Known for adventurous musicality and a captivating stage presence, Filipino-American conductor IAN PASSMORE enjoys a rich career as an orchestral leader and pedagogue. Hailed as “a rising young conductor” by Fanfare magazine, his unapologetically Romantic performances of the standard repertoire harken back to a bygone generation of conductors.
Following two seasons as the Omaha Symphony’s Assistant Conductor, in 2019 the orchestra named Mr. Passmore its Associate Conductor – a position never before created in its 100-year history. Ian has also led programs with the Buffalo and Louisiana philharmonics, the orchestras of Charlotte, Greensboro, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Lincoln, North Carolina, Oak Ridge and Winston-Salem, the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra and Vietnam’s Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra. His current season is highlighted by performances with the Anderson Delaware and Salisbury symphony orchestras and an appointment as Interim Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Ian holds three academic degrees: a Doctor of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music; a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Delaware; a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Additional conducting studies were completed at UNC Chapel Hill. His principal conducting mentors were James Allen Anderson, David Effron, Arthur Fagen, Tonu Kalam and the late Robert Gutter. He is a member of the honors music society Pi Kappa Lambda.
Having embarked his own conducting studies at a very early age, Ian’s career also prioritizes conducting pedagogy and music education. His educational contributions include frequent appearances as a guest conductor and adjudicator for student ensembles, as well as numerous speaking engagements. Recent conference presentations include the International Conductors Guild, South Dakota Bandmasters Association and Nebraska Music Educators Association. Prior to his Omaha appointment, he served as Associate Instructor of Orchestral Conducting at Indiana University, where he taught conducting, led the IU Conductors’ and All-Campus Orchestras, and guest conducted the IU Chamber, Concert, Symphony and Philharmonic orchestras. Ian’s private conducting students have been accepted to several distinguished conservatories and summer programs, among them Indiana University, Conservatoire de musique de Lyon, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and Aspen Music Festival & School.
Ian and his wife, Dianna Fiore, reside in North Carolina, in a home ruled over by a quartet of dogs - Beethoven, Charlie, Belle and Heidi. When not on the podium, Ian can be found enjoying local restaurants and craft beers, cooking, traveling, road biking and CrossFit. He is the creator of the social media series “Symphonic Shorts,” which seeks to remove the walls of formality that often surround classical music, making it more accessible to everyone.
Ian Passmore is represented by Parker Artists of New York and is a performing artist for Work of Art Custom Batons. Learn more at dogdadmaestro.com.
