Christopher Confessore Resident Conductor and Principal POPS! Conductor
Christopher Confessore is celebrating his eleventh season as a member of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra's conducting staff; he was named Principal Pops Conductor in 2008. He regularly appears on other ASO concert
series, garnering rave reviews from The Birmingham News for his
"special talent for drawing the broadly lyrical out of his
orchestra." He also leads the orchestra in a wide variety of
educational and community outreach performances.
Since 1995, Mr. Confessore has served as Music Director and Principal
Conductor of the Brevard Symphony Orchestra in Melbourne, FL. During
his tenure the orchestra has performed a broad repertoire - including
the world premieres of seven compositions commissioned by the orchestra
- and enjoyed a dramatic period of artistic growth, increased attendance
at all performances and financial stability.
Mr. Confessore made his international debut in June of 2004, conducting
the Sibiu Philharmonic Orchestra in Romania. His schedule as a guest
conductor has included appearances with the Houston Symphony, the
Florida Orchestra and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, among
others. He has also conducted the youth orchestras of the St. Louis
and San Francisco Symphonies.
During the 1999-2000 season Mr. Confessore served as Interim Education
and Outreach Conductor of the Houston Symphony. In this capacity
he conducted more than fifty performances on the Houston Symphony's
Lollipops, and First Concerts series, as well as other community
outreach concerts.
From 1992-2000 Mr. Confessore served as Associate Conductor of the
Florida West Coast Symphony in Sarasota. From 1990-1995 he served
as Education Director of the Florida West Coast Symphony, administering
one of the most intensive orchestral education programs in the country.
Hailed by the Birmingham News as a leader with "firm vision
and confidence," Christopher Confessore has accompanied a distinguished
list of artists, including Itzhak Perlman, Lang Lang, Glenn Dicterow,
Carol Wincenc and Jon Nakamatsu. As a Pops conductor he has appeared
with a diverse group of performers, including Grammy Award winners
Art Garfunkel, Roberta Flack, Larry Gatlin and Nanci Griffith, as
well as Tony Award nominees Jodi Benson, Liz Callaway, Susan Egan
and Rebecca Luker. In April of 2005, music columnist Mary Colurso
of The Birmingham News remarked "Anyone who regards the symphony
as stuffy and elitist hasn't been to a SuperPops show when Confessore's
in charge. He exudes nice-guy appeal on stage, along with real warmth,
a sense of humor and smarts to spare."
Mr. Confessore's primary conducting instructors have been Phillip
Spurgeon and Daniel Lewis. He has studied with internationally acclaimed
conductor Leonard Slatkin and has attended workshops and seminars
led by Gustav Meier, Harold Farberman and Lawrence Leighton Smith.
Mr. Confessore holds a Master of Music degree in Instrumental Conducting
from the University of Southern California and the Bachelor of Music
degree in Bassoon Performance from Florida State University. His
primary bassoon instructors were William Winstead and Trevor Cramer.
As a student in the FSU study-abroad program in London, England,
he studied with William Waterhouse, former Principal Bassoon of
the BBC Symphony.
Chris's Desert Island Disc is: The Light in the Piazza - Original Broadway Cast - music and lyrics by Adam Guettel
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