie Rhodes Russell is an alum of the Dallas Opera’s Institute for Women Conductors, the Houston Grand Opera Studio and San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program. She was a Conducting Fellow with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra from 2019-2021, where she appeared regularly with the ensemble leading education, family, and community concerts while serving as cover conductor for the symphonic subscription…
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Emily Senturia
Drawing from her diverse experience as a violinist, conductor, and coach, San Francisco Bay Area native Emily Senturia approaches operatic repertoire with a sympathetic affinity for both singers and instrumentalists. In 2023, Ms. Senturia makes debuts at The Glimmerglass Festival (Rinaldo) and The Atlanta Opera (L’amant anonyme). She has recently conducted at Minnesota Opera (Rinaldo), Florida Grand Opera (Fellow…
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Ming Luke
With the “energy, creativity and charisma not seen since Leonard Bernstein” and “vibrant,” “mind-blowing,” and “spectacular” conducting, Ming Luke is a versatile conductor that has excited audiences around the world. Highlights include conducting the Bolshoi Orchestra in Moscow, performances of Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella at the Kennedy Center, his English debut at Sadler’s Wells with Birmingham…
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Timothy Myers
Timothy Myers is one of America’s most versatile conductors, engaging collaborators, and innovative purveyors of ideas. Internationally acclaimed for his eloquence, energy, and command, Myers is driven by unbridled curiosity. A frequent collaborator with leading opera companies and orchestras, his work spans a wide range of projects and repertoire. Myers serves as the Sarah and Ernest Butler Principal Conductor…
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Andrew Altenbach
Andrew Altenbach brings dynamic passion to his symphonic and operatic conducting that continues to garner him national attention. Praised especially for his interpretations of Mozart, Puccini, Brahms, and Debussy, Altenbach has conducted for such companies as Minnesota Opera, Central City Opera, Opera Birmingham, Opera Africa, Milwaukee Opera Theater, Opera on the James, and MetroWest Opera. Recent engagements include…
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Cosette Justo Valdés
With her “incisive presence on the podium,” “emotive in her conducting without being in any sense showy” (Edmonton Journal), Cuban-born and raised conductor Cosette Justo Valdés has garnered acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic and is a rising star on the world’s concert stage. She is presently Resident Conductor of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (Canada) where she has won the hearts of musicians and audience…
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Lidiya Yankovskaya
Lidiya Yankovskaya is a fiercely committed advocate for Russian masterpieces, operatic rarities, and contemporary works on the leading edge of classical music. She has conducted more than 40 world premieres, including 16 operas, and her strength as a visionary collaborator has guided new perspectives on staged and symphonic repertoire from Carmen and Queen of Spades to Price and Prokofiev. Her daring performances before…
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Douglas Boyd
In recent years Douglas has held the positions of Chief Conductor of the Musikkollegium Winterthur, Music Director of Manchester Camerata, Principal Guest Conductor of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Partner of St Paul Chamber Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of City of London Sinfonia. Douglas was a founder member and principal oboist of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe until 2002 when he stopped playing…
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Michael Christie
Michael Christie is a thoughtfully innovative conductor, equally at home in the symphonic and opera worlds, who is focused on making the audience experience at his performances entertaining, enlightening, and enriching. Christie began his tenure as the first-ever Music Director of the Minnesota Opera with the 2012-2013 season. Highlights of Christie’s 2016-2017 season include the world premiere of The (R)evolution…
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Leonard Slatkin
Internationally acclaimed conductor Leonard Slatkin is Music Director Laureate of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO), Directeur Musical Honoraire of the Orchestre National de Lyon (ONL), Conductor Laureate of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO), and Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria (OFGC). He maintains a rigorous schedule of guest conducting throughout the world and is active…
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Sascha Goetzel
A dynamic, charismatic, and compelling musical presence on the podium, Sascha Goetzel has emerged as a multifaceted conductor—a remarkable orchestra builder, creative programmer, entrepreneur, educator, and advocate for musicians and artists. In late-2021, he was appointed Music Director of the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, a post he takes on for an initial four-year term beginning in September 2022. In addition…
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Ankush Kumar Bahl
Currently in his first season as Music Director of the Omaha Symphony, Ankush Kumar Bahl has delivered resonant performances of masterworks, new and old, championing American composers and artists while pursuing innovative, community-based concert design. Bahl is recognized by orchestras and audiences alike for his impressive conducting technique, thoughtful interpretations, and engaging podium presence. In concert, he…
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Margaret Batjer
Margaret made her first solo appearance at the age of 15 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She has since appeared with a succession of leading American orchestras including The Philadelphia Orchestra, the St. Louis, Seattle and Dallas symphony orchestras. She has performed with such European ensembles as the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Prague Chamber Orchestra, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (of Ireland),…
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Robert Moody
Robert Moody is in his second year as Music Director of the Memphis Symphony. He serves as Music Director of Arizona Musicfest, which he has led since 2007. In 2018, Moody concluded his tenures with the Winston-Salem Symphony and the Portland Symphony Orchestra (Maine), where he had been Music Director since 2005 and 2008, respectively. Guest conducting highlights include appearances include with Chicago Symphony at…
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Jeffrey Kahane
Equally at home at the keyboard or on the podium, Jeffrey Kahane has established an international reputation as a truly versatile artist, recognized by audiences around the world for his mastery of a diverse repertoire ranging from Bach, Mozart and Beethoven to Gershwin, Golijov and John Adams. Mr. Kahane appears as soloist with major orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic,…
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Christoph Campestrini
Austrian conductor Christoph Campestrini maintains an active international schedule encompassing a wide spectrum of symphonic and operatic repertoire. In 2016 Campestrini was appointed Kapellmeister at Vienna’s historic Hofmusikkapelle, tasked with leading the Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Boys’ Choir and Male Choir of the Vienna State Opera in several programs, annually, of sacred music. He is Music Director of the International…
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Stuart Chafetz
Stuart Chafetz is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Columbus Symphony and Principal Pops Conductor of the Chautauqua and Marin Symphonies. Chafetz, a conductor celebrated for his dynamic and engaging podium presence, is increasingly in demand with orchestras across the continent and this season Chafetz will be on the podium in Detroit, Ft Worth, Naples, Buffalo, North Carolina and Seattle. He enjoys a special relationship…
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