Summer Workshop for Emerging Conductors
At our second Emerging Conductor Workshop this past May, three up-and-coming young conductors led the ensemble to sightread Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, and Debussy. The student maestros were each given 45 minutes of uninterrupted podium time to work with our community orchestra and received professional recordings for their future endeavors. Thank you Nicholas Edwards, Elle Lee, and Jordan Owen for spending your Monday evening with us!
Nicholas Edwards
Conductor and composer Nicholas is fueled in all musical pursuits by the spirit of collaboration and a passion for bridging the gap between art and science. As a student at Vanderbilt University, he completed degrees in both Music Composition and Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology. During this time, Nicholas was music director of a chamber orchestra for the Contemporary Music Ensemble, leading premieres of over an hour of new orchestral works and concerti, including a concert entirely of nature-inspired music. Other stops in his young conducting journey include the Ball State Bands Conducting Workshop and the Saratoga Orchestra's Pacific Northwest Conducting Institute.
Recent composing activities include the Emerging Composers Intensive and the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival's "Composing in the Wilderness" program, resulting in premieres in Carmel Valley, CA, Fairbanks, AK, and Denali National Park. Nicholas's compositions are most heavily influenced by a profound love for nature, exploring the relationship between human emotion and the natural world. Representative works include Pinnacles and Seven Birds of Aotearoa.
Originally from North Carolina, Nicholas currently lives in Arizona. Outside of music, he enjoys hiking, reading, and road trips, and is proud of his undergraduate research on the chemosensory regulation of behavior in eusocial ants, for which he's a published author.
Jordan Owen
Jordan’s musical journey began in the vibrant atmosphere of a church youth ensemble in Flagler County, Florida, where he discovered the transformative power of music through gospel and negro spirituals. Before attending Converse University, he began his musical training with the Jacksonville Youth Symphony and the Flagler Youth Orchestra.
At Converse, Jordan has emerged as a talented composer and orchestrator, drawing on his Caribbean-American heritage to create works that blend advanced tonal structures with rhythmic vitality. His commissioned work, “If We Must Die,” premiered at the FEST WOCHE music festival in Stuttgart, Germany, stands as a testament to his ability to explore themes of resilience and identity through music.
Jordan’s journey into conducting has been marked by his relentless pursuit of learning the orchestral repertoire and commitment to lifelong learning. He continues to seek mentorship and private study with John Young Shik Concklin and has participated in numerous workshops, including the Maestri Series with Gary Lewis, The Art of Conducting Workshop with David Rudge, and the International Conductors Workshop. Jordan hopes to continue refining his conducting skills and developing a unique style marked by clarity and a deep connection to
the music, while currently serving as the Spartanburg Philharmonic 24/25 Conducting Fellow.
Jordan is the Founder, Conductor, and Curator of the Calm Cadence Collective, a hybrid ensemble of volunteer and student musicians dedicated to building community through music performance. He crafts and presents diverse programs at various events and fundraisers, demonstrating his commitment to expanding the accessibility of music through innovative programming and live performances.
Beyond composition and conducting, Jordan enjoys composing music for film, finding inspiration in visual storytelling. His versatility is showcased through his compositions, creating immersive musical landscapes across different mediums. Outside of music, Jordan finds
inspiration in nature and cherishes time spent with friends and family, balancing his artistic pursuits with personal life.
Elle Sunmin Lee
Originally from Seoul, Korea, she began her music studies at age 5 with the piano. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in music education from New York University and Master’s degree in conducting from Northern Arizona University as a recipient of a full-ride scholarship and the Kitt Orchestra Award. She studied conducting under the tutelage of Mark Shapiro and Daniel O'Bryant. In addition, she has been invited to numerous masterclasses with and guest conducting engagements around the world. In the past, she worked with NYU Children’s choir as conductor’s assistant and with New York Classical Youth Orchestra, NAU Symphony and NAU Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble 212 as assistant conductor. In 2024, she became the new conductor of the New York Mixed Chorus and music director of Collegium Musicum New York. Elle hopes to contribute to creating innovative and meaningful musical experiences for fellow musicians and audiences. She hopes to promote music as a valuable tool for a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle to everyone, and with her background in music education, she has a deep-rooted passion for reaching out to new audiences with classical music. In an effort to make classical music more accessible to all, she runs a YouTube channel dedicated to introducing classical repertoire and sharing her life journey.