About Us

Music Director Daniel Hege

Daniel hege, music director

Celebrating his tenth season as Music Director of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra in 2009-10, Daniel Hege is recognized as one of America's finest young conductors, and has earned acclaim for his fresh interpretations of the standard repertoire and his commitment to creative programming. In 2001, he finished a five-year tenure as Resident Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, where he worked closely with David Zinman and Yuri Temirkanov. Beginning with the 2010-11 concert season, Mr. Hege will also serve as Music Director of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra.

 

Mr. Hege first attracted attention when he won the post of Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Young Musicians' Foundation Debut Orchestra in Los Angeles. He served, concurrently, as Director of Instrumental Music at the Orange County High School of the Arts and Assistant Conductor of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. Since then, he has served as Music Director of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra (where he was twice honored by the American Symphony Orchestra League for innovative programming), Encore Chamber Orchestra of Chicago, Haddonfield Symphony Orchestra in New Jersey, and Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony Orchestra.

 

Under Mr. Hege's artistic leadership, the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra performed a critically acclaimed concert to a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall in April 2003. He oversaw the release of the SSO's live Classics Concert CD in 2000, the Holiday Pops release just two years later, and the SSO’s July 2006 release, Big Band Bash. Other recordings include Done Made My Vow, a CD of works by Adolphus Hailstork with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Morgan State Choir; Violin Concertos by Black Composers of the 18th and 19th Centuries (Cedille), with violinist Rachel Barton Pine and the Encore Chamber Orchestra (nominated for a 1998 NPR Heritage Award); and The Gift, a collection of Christmas arrangements on Woodland Records with oboist Brad Smith.

 

Mr. Hege studied with Daniel Lewis of the University of Southern California and with Paul Vermel at the Aspen Music Festival and holds degrees in history and music at Bethel College and a masters degree in orchestral conducting at University of Utah.

 

A 2001 40 under 40 Honoree, Mr. Hege received an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from Le Moyne College in 2004. He is active as a guest clinician and adjudicates various musical competitions nationally. He resides in Jamesville, NY with his wife, Katarina Oladottir Hege, and their three daughters.