Santa Cruz County Symphony Selects Daniel Stewart as new Music Director

The moment the classical music community of Santa Cruz County has been waiting for has finally arrived!  After an exciting season of 10 audition concerts featuring five talented conductors, thousands of painstakingly tallied surveys from the audience and orchestra members, a clear and resounding winner has emerged – a conductor whose thrilling performance has created enormous buzz and earned the support of the overwhelming majority of concert-goers and musicians as well as the Symphony’s board and administration.  The Santa Cruz County Symphony Association is now pleased to announce that Daniel Stewart has been selected as the new Maestro of the Santa Cruz County Symphony.

Upon hearing the news, and accepting the appointment, Maestro Stewart remarked, “It is with great joy that I look forward to joining the Santa Cruz County Symphony as their next Music Director. I am particularly excited to contribute to the cultural life of this vibrant and inspiring part of the world, and to share my love and passion for music with an ever wider spectrum of the community.”

Daniel Stewart is the recipient of the Aspen Music Festival’s prestigious James Conlon Conducting Prize in 2010 and was appointed by James Levine as Conductor with the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program in 2012.  This year he debuts with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, and the New World Symphony.  He has served as Cover Conductor with major orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the St. Louis Symphony the Atlanta Symphony and the New World Symphony, assisting conductors Charles Dutoit, Kurt Masur, David Robertson, Robert Spano and Michael Tilson Thomas.  In addition to his conducting work, Stewart has served as principal violist for several major orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony and is an accomplished composer whose compositions have been performed at venues including the Tribeca New Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival and the Verbier Festival.  Daniel’s candidacy was supported by some of the biggest names in classical music.

Symphony Board President, Owen Brown, exclaimed he was, “absolutely thrilled that Daniel will be joining us as our new Music Director.  His musicality, energy and enthusiasm will lead us in to a new and exciting phase of growth for our Symphony.”  Executive Director, Jan Derecho was “excited with Daniel’s selection and looks forward to working with him as he forges a new future for the orchestra.”

Daniel Stewart will step onto the podium to make his debut performance as the Symphony’s Maestro at the opening concerts of the Symphony’s 2013/14 Season on October 5 & 6.