Guest ArtistsSarah Hicks, conductor

Noted in The New York Times, Sarah Hicks' versatile and vibrant musicianship has secured her place in "the next generation of up-and-coming American conductors". She currently holds the positions of Principal Conductor, Pops and Presentations of the Minnesota Orchestra and Staff Conductor of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Throughout her career she has collaborated with diverse artists such as Jamie Laredo, Ben Folds, Hilary Hahn, Josh Groban, Smokey Robinson, Sting, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Sumi Jo and Jackie Evancho.

Ms. Hicks was a member of the Faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music from 2000-05 and continues her affiliation with Curtis as Staff Conductor. Her past positions include Associate Conductor of the North Carolina Symphony Associate Conductor of the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Resident Conductor of the Florida Philharmonic, and Assistant Conductor of the Philadelphia Singers, the chorus of the Philadelphia Orchestra, whom she has led in radio broadcasts heard nationwide. She has also been Music Director of the Hawaii Summer Symphony, an ensemble she founded in 1991 in her hometown of Honolulu and which she led for five seasons.

Ms. Hicks has guest conducted extensively both in the States and abroad, including the Boston Pops, Cincinnati Pops, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Detroit Symphony, National Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Tokyo Philharmonic, Nagoya Philharmonic, Osaka Philharmonic, Malaysian Philharmonic and Prime Philharmonic (Seoul, Korea). She led the Los Angeles Philharmonic in July 4th concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in 2012, 2013 and 2015. 2016-17 highlights included debuts with the Brisbane Symphony, Lisbon Symphony, Calgary Symphony and Dallas Symphony Orchestras as well as return engagements in San Diego, San Francisco and Cincinnati.

In her spare time, Sarah Hicks enjoys running, yoga, her Papillon, cooking (and eating) with her husband, traveling and sketching.