Finnish-American conductor Erik Ochsner is in his first season as Music Director of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra in Ohio. His versatility as a conductor has stretched across a broad range of repertoire: from conducting as few as five performers in contemporary and modern works, to leading 300 performers across 25+ full length films using the Live in Concert format. Audiences and critics alike praise Ochsner’s energy, attention to detail and precise synchronization.
Highlights: Mahler First Symphony, Berlioz Symphonie fantastique, U.S. premiere of Uuno Klami’s Kalevala Suite in Youngstown; world premiere of Mary Poppins (1964) with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the Sydney Opera House; Love Actually with the San Francisco Symphony; Beauty and the Beast in Concert in Taipei (flew on 40 hours’ notice to fill in for an ailing colleague); 50 performances of La La Land in Concert. Upcoming: Amadeus in Concert in Kuopio, Finland; Nielsen Symphony No. 4 “Inextinguishable,” Thorvaldsdottir Archora.
He is Founder and Music Director of the SONOS Chamber Orchestra in New York, which recently commissioned a new educational program called, “Grandfather Camp: An Orchestral Fantasy, based on the writings of Erik’s dear friend, Dr. Ruth Westheimer (RIP). It celebrates the power of music, and the special bond between grandparent and grandchild.
Ochsner has traveled to 52 countries leading concerts, opera, oratorio and multi-media performances. He attended The Pierre Monteux School and is a graduate of Dartmouth College. He lives in New York and loves travelling, wine and collecting requiem recordings.