Jayce Ogren Conductor

“With Jayce Ogren on the podium, three of Mozart's greatest hits once again managed to surprise and bewitch. But familiarity bred no contempt...Engaging in the finest kind of brinkmanship, Ogren settled into a speed that, with a lesser ensemble, might have been foolish. Here, though, the performance underscored the music's sheer brilliance, demarcating each section while weaving all together into a stunning whole.”

The Plain Dealer August 2009

Jayce Ogren is rapidly developing a reputation as one of the finest young conductors to emerge from the States. He recently finished his tenure as assistant conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and as Music Director of the Cleveland Youth Orchestra, having been appointed by Franz Welser-Möst. In May 2009, Ogren made his subscription debut with The Cleveland Orchestra, and in August that same year, at the Blossom Festival where, under his direction, the headline read: “Cleveland Orchestra makes familiar Mozart works feel new again”.

Ogren has made key debuts including with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert hall, Grand Rapids Symphony and with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra where he conducted works by Haydn, Ligeti and Beethoven. Of the Haydn, the press noted: “It may have been the best interpretation of a Haydn symphony the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra has presented all season.” Recent engagement highlights include his New York debut in two programmes with the International Contemporary Ensemble under the auspices of the Miller Theater, resulting in a re-invitation the following season. He was invited to conduct a staged production of Mozart’s Magic Flute with the New York City Opera.

Last season, Ogren made his Canadian Opera Company debut with Stravinsky’s The Nightingale & Other Short Fables. He also made his London debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican conducting Ives and Copland, as well as his debut with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin at the Philharmonie. In addition, he took over a last-minute cancellation conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra with a challenging programme that included a world premiere song-cycle by Peter Lieberson (with Gerald Finley).This season’s highlights include a new production of Bernstein’s A Quiet Place with the New York City Opera and a performance with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra (Denmark) conducting R. Strauss, Stravinsky and Haydn.

A native of Hoquiam, Washington, Ogren previously served as a conducting apprentice with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, working with Chief Conductor Alan Gilbert. Aided by a U.S. Fulbright Grant, Mr. Ogren recently completed a postgraduate diploma in orchestral conducting at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden. In Sweden, he has conducted the orchestras of Gävle, Helsingborg, and Norrköping; the SAMI Sinfonietta; the Swedish National Orchestra Academy, and Stockholm’s Opera Vox. He has also conducted Finland’s Vaasa City Orchestra. In the United States, he has appeared with the New World Symphony, Boston’s Callithumpian Consort, the Harvard Group for New Music, and the New England Conservatory Opera Theater.

Ogren received a bachelor’s degree in composition from St. Olaf College in 2001 and a master’s degree in conducting from the New England Conservatory in 2003. He has been invited to participate in conducting courses and master classes in both the U.S. and Europe, including two summers at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen. His principal teachers have been Steven Amundson, Jorma Panula, Charles Peltz, and David Zinman. Ogren is a published composer whose music has been premiered at venues including the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, the Brevard Music Center, the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, the American Choral Directors Association Conference, and the World Saxophone Congress. His work titled Symphonies of Gaia has been performed by ensembles on three continents and serves as the title track on a new DVD featuring the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra.

Devoted to education, Ogren has worked with student musicians throughout the United States, appearing most recently as a guest composer/conductor at the 2004 Washington All-State Music Festival. In 2001, the Minnesota Music Educators Association named Ogren their Composer of the Year. Since 2009, he has resided in Berlin.

Date Last Edited: 23rd August 2010