Past Music Directors
A sampling of BachSoc's illustrious history. Do you have any other information on any of our past conductors? Please let us know! Email us at bachsoc@gmail.com.
1954-1956
Michael L. Greenebaum '55
1956-1958
Michael C. Senturia '58
Professor of Music and Director of the University Symphony, University of California at Berkeley.
1958-60
John H. Harbison '60
Former composer in residence with the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic; former Creative chair with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; faculty, MIT Department of Music. Composer and conductor. Instrumental works, and operas such as The Great Gatsby.
1960-61
Joel Lazar '61
Music Director, JCC Symphony Orchestra. Cover Conductor, National Symphony Orchestra.
1961-62
Andrew C. Schenck '62
Music Director of Nassau Symphony and Atlantic Sinfonietta. Recordings with London, New Zealand and Chicago Symphony Orchestras.
1962-63
Bentley R. Layton '63
Professor at Yale, specializing in ancient Christian history and the Coptic phase of ancient Egyptian.
1963-65
Gregory R. Biss '64
Livelihood from commercial scuba diving in Maine. Active as composer and pianist, with works performed by Los Angeles Philharmonic and Denver Symphony.
1965-66
Isaiah A. Jackson, III '66
Music Director, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra & Youngstown Symphony.
1966-67
Daniel Hathaway '67
Director of Music and Performing Arts at Trinity Cathedral, Cleveland; includes Cathedral Choir, Trinity Chamber Orchestra, and Chamber Players.
1967-68
John C. Adams '69
Composer and conductor. Instrumental works such as Harmonium and Shaker Loops and operas such as Nixon in China and The Death of Klinghoffer. Winner of the 2007 Harvard Arts Medal.
1968-69
Philip N. Moss '69
Taught middle-school music and computers in Lincoln, Massachusetts. He also conducts a church choir and a civic orchestra in neighboring communities.
1969-70
Philip A. Kelsey '70 ('71)
Faculty, University of Washington School of Music. Assistant Conductor, Seattle Opera.
1970-71
Martin L. Kessler '71
Director of Music at University School, Cleveland. Music Director of Suburban Symphony and Choral Arts Society of Cleveland; conducted for Lyric Opera Cleveland.
1971-72
Nils A. Vigeland '72
Composition Department Chair, Manhattan School of Music; performs with HHT HUT, Opus 1 records; composes Mode, Lively Music Records.
1972-74
Robert H. Baker '75 ('74)
Conductor, St. Louis Philharmonic and York Symphony Orchestra.
1974-75
Hugh M. Wolff '75
Chief Conductor, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. Retired as Music Director, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (2000). Director of Orchestras, New England Conservatory.
1975-76
Neal H. Stulberg '75 ('76)
1982-85 Assistant Conductor. Los Angeles Philharmonic. 1985-92 Music Director, New Mexico Symphony. Currently Visiting Director of Orchestral Studies at UCLA and Director of Chamber Music at the Crossroads School in Santa Monica.
1976-78
Christopher P. Wilkins '78
Music Director of the Akron Symphony Orchestra and the Orlando Philharmonic. Former Music Director of San Antonio (TX) and Colorado Springs Symphonies, past Assistant Conductor of Oregon Symphony and Cleveland Orchestra. Conductor, Boston Landmarks Orchestra.
1978-79
Peter A. Lurye '79
Music Director/Composer/Lyricist for "Eureeka's Castle," a television series; pianist, New Jersey Symphony.
1979-81
James E. Ross '81
Director of Orchestral Activities and Associate Professor, University of Maryland School of Music; Music Director, Yale Symphony (1994-98); Tanglewood Music Center (1984-84); Solo-horn, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (1981-84).
1981-82
Diana Watt '81 ('82)
1982-84
Samuel T. Wong '84
Guest conductor, Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Music Director, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (2000-4), Honolulu Symphony. Former Asst. Conductor, New York Philharmonic.
