Wesley Schulz
Conductor Wesley Schulz has been lauded by musicians for his “intensity and emotion” in performances and for his “approachable and inspiring” leadership. Whether in regards to new music, opera, or ballet, Schulz’s “passion for music…is contagious.” Schulz is Music Director and Conductor of the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra and the Everett Youth Symphony Orchestras. He also serves as Assistant Conductor of the Britt Classical Festival. Guest conducting appearances include the Northwest Mahler Festival, the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, Oregon East Symphony, Powder River Symphony, San Francisco All-City Honors String Orchestra, Austin Chamber Music Center and others. In 2010 Schulz was asked to guest conduct the International Clarinet Associations’ Showcase Concert at ClarinetFest 2010. Held in Austin’s world-class Bass Concert Hall, Schulz lead clarinet virtuosi José Franch-Ballester, Sergio Bosi, Philippe Cuper, and Alan Kay in works by Busoni, Copland, Gabucci, Rossini and Spohr.
A fan of chamber orchestra repertory and special event collaborative work, in 2007 Schulz founded the Texas Chamber Group. One program, the Rite of Spring Project, utilized a discussion panel, dancers, duo pianists as well as a full orchestra performance of the ballet score. This performance of Rite of Spring earned Schulz and the ensemble the 2010 American Prize in Orchestral Performance. One judge commented “astonishingly good and…extremely impressive in almost every detail.”
Schulz has participated in a variety of masterclasses and conductor training programs having worked with Gustav Meier, Thomas Wilkins, Mark Gibson, Michael Jinbo, Kirk Trevor, Bridget-Michaele Reischl, Neil Varon, Gerhardt Zimmermann and Peter Bay. Schulz graduated magna cum laude with Bachelor degrees in Percussion Performance and Music Education from Ball State University and Doctorate and Masters degrees in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Texas at Austin. When not on the podium, Schulz can be seen hitting the pavement in preparation for his next marathon.