The Florida Orchestra

Teddy Abrams
Guest Conductor

An acclaimed young conductor, Teddy Abrams also performs as a clarinetist and pianist and is an established composer. The 2011/2012 season marks his first year as resident conductor of the MAV Symphony Orchestra in Budapest. From 2008 to 2011, Abrams was the conducting fellow and assistant conductor of the New World Symphony (NWS) and led many performances, including subscription concerts, Kids Concerts and numerous other full and chamber orchestra events.  Abrams has conducted the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Washington, DC, and at Carnegie Hall, and has worked with many other orchestras around the country.

He recently made debuts with The Florida Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Boca Raton Symphonia and Marin Symphony. Engagements in 2011/2012 include debuts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, MAV Symphony, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra (Columbus) and Hilton Head Symphony as well as return engagements with The Florida Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, New World Symphony and the Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra in Los Angeles.

An accomplished pianist and clarinetist, Abrams has appeared as a soloist with a number of orchestras and has performed chamber music with the St. Petersburg String Quartet, Menahem Pressler, Gilbert Kalish, Time for Three and John Adams in addition to his annual appearances at the Olympic Music Festival. Dedicated to exploring new and engaging ways to communicate with a diverse range of audiences, Abrams co-founded the Sixth Floor Trio in 2008. The trio has performed around the country, holding residencies in North Carolina, Philadelphia, New York and South Florida. Abrams collaborated (as an arranger and pianist) with Cleveland Orchestra Principal Trombonist Massimo La Rosa for La Rosa’s debut CD, released in October 2010.

Abrams studied conducting with Michael Tilson Thomas, Otto-Werner Mueller at the Curtis Institute of Music, and David Zinman at the Aspen Music Festival; he was the youngest conducting student ever accepted at both institutions. Abrams is also an award-winning composer and a passionate educator; he has taught at numerous schools throughout the United States and is the conductor of all educational activities at the New World Symphony. His 2009 Education Concerts with the NWS, featuring the world premiere of one of Abrams’ own orchestral works, were webcast to hundreds of schools throughout South Florida.

Abrams performed as a keyboardist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, won the 2007 Aspen Composition Contest, and was the assistant conductor of the YouTube Symphony at Carnegie Hall in 2009. Abrams has held residencies at the La Mortella music festival in Ischia, Italy, and at the American Academy in Berlin. He has served as a cover conductor for several orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and Sun Valley Summer Symphony.


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