Michael Repper

Michael Repper is one of the most  sought-after young conductors in the world. With work spanning four  continents, Mr. Repper has an international reputation for engaging and  exciting audiences of all spectrums, and for promoting new and diverse  musical talents.

Mr. Repper is the Music Director of  the Ashland Symphony Orchestra, Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, New  York Youth Symphony, Northern Neck Orchestra of Virginia, and the  Principal Conductor of Sinfonía por el Perú, the elite youth orchestras  and choruses representing one of South America's most versatile social  impact music programs. Recognizing his success at these ensembles, and  his growing profile as a guest conductor all over the world, Mr. Repper was awarded a Solti Foundation US Career Assistance Award in 2020, 2021,  and 2022.

His album with the New York Youth  Symphony, which features debut recordings of works by Florence  Price, Jessie Montgomery, and Valerie Coleman, achieved widespread  critical acclaim, and reached #1 on the Billboard Chart.

Mr.  Repper has collaborated on large-scale productions of symphonic and theatrical works with the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Ravinia Festival, Peabody Institute of Music, and the New School of Music, among others. An avid pianist, he regularly performs as a soloist alongside his orchestras and choruses, and as an orchestral player as well. Most recently, he played in the Chicago Symphony for their performances of Bernstein’s Mass, which was  broadcast on PBS Great Performances. 

Alongside the  standard repertoire, Mr. Repper is especially invested in programming  new music and showcasing fresh talent. His ensembles have performed  dozens of world premieres and pursued innovative commissions, as well as  a variety of Carnegie Hall premieres from established and emerging  composers. Mr. Repper was the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Conducting  Fellow for two seasons, and he served as the BSO's New Music Consultant.   A trusted ear, Mr. Repper is asked to assist and cover at  orchestras nationwide, including the St. Louis Symphony, and for Naxos  recordings with the Peabody Symphony Orchestra. His experience with  choruses has been recognized with significant positions, including his  tenure as the Music Director at the Baltimore Basilica, the first  Catholic Cathedral in the United States. Internationally, Mr. Repper has  performed with some of the most highly regarded ensembles and in the  world’s greatest venues, including the São Paulo Symphony, and at the  Palau de la Musica in Barcelona.

His discography includes the  aforementioned album of music with the New York Youth Symphony,  alongside an album with the Grammy-Nominated Metropolis Ensemble and  Grammy-Winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus ("Musical America"), and several  with the Peabody Institute as an Assistant Conductor. With the New York  Youth Symphony during the Coronavirus pandemic, he was one of the first  to pioneer the practice of distanced orchestral performance videos, and he made two performance appearances on CNN, the final one with Platinum-Artist Billy Ray Cyrus. 

Mr. Repper complements  his work with professional orchestras with a firm commitment to  education, and travels worldwide to work with ensembles of young  musicians. As Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of  Maryland, he ushered in a slate of innovative educational programming,  such as the Reinecke Youth Chamber Music Scholarship and Fellowship  Program. He conducts several masterclasses each year for orchestras from  all over the United States on behalf of the New York Philharmonic, and  conducts side-by-side and educational concerts with major orchestras,  including the Baltimore Symphony and the Colorado Symphony.

Mr.  Repper's most influential conducting mentors are Marin Alsop and the  late Gustav Meier. He believes that a conductor's main role is to connect people and to use performance as a vehicle for positive change.  He aims to promote a diverse and inclusive future for the arts, and to  pay forward the passion for community that his mentors demonstrated to  him.