Visiting Conductors — 2011-12 Season

Michael Berkowitz

Pops conductor Michael Berkowitz is Liza Minnelli’s music director and has led many of the world’s top orchestras, including the Boston Pops, the London Symphony, the Cincinnati Pops, the Pittsburgh Symphony and the National Symphony. He has been featured on recordings with Placido Domingo, Linda Eder and Steve Lawrence and on numerous Broadway original cast albums. His television appearances include the Academy Awards, The Tonight Show, A Capitol Fourth and concerts from the White House. Berkowitz is also an acclaimed drummer who has performed with Henry Mancini, Billy Joel, Sting, Elton John, Bette Midler and others.

Stuart Chafetz

Known for his ability to engage audiences with innovative classical and pops concerts, Stuart Chafetz is resident conductor the Milwaukee Symphony and has conducted some of the leading orchestras in the country. He has guest-conducted the symphonies of Chicago, Detroit and Toronto among others. Maestro Chafetz focuses on the importance and joy of classical music and the fine arts in our everyday lives.

Mei-Ann Chen

The first woman to win the Malko International Conductors Competition, Mei-Ann Chen is one of America’s most exciting and promising young conductors. She recently concluded a successful tenure as assistant conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and a one-year appointment as assistant conductor of the Baltimore Symphony. Her guest-conducting engagements include all the principal Danish orchestras, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and the symphonies of Honolulu, Fort Worth, Seattle, Toronto and others. Born in Taiwan, Mei-Ann Chen has lived in the United States since 1989. She is the new music director of the Memphis Symphony.

James Cochran

James Cochran is the founder and director of the 70-voice Philharmonic Center Chorale, as well as resident organist of the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra and director of the Philharmonic Youth Chorale. He has performed as an organ recitalist in the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Mexico.

Christopher Confessore

Christopher Confessore is principal pops conductor of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and music director and principal conductor of the Brevard Symphony Orchestra in Melbourne, Fla. He made his international debut in 2004, conducting the Sibiu Philharmonic Orchestra in Romania and has guest-conducted the Houston Symphony, the Florida Orchestra and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. He is the former associate conductor and education director of the Florida West Coast Symphony in Sarasota. Maestro Confessore has also conducted the youth orchestras of the St. Louis and San Francisco symphonies.

Victor DeRenzi

Victor DeRenzi is in his 30th season as artistic director and principal conductor of Sarasota Opera, for which he has produced more than 75 different operas and conducted more than 400 performances. DeRenzi has also appeared across the United States with Lyric Opera of Chicago as well as the St. Louis, Toledo and New Orleans operas. Internationally, he has worked in Nice, Edmonton, Quebec City and elsewhere and was a frequent visitor to opera companies in Hong Kong and the Canary Islands.

Jeff Faux

Jeff Faux is artistic director of the Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers. He is also director of Sacred Arts at First Presbyterian Church in Bonita Springs, where he oversees a concert series, the First Academy of Music and several choral instrumental ensembles.

Brent Havens

Berklee-trained arranger and conductor Brent Havens was the arranger and guest conductor of The Music of Led Zeppelin, The Music of the Eagles and The Music of Pink Floyd symphonic rock programs. This season he returns with The Music of Queen. He has written music for orchestras, feature films and television.

Paul Hostetter

Paul Hostetter is conductor of the acclaimed Sequitur Ensemble and founder and artistic adviser to the Music Mondays chamber series in New York City. He has conducted numerous orchestras and opera companies including New York City Opera and served as assistant to James Levine at the Metropolitan Opera. He is the Ethel Foley Distinguished Chair in Orchestral Conducting for the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University.

Michael Krajewski

Michael Krajewski is principal pops conductor of the Houston, New Mexico, Atlanta and Jacksonville orchestras. He also served in that position with the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra from 1994-2005. Maestro Krajewski has earned a local following for his pops concerts with the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra.

Andrew Lane

Andrew Lane is the former resident and principal pops conductor of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and music director of the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra. His pops concerts have featured Bradford Marsalis, Deborah Gibson, Peter Schickele, Arturo Sandoval, Doc Severinsen and many others. Maestro Lane is also pops conductor of the Florida West Coast Symphony (Sarasota) and has guest-conducted many other orchestras.

Edwin Outwater

One of North America’s most dynamic conductors, Edwin Outwater is music director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in Ontario, Canada. He has conducted the New York and Los Angeles philharmonic orchestras, as well as the symphony orchestras of Chicago, San Francisco, Baltimore, Houston, Detroit, Seattle, Indianapolis and many others. He was resident conductor of the San Francisco Symphony from 2001-2006, where he worked closely with Michael Tilson Thomas, accompanied the orchestra on tour and conducted numerous concerts each season.

Carlos Miguel Prieto

Carlos Miguel Prieto, considered one of the most dynamic young conductors in recent years, has further widened his exposure by accepting a total of four music directorships in his native Mexico and the United States. He was named music director of the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico (National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico), Mexico’s most important orchestra, in July 2007, and remains music director at his other Mexican orchestra, the Orquesta Mineria. In the U.S., he entered his fourth season as music director of the Louisiana Philharmonic, where he leads the cultural renewal of ravaged New Orleans, while his music directorship of the Huntsville Symphony (Alabama) came to a close in 2011. Prieto has also made guest appearances with many of North America’s top orchestras.

Gary Sheldon

Gary Sheldon, recently appointed principal conductor for Miami City Ballet, comes to Florida from San Francisco where he conducted numerous performances for the San Francisco Ballet from 2004-2009, including the company’s tour to the Kennedy Center in Washington (Giselle) and recent tour to China. He is also currently artistic director for the Lancaster Festival in Ohio and principal conductor for the Festival at Sandpoint in Idaho. From 1982-2002, he conducted for Ballet Met in Columbus, Ohio in over 500 performances from the standard repertory and several premieres, including Cole and Butterfly, his own compositions based on the music of Cole Porter and Giacomo Puccini. Maestro Sheldon is a native of Bay Shore, New York and a graduate of the Julliard School.

Ron Spigelman

Ron Spigelman is music director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Missouri and principal pops conductor for the Fort Worth Symphony and the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. He has guest-conducted numerous other orchestras around the country in programs ranging from classical to pops to ballet. Since his first appointment in 1992, Maestro Spigelman has conducted more than 1,000 performances, including 30 world premieres.

Jerry Steichen

Jerry Steichen has distinguished himself as one of the country’s most versatile conductors in a career ranging from symphony to opera to Broadway to chamber music. He serves as music director of the Ridgefield (Connecticut) Symphony and is principal pops conductor for the Utah Symphony. Steichen has conducted the Boston Pops, New York City Opera and various Broadway shows, including the final performance of Cats.