Guest Conductors

Christopher Wilkins

Christopher Wilkins serves as Music Director of both the Orlando Philharmonic and the Akron Symphony. As a guest conductor, Wilkins has appeared with many of the leading orchestras of the United States, including those of Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. He also appears frequently overseas, with regular concerts in recent seasons in Latin America, New Zealand, and Spain. In 1992, he was a recipient of the Seaver/NEA Award.
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Damon Gupton

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Damon Gupton held the post of Assistant Conductor of the Kansas City Symphony from 2006-2008. He served as American Conducting Fellow of the Houston Symphony for the 2004-2005 season, and has made conducting appearances with the Cleveland Orchestra (as part of a Blossom program with David Zinman), the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the Princeton Symphony, the Toledo Symphony, the Monte Carlo Philharmonic, the Orquesta Filarmonica de UNAM, the New York University Orchestras, the Kinhaven Music School Orchestra, The Michigan Youth Arts Festival Honors Orchestra and the SPHINX Symphony as part of the 12th Annual Sphinx Competition. He is the co-winner of the 2007 Third Eduardo Mata International Conducting Competition, held in Mexico City. Other awards include the Robert J. Harth Conducting Prize and The Aspen Conducting Prize. Gupton is also the inaugural recipient of the Emerging Artist Award from the University of Michigan School of Music and Alumni Society. He was named a Presidential Professor by the University of Michigan in January 2009. As an actor, Gupton has had roles in television, film, and on stage.

Gil Shohat

Gil Shohat is the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Israel Chamber Orchestra, and Head of Music for the Israel Festival in Jerusalem. He is the composer of nine large-scale symphonies, ten concertos for various instruments, three operas, various oratorios, cantatas, solo vocal pieces, and dozens of chamber and piano pieces, as well as the performer of more than 80 concerts a year worldwide, both as conductor and pianist.
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William Metcalfe

A founder of the Vermont Mozart Festival, William Metcalfe has been one of its conductors since 1986. He has also founded, directed and performed with the Oriana Singers of Vermont, Vermont Gilbert and Sullivan Singers and UVM Baroque Ensemble. At the University of Vermont he was, successively, Chair of Music, Chair of History and Director of Canadian Studies.