GREGORY PRITCHARD
Gwinnett Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Gwinnett Symphony Youth Orchestra
Gregory Pritchard, one of today’s leading young conductors, currently serves as the director of chamber and youth orchestras of Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra in Georgia. Prior to his current post, he served as the Music Director of the Gainesville Symphony Orchestra (GA) from 2005 to 2010. With a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Orchestral Conducting from Michigan State University Dr. Pritchard was a student of Leon Gregorian, Catherine Comet, and Elizabeth Green. He has had additional training with Gustav Meier, David Lobel, Neeme Jarvi, and Adrian Gnam as an active participant in American Symphony Orchestra League and Conductors Guild and other conducting workshops. He credits his musical sensitivity to his training in the Musin tradition with Leonid Korchmar and Peter Gribanov in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Dr. Pritchard’s technical brilliance and natural rapport with audience and orchestra alike have afforded him many opportunities over the last fifteen years. He previously served as Music Director of North Georgia Symphony and Opera Company of Mid-Michigan for three seasons each. His acclaimed opera performances include La Boheme, Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, Don Pasquale, The Bartered Bride, The Old Maid and the Thief, and Faust. He has held faculty positions at Georgia State University, University of Evansville (IN), Indiana Wesleyan University, Taylor University (IN), Konservatori Seni Halus (Fine Arts Conservatory, Penang, Malaysia), and Hope College (MI). Additional conducting positions include Associate Conductor of the Kokomo Symphony Orchestra (IN), Music Director of the Holland Area Youth Orchestra (MI), Music Director of The Gwinnett Orchestra (GA), Music Director of the Gwinnett County Youth Symphony (GA) and Assistant Conductor at the Music Festival of Arkansas and Southeastern Music Center (GA). His engagements around the globe as a bassoonist and saxophonist include the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (GA), Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic (IN), Charleston Symphony Orchestra (SC), Penang State Symphony (Malaysia), and Grand Rapids Symphony (MI).
Dr. Pritchard has also amassed an impressive array of awards and accolades. In 1990, as Assistant Conductor of the Blue Lake International Youth Symphony Orchestra, he conducted performances in Germany, Austria, Hungary, and France, and was selected to perform a private concert for the Chancellor of Vienna. In 1997 the Lansing State Journal named him “Exceptional Music Director” for his work at the Riverwalk Theater (MI). Also in 1997, he was appointed the first ever Fellowship Conductor of the Grand Rapids Symphony, conducting Family and Special Event performances and cover conducting educational and pops programs. He has guest conducted several ensembles throughout the United States, including the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra (MO), Macon Symphony (GA), Dearborn Symphony (MI), Lake Charles Symphony (LA), Southeastern Ohio Symphony, Grande Ronde Symphony (OR), Atlanta Wind Symphony, Miami University Orchestra (OH), Alma Symphony (MI), and Wayne State University Symphony (MI). In 2004 he won first prize at the International Conductors Workshop in Macon, Georgia and the Advanced Conducting Workshop in St. Petersburg, Russia. Also in 2004 he was named a Semifinalist for the National Conducting Institute in Washington D.C. In October 2005 he guest conducted the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Congress Orchestra, the orchestra of the Russian Ballet, as a result of his competition win the previous year. He now serves as a faculty member of the International Conductors Workshop. In 2010 he made his conducting debut in Italy with the Orchestra da Camera del Friuli Venezia Giulia. Dr. Pritchard is also deeply committed to education and shares his infectious love of music with his students as Director of the Orchestral Program at Mountain View High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia. He made his conducting debut at Carnegie Hall in April 2002 with the Brookwood Philharmonic.