1984-85
Scott N. Kluksdahl '85
Winner of Walter Naumburg International Competition for Violoncello. Professor of Violoncello, University of South Florida at Tampa. Cello Faculty, California Summer Music.
1985-86
Jeffrey L. Goldberg '85 ('86)
Improvisation, Composition Faculty, New England Conservatory of Music. Faculty, Rivers School of Music. Former conductor/coach at Hannover Staatsoper.
1986-88
Scott C. Gregg '88
Music Director, Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra (1995-present). Music Director, First Coast Community Jacksonville Summer Theater Experience.
1988-89
Alan T. Gilbert '89
Music Director, New York Philharmonic (effective 2009-10). Music Director, Santa Fe Opera (2003-07). Chief Conductor, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (2000-08). Assistant Conductor, Cleveland Orchestra (1994-7). Curtis Institute graduate.
1989-90
James Kwak '90
1990-92
Edwin Outwater '92
Music Director, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (2006-). Former Resident Conductor, San Francisco Symphony. Music Director, San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.
1992-93
Evan Christ '93
Music Director of the Brandenburg State Opera House in Cottbus, Germany, 2008-present. Associate Music Director of the Wuppertaler Bühnen (Wuppertal Opera), 2005-present. Associate Music Director and then Interim Music Director of the Mainfranken Theater Würzburg. Winner of 2500-Euro Theater Prize, 2004. Founder, ensemble apart, a group dedicated to contemporary music.
1993-94
Evan E. Young '94
Director of Broadband Services, TiVo. Author of numerous books on audio recording, composition, and TiVo.
1994-95
Steve Huang '95
Director of Orchestras, Ohio University School of Music. Former Music Director, Central Illinois Youth Symphony and Bradley University Chamber Orchestra.
1995-97
Jonathan Yates '97
Original Pianist, Amelia Piano Trio. Music Director, Norwalk Symphony Orchestra.
1997-99
Eric Tipler '99
1999-2000
Benjamin Rous '00
Assistant Conductor, Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. Associate Conductor, Virginia Symphony Orchestra.
2000-2001
Grace Kao '01
2001-2002
Lembit Beecher '02
D.M.A. Composition, University of Michigan. Compositions performed by Cabrillo Music Festival Orchestra, the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra, the UNL Symphony Orchestra, the ensemble Fireworks, pianist Brian Connelly, the Sospiro Wind Quintet, the AUROS Group for New Music and the Tosca String Quartet.
2002-2003
Sean Henry Ryan '03
M.M. Orchestral Conducting, Cleveland Institute of Music
2003-2004
Alexander Misono '04
Student, Harvard Medical School & Harvard Business School (combined MD/MBA program)
2004-2005
Alexander Brash '06
2005-2006
Daniel Chetel '06
Music Director and Conductor, Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras
2006-2008
Aram Demirjian '08
Music Director of the Knoxville Symphony
M.M. Orchestral Conducting, New England Conservatory of Music
2008-2009
John Sullivan '09
2009-2011
Yuga Cohler '11
M.M. Orchestral Conducting, The Juilliard School
2011-2012
Jesse Wong '12
Pianist, Deutsche Opera
2012-2013
Lucien Werner '13
PhD student in Math & CS, Caltech
M.M. Cello Performance, Northwestern University
2013-2014
Theodoretus Breen '14
M.Phil in Music Studies, University of Cambridge
2014-2017
Sasha Scolnik-Brower '17
After receiving a masters in cello performance from NEC, Sasha is pursuing a masters in orchestral conducting at The Juilliard School.
2017-2020 Reuben Stern ‘20 MM. Orchestral Conducting, Peabody Conservatory
2020-2022 Soren Nyhus ‘22 After traveling to Germany thanks to the John Knowles Paine Travel Grant from the Harvard Music Department, Soren is studying for an MPhil in musicology from Cambridge University as a member of Clare Hall, where he is researching the use of the Renaissance in German-language opera during World War I.
2022-2023 Camden Archambeau ‘23
2023-2024 Lucas Amory ‘24