Edwin Outwater, San Francisco Symphony Resident Conductor from 2001-2006 and former Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, is returning to the SFS, this time in the newly created position of director of summer concerts. For the next two years, he will curate and lead classical concerts in the summer, Music for Families concerts, and conduct the orchestra in the New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball concert featuring soprano Measha Brueggergosman. Next March, he collaborates with Bay Area composer Nathaniel Stookey to curate and perform two events in SFS's new alternative performance space, SoundBox.
Michael Tilson Thomas welcomed Outwater by saying that "he is one of the most innovative conductors on the scene today. The musicians of our orchestra always enjoy working with Edwin and I look forward to a new level of creativity in our summer programming."
Outwater says of his new role: "I am so honored to further my activities with the San Francisco Symphony in this new creative role. I hope that my conducting and programming here will add to the inspiring and visionary work that MTT and the orchestra have produced over the years."
Outwater is currently in his seventh season as Music Director of Ontario’s Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and regularly conducts the Chicago and New World Symphonies.