Brett Mitchell
Hailed for presenting engaging, thoughtfully curated programs, American conductor Brett Mitchell is in consistent demand on the podium at home and abroad. In March 2024, he was named music director of the Pasadena Symphony, beginning an initial five-year term with the 2024–25 season. He has also served as artistic director & conductor of Oregon’s Sunriver Music Festival since 2022. Previously, he held music director posts with the Colorado Symphony, Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, and Moores Opera Center.
As a guest conductor, Mitchell’s recent engagements have included appearances with the Detroit, National, San Francisco, and Vancouver symphonies; the Los Angeles Philharmonic; the Minnesota Orchestra; and a two-week tour with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He also regularly collaborates with leading soloists, including Yo-Yo Ma, Renée Fleming, Itzhak Perlman, Conrad Tao, and Alisa Weilerstein.
From 2013 to 2017, Mitchell served on the conducting staff of The Cleveland Orchestra. He joined the Orchestra as assistant conductor in 2013 and was promoted to associate conductor in 2015. During this time, he was also music director of The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, a tenure which included a four-city tour of China in June 2015.
In addition to his work with professional orchestras, Mitchell is well known for his affinity for working with and mentoring young musicians. He is regularly invited to work at high-level training programs such as the Cleveland Institute of Music, National Repertory Orchestra, Sarasota Music Festival, and Interlochen Center for the Arts. He has also served on the faculties of Northern Illinois University, the University of Houston, and the University of Denver.
Born in Seattle, Mitchell holds degrees in conducting from the University of Texas at Austin and composition from Western Washington University. He also studied with Leonard Slatkin at the National Conducting Institute and was selected by Kurt Masur as a recipient of the inaugural American Friends of the Mendelssohn Foundation Scholarship in 2008. Mitchell was also one of five recipients of the League of American Orchestras’ American Conducting Fellowship from 2007 to 2010.