Jonathan Girard

Jonathan Girard is a doctoral student in orchestral conducting at the Eastman School of Music. He serves as an assistant conductor for the Eastman School orchestras under Professor Neil Varon. He is also the music director of the New Eastman Outreach Orchestra (NEO). He has held positions as the music director of the Waltham Philharmonic (2002-2007), associate conductor of the Brockton Symphony Orchestra (1997-2006), principal guest conductor of the Boston Orpheus Ensemble (2002-2006) and assistant conductor of the Portland (ME) Opera Repertory Theatre (1997-2000).

Other ensembles he has conducted include the American Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Scottish Academy Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Institute of Music Symphony Orchestra, the Brown University Symphony Orchestra, the Pierre Monteux School Orchestra, the Boston University Symphony Orchestras, the Cambridge Symphony, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert and Sullivan Players.

Mr. Girard's teachers have included Neil Varon, Martin Pearlman, Paul Phillips, Jonathan Cohler and Richard Rusack.

Also a classical saxophonist, Mr. Girard graduated summa cum laude in saxophone performance from the Hartt School of Music. There, he won the prestigious Emerson String Quartet Soloist Competition and became the first saxophonist to ever perform with that group. Mr. Girard is also an organist. He is currently the Music Director at St. Anne’s Church in Rochester, NY. From 2002-2008 he served as the Music Director and Principal Organist at St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Dedham, MA.

In his spare time, Mr. Girard enjoys flying airplanes. He holds both private and instrument pilot ratings.