"The Season of the Audition for Music Director/Conductor"

Scott Seaton, October 23, 2022

“…if fireworks could conduct, they'd be named Seaton. His movements ranged from as
controlled and explosive as a prize fighter to as fluid and delicate as a ballet dancer.”
- aNewsCafe.com

American conductor Scott Seaton has been praised for possessing "finesse, clarity, and precision” by the Luxembourg Times and has left audiences “breathless” according to Entertainment News Northwest. He was a finalist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Solti Competition as well as the 2012 Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition, placing in the top ten conductors from a pool of over 400 conductors from 73 countries that were initially considered.
He is in his eighth season as Music Director of the North State Symphony in Northern California where he has garnered acclaim for his dynamic performances, innovative programming, and community and youth outreach. He was also recently named the Artistic Director of the Signature Symphony in Tulsa and will lead them beginning in the 2022-2023 season. As an artistic leader, he has collaborated with such artists as Project Trio, Alessio Bax, Gabriela Martinez, Charlie Albright, Doc Severinsen, and Sara Davis Buechner.

Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Seaton has earned degrees from the Université de Montréal, the New England Conservatory, and Vanderbilt University. He has also studied at Tanglewood and the National Conducting Institute sponsored by the National Symphony Orchestra. His mentors include Michael Morgan, Jean-François Rivest, Robin Fountain, Charles Peltz, and Carol Nies.

William White, January 15, 2023

William C. White is a conductor, composer, teacher, writer, and performer based in Seattle, WA. Equally known for his original music as for his bold interpretations, Mr. White is an innovative programmer and conscientious leader in the musical community.

Mr. White currently serves as music director of Harmonia, a unique performing ensemble comprised of a chorus and orchestra that concertize as one. For four seasons (2011-15) he served as assistant conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. A noted pedagogue, he has led some of the nation’s finest youth orchestra programs, including Portland’s Metropolitan Youth Symphony and the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Mr. White maintains a significant career as a composer of music for the concert stage, theater, cinema, church, radio, and film. His music has been performed throughout North America as well as in Asia and Europe. Recordings of his works can be heard at his web site, www.willcwhite.com, where he also maintains a blog and publishing business.

Mr. White earned a masters degree in Conducting from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and a BA in Music from the University of Chicago. In 2004, he began attending the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors, later serving as the school’s Conducting Associate, then as its Composer-in-Residence.

Mr. White hails from Bethesda, MD, where he began his musical training as a violist. He is producer and co-host of The Classical Gabfest, a weekly podcast about the ever-changing world of classical music.

Daniel O'Bryant, February 5, 2023

Dr. Daniel Keith O’Bryant currently serves as Director of Orchestras at Northern Arizona University, where he leads the NAU Symphony, Chamber, and Opera Orchestras. Prior appointments include Music Director of the Heartland Symphony, Associate Conductor of the St. Cloud Symphony, Assistant Conductor of the Salt Lake Opera Company, Director of Orchestras at St. Cloud State University, and Founding Director of the Utah Chamber Players.
As a conductor and educator, O'Bryant has appeared with orchestras throughout the United States, including the Missouri Philharmonic, the University of Oregon Symphony, the University of Denver Symphony, the Arizona State University Opera Theatre, the Phoenix Youth Symphony, the Keweena Symphony, the Flagstaff Symphony, among others. He has coached rehearsals with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Eastman School of Music Philharmonia, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Orchestras, the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, the Bakersfield Symphony and the Omaha Symphony.

As a string bassist, he performed with many professional ensembles and for numerous Hollywood films, and was instructor of string bass at Utah Valley University and St. Cloud State University. He received a full fellowship to study bass at the Aspen Music Festival and, as a competition winner, has soloed with orchestras in the United States and Europe. He is in constant demand as a string clinician throughout the desert southwest.

Janna Hymes, April 2, 2023

Versatility, passion and innovation are the hallmarks of American conductor Janna Hymes. Renowned for her inspiring performances, musical depth and energetic presence both on and off the podium, she has developed a reputation as an exciting, detailed communicator. Praised by the press as “an architect, a builder in sound, a conductor with an overall view who never misses details”. Ms. Hymes is Artistic Director of Indiana’s Carmel Symphony Orchestra since fall 2017. She served as Music Director of the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) from 2004 to 2019, when she celebrated the WSO’s 35th anniversary and her 15th and final season. A popular guest conductor, Ms. Hymes continues to expand her relationships with orchestras nationwide.
Among the orchestras that Ms. Hymes has guested with are the Houston, Indianapolis, Oregon, North Carolina, Savannah, New Hampshire, Roanoke (VA), Hartford (CT), Portland (ME), Madison (WI), Florida West Coast, Harrisburg (PA), Spokane (WA), Richmond (VA), Springfield (MA), Bozeman (MT), Chappaqua Chamber (NY), Bangor (ME) and Omaha symphony orchestras, as well as the San Francisco Women’s Philharmonic, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the Florida Orchestra. International guesting includes the Costa Rica National Symphony (where she has been a frequent guest), the Delta Ensemble of Holland, National Orchestre de Lyon, Besancon Chamber Orchestra and the Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico.

Born in New York City, Janna Hymes is a Fulbright scholar, recipient of a 1999 Geraldine C. and Emory M. Ford Foundation Grant, and a prizewinner of the 1998 International Conducting Competition in Besancon, France.