Teddy Abrams

Born in 1987, the conductor and composer Teddy Abrams hails from California. He began playing piano at the age of three, took up the clarinet at eight, and at twelve received his first conducting lessons from the late Michael Tilson Thomas, who was then Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony. Abrams later studied at the San Francisco Conservatory, where he trained in piano with Paul Hersh and in clarinet with David Breeden. In 2005, he moved to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia to study conducting with Otto-Werner Mueller. He also benefited from the artistic guidance of David Zinman at the Aspen Music Festival, where he won the composition competition in 2007. Abrams has served as Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra in Kentucky since 2014 and has played a central role in the artistic renewal of the ensemble, including projects that reach well beyond the concert hall. Musical America named him Conductor of the Year in 2022, and The New York Times has described him as a “maestro of the people” who has set new standards. In 2027, Abrams will assume the position of Artistic and Executive Director of the Ojai Festival. As a guest conductor, he has led the Boston, Chicago, and Houston Symphony Orchestras, the San Francisco Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and numerous other American ensembles. In Europe, he has appeared with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. In the 2025-26 season, Abrams was artist-in-residence at the Aspen Institute Arts Program. Among his many award-winning compositions is a piano concerto written for Yuja Wang, which they recorded for Deutsche Grammophon and which received a Grammy Award. Abrams has also worked extensively in music theater, including the theatrical installation Mammoth and the rap opera The Greatest: Muhammad Ali. In 2025, he released a recording of his Préludes for piano, featuring himself at the keyboard.

May 2026