Named Musical America's April 2023 New Artist of the Month and internationally recognized for his "profound artistry" (The San Diego Union Tribune), Sameer Patel is one of America's most exciting conductors. Equally at home conducting world premieres and traditional classical works, Patel’s infectious enthusiasm for music is felt by musicians, audiences, and students alike.

Patel is the recently appointed Music Director and Orchestra Conductor of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus. Guided by a passion for sharing a lifelong love for music, he is also the Artistic Director of the San Diego Youth Symphony – a transformational organization that reaches more than 3,000 students through its twelve ensembles, El Sistema-inspired community programs, and early childhood music classes. Formerly, he served for six seasons as Associate Conductor of the Sun Valley Music Festival and held an acclaimed tenure as Associate Conductor of the San Diego Symphony, where he reinvigorated the orchestra's programming and connection with its community. He has also held conducting positions with the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.

Recent performances include Puccini’s Tosca with Houston’s Opera in the Heights, as well as concerts with the orchestras of Chicago, Toronto, St. Louis, Detroit, New Jersey, Baltimore, Princeton, Sarasota, Florida, Phoenix, Grand Rapids, Sacramento, Toledo, New Hampshire, Bozeman, Savannah, Fresno, Knoxville, Alabama, Naples, Reading, and Jacksonville. He has also appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Wintergreen Festival Orchestra. Abroad, Patel has conducted performances with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo, the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana, and the Leipziger Sinfonieorchester. Deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of musicians, Patel has taught at the New England Conservatory and the Cleveland Institute of Music, and has led performances with All-State and Honor orchestras throughout the country.

With an enthusiasm for the music of our time, Patel is a champion of music by living composers and has led premieres by Adam Schoenberg, Mason Bates, Osvaldo Golijov, Reena Esmail, and William Harvey, in addition to acclaimed performances by Anna Clyne, Gabriela Lena Frank, Jessie Montgomery, and many others.

Patel’s impressive work has led to recognition from the Solti Foundation U.S., which granted him three consecutive Career Assistance Awards and an Elizabeth Buccheri Opera Residency with North Carolina Opera. He was recognized by Daniele Gatti as a top conductor at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy, which led to his acclaimed debut with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo. Additionally, Kurt Masur, the late Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, recognized Patel’s talents with a prize from the Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Foundation, which allowed him to study with and assist Maestro Masur in his appearances with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. That same year, Patel was one of only six conductors selected by the League of American Orchestras for the Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, which led to subsequent, multiple engagements with that orchestra.

Patel studied at the University of Michigan and furthered his training across Europe with some of the greatest conductors of our time, including Gianandrea Noseda, Daniele Gatti, David Zinman, Paavo Järvi, and the late conductors Kurt Masur and Bernard Haitink. Additionally, Patel has assisted and learned from leading conductors Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Edo de Waart, Robert Spano, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Stéphane Denève, Jaap van Zweden, Thomas Wilkins, Larry Rachleff, and Mei-Ann Chen, among many others.

Proudly born and raised in Michigan, Patel makes his home in San Diego with his wife, Shannon, and two children, Devan and Veda. In his spare time, Patel pursues his passions for literature, languages, jazz, traveling, history, and tennis.

Last updated October 2024. Please do not alter without permission. For edits or shortened versions, please contact eblackburn@kanzenarts.com