Music Director Laureate

Ross served as ASO’s beloved Music Director from 2018 through 2026, leading the orchestra through a period of artistic growth, innovative programming, and deep community engagement. After completing his tenure as Music Director in 2026, Ross was named Music Director Laureate and continues to support the ASO’s artistic vision and future endeavors.

He has led the National Youth Orchestra USA as Orchestra Director since its founding in 2013 and taught conducting at the Juilliard School since 2011 and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia since 2022. He served as Professor and Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Maryland for 16 years and was also Music Director of the Orquesta Simfònica del Vallès in Barcelona, Spain. Jim’s principal conducting teachers were Kurt Masur, Otto-Werner Mueller, Seiji Ozawa, and Leonard Bernstein. He was Artistic Director of the National Orchestral Institute (NOI) at the University of Maryland from 2002–2012, where his leadership helped serve as an impetus for change in the orchestral landscape of our country.

James Ross is Director of Orchestral Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music and will join the conducting faculty at the Tanglewood Music Center beginning this summer. A native of Boston, he has led the National Youth Orchestