Music Director

Christopher Wilkins was appointed Music Director of the Orlando Philharmonic in the fall of 2005. Under his leadership, it has become a priority to partner with artists and organizations throughout the central Florida area, including Orlando Ballet, Orlando Opera, Mad Cow Theatre, the “Negro Spiritual” Scholarship Foundation, and the Orlando Museum of Art. He has also worked with both of this city’s principal youth orchestras, and with music students throughout the area, especially the vocal students of Jones High School.

In addition to the Orlando Philharmonic, Mr. Wilkins serves as Music Director of the Akron Symphony in Ohio. This season, a major collaboration between both orchestras and the two principal historical societies of those cities will celebrate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth using music, the spoken word, and historical photographic images. Orlando composer Stella Sung – creator of last year’s multi-media work Rockwell Reflections – has written a new piece for the occasion entitled Lincoln’s Battles.

As a guest conductor, Mr. Wilkins has appeared with many of the leading orchestras of the United States, including those of Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. He also appears frequently overseas, with regular concerts in recent seasons in Latin America, New Zealand, and Spain.

He has served as Music Director of the San Antonio Symphony and the Colorado Springs Symphony, and is currently Artistic Advisor to the Opera Theatre of the Rockies in Colorado Springs. During his tenure with San Antonio, he and the Symphony received six programming awards from ASCAP, including the first-ever Morton Gould Award for creative programming. Mr. Wilkins also served as resident conductor of the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, helping in the formation of that orchestra in its inaugural season, and subsequently leading it on tours throughout the Americas.

Mr. Wilkins was winner of the Seaver/NEA Award in 1992. He served as the associate conductor of the Utah Symphony, assisting his former teacher Joseph Silverstein; assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, as assistant to Music Director Christoph von Dohnanyi; conducting assistant with the Oregon Symphony under Music Director James DePreist; and was a conducting fellow at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood.

Born in Boston, Mr. Wilkins earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College. As an oboist, he performed with many ensembles in the Boston area, including the Berkshire Music Center Orchestra, and the Boston Philharmonic under Benjamin Zander. He received his master of music degree from Yale University, where he studied with Otto-Werner Mueller.