ANDREW CRUST, MUSIC DIRECTOR
American/Canadian conductor Andrew Crust has developed a versatile international career as a conductor of orchestral, opera, ballet, film, pops, and choral programs. In his recent and upcoming seasons, Crust conducts the Vancouver, Winnipeg, Calgary, San Diego, Arkansas, Elgin, Rockford, Chattanooga, Memphis, Hartford, Billings, Vancouver Island, Laval, Nova Scotia, and Bozeman Symphonies.
Crust has collaborated with soloists such as Tracy Silverman, George Li, Charles Yang, Sandeep Das, Awadagin Pratt, and Laquita Mitchell, and in the pops realm, Rufus Wainwright, Michael Bolton, Tony DeSare, Dee Daniels, and more. Crust served as Associate Conductor of the Vancouver Symphony from 2019 – 2022, the Memphis Symphony from 2017 – 2019, the National Youth Orchestra in 2017 and 2018, and Conductor of the Memphis Youth Symphony Program. He is currently in his third year as Music Director of the Lima Symphony where he conducts Grand Series, Pops, and Education programs.
Crust’s experience includes engagements with Opera McGill, Boulder Opera, Ballet Memphis, Cirque de la Symphonie, and the United States Jazz Ambassadors. He has composed orchestral arrangements of compositions by Alma Mahler, Sergei Prokofiev, and Florence Price, as well as educational programs.
He has been awarded prizes and residencies by The Solti Foundation, the Accademia Chigiana, the Nestle/Saltzburg Festival, and the Vienna Philharmonic’s Ansbacher Fellowship program and has conducted overseas with the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana in Italy, Hamburger Symphoniker at the Mendelssohn Festival in Germany, the Moravian Philharmonic in the Czech Republic, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile in Santiago.
“Ever since the days of my conducting studies at McGill University in Montréal I have loved Vermont. I used to come through Burlington quite often, and I can’t think of a more alluring place to work and make music. Mountains, lakes, the vibrancy of a college town paired with the rugged, yet relaxed New England feel––who could ask for more? I look forward to meeting all our Vermont patrons across the state and sharing the gift of music with all of you for many seasons to come,” says Crust.
More information can be found at www.andrewcrust.com
The VSO’s Music Director search began in 2019 when Jaime Laredo announced his intention to leave after twenty years as the organization’s artistic leader. From the initial search process, seven finalist candidates were brought to Burlington over the two seasons (with three candidates withdrawing). The Search Committee was comprised of 11 members drawn from the VSO’s orchestra, Board, and partner arts communities.