Carolyn Watson Conductor

Carolyn Watson's international conducting career is a testament to her exceptional artistry. In Europe, Watson has collaborated with renowned ensembles such as the Brandenburger Symphoniker, BBC Concert Orchestra, Budapest Operetta Theatre, Bulgarian State Opera Burgas, Duna Szimfonikus Budapest, North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Kammerphilharmonie Graz, Kodály Philharmonia Debrecen, Mihail Jora Philharmonic Romania, Savaria Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic in Russia. In Australia, her home country, associations include the Darwin Symphony, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, Melbourne Youth Orchestra, Monash Academy Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, Tasmania Discovery Orchestra, and the Willoughby Symphony. North American credits include Amarillo Opera, Austin Symphony, Dallas Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Detroit Symphony, Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, South Bend Symphony, St. Joseph Symphony Orchestra, Traverse City Symphony, and World Youth Symphony Orchestra. She is also Music Director of Indiana's La Porte County Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra. In tandem with her distinguished conducting career, Watson is deeply committed to music education and currently serves as the Director of Orchestras at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she mentors the next generation of aspiring orchestral musicians and conductors. A series of notable achievements characterize Carolyn Watson's career. As a young conductor, she led the orchestra for Pope Benedict XVI on his arrival in Sydney for World Youth Day in 2008 for a live audience of 100,000 and an international television audience of five million. Watson was a Fellow of the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival, where she studied under David Zinman.