Santa Cruz Symphony Conductor Signs on for Ten More Years

American conductor Daniel Stewart is described as having "transformed and elevated" the orchestra

Daniel Stewart has committed to a further ten years with the Santa Cruz Symphony (SCS), having served as the orchestra's Music Director since 2013.

Born in San Francisco, Stewart began his career as a violist. He studied conducting at the Curtis Institute and won the James Conlon Conducting Prize at the 2010 Aspen Festival. Since then, he has gone on to work with many of America's major orchestras.

Stewart is particularly proud of some of the high-profile performers that the SCS has been able to collaborate with — including pianist Yuja Wang and Berlin Philharmonic First Concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley.

Stewart also enjoys programming new music and has collaborated with composers such as Mason Bates, Thomas Adès, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, for whom he has also acted as assistant conductor.

"We are ecstatic to have the amazing talents of Maestro Stewart for another decade,” said Linda Burroughs, the President of the orchestra's board. “I cannot use enough superlatives. He has brought acclaim to our Symphony, which is quite impressive for an orchestra performing in a small community. Donors and sponsors tell us that they support the Symphony specifically because they love Danny and his visionary programming.”

"Looking back over the past eight seasons, it's clear that we have been building something truly extraordinary together," said Stewart. "I am filled with gratitude and excitement about our future.”