Dr. Evan Feldman named Principal Guest Conductor

GSO Resident Conductor, Nate Beversluis (above) departs North Carolina for New York City this summer.

Greensboro, NC – Nate Beversluis, Resident Conductor of the Greensboro Symphony departs North Carolina for New York City, poising himself to launch a diverse and exciting musical career in publishing, piano performance, and conducting.

Nate recently signed a publishing contract with Luck’s Music Library, who will manage his orchestra catalog, which includes several works written for the GSO. In February, Nate co-founded Some Funny Symphony Company with flutist, Tereasa Payne, to make their education/family/pops concerts available to other orchestras. In addition, Nate will join The Institute for American Musical Theatre as pianist & music director, and serve as music director of the Bristol Riverside Theatre’s production of Putnam County Spelling Bee this fall. He will conclude his time with the GSO by conducting the POPS season finale, The Symphony Strikes Back, on April 29^th.

As the Resident Conductor of the Greensboro Symphony for the past seven years, Nate has conducted the GSO education concerts, its POPS concerts and served as the Music Director of the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra (GSYO). “Nate is an extremely gifted conductor, arranger and pianist. Without exception, everyone he touches expresses a high regard for his work and bestows on him the utmost praise,” said Lisa Crawford, GSO President & CEO. “Nate is known for his humble bearing and selflessly serves the music, not his ego.  He has been an inspiration for the Youth Orchestra musicians and everyone thanks him for his leadership and vision. We wish him much success in his new endeavors,” she said.

Dr. Evan Feldman (above) will serve as Principal Guest Conductor for the 2017-2018 season.

GSO Music Director, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, expressed similar praise for Nate’s work. “It has been a great joy both to have performed with Nate in several important programs – Brahms & Beethoven Violin Concerti – as well as to have collaborated with him on so many different scores of the GSO programs and beyond,” said Sitkovetsky. “Nate is an extremely serious and versatile musician, with a wonderful knowledge and also a large appetite for music. I will miss our many talks on music and life, but I am sure he will write a new chapter in his life in New York, and I wish him every bit of luck and success!” he said.

Dr. Evan Feldman has been engaged as Principal Guest Conductor for the GSO’s 2017-2018 season.  His duties will include: Music Director of the GSYO, conductor for the 3rd 4th, and 7th grade concerts in four counties, and for the annual Holiday concerts in Greensboro, Burlington, and Statesville. Dr. Feldman currently serves as Associate Professor at UNC Chapel Hill, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble, Music Director of the Triangle Wind Ensemble, guest conductor of the Chapel Hill Philharmonia and Greensboro Concert Band, and cover conductor for the NC Symphony. Dr. Feldman is sought after both nationally and internationally as a guest conductor, with recent engagements throughout the United States, Romania, Belgium, Spain, and Tanzania. He has been described in the press as “…the real thing – a conductor with evident ensemble-building skills who knows his way around the podium.”

Dr. Feldman earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Donald Hunsberger and Mendi Rodan. He received his Master of Music in Conducting from Ithaca College and his BA in Music from Duke University.

The 2017-2018 POPS Season will open with the return of former GSO Resident Conductor, Bruce Kiesling, conducting The Doo Wop Project on October 21, 2017. Bruce currently resides in Los Angeles and is Music Director of the Adrian Symphony in Michigan and the Tulare County Symphony in California, and previously was the YOLA conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has also been seen on the stage of the Hollywood Bowl, conducting with Stevie Wonder and Latin superstars Juanes and Gloria Estefan.

In similar fashion, Nate Beversluis will also return to conduct the GSO’s December 30^th POPS concert, Broadway to Hollywood, with Rick Glazier and Michael Andrew.

Other POPS conductors include: Robert Lehmann, Professor & Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Southern Maine, conducting the music of Billy Joel & Elton John with Piano Men in February, 2018; as well as Mitchell Tyler of Ontario, Canada, conducting Let’s Groove Tonight: The Music of Earth, Wind & Fire, Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago in April, 2018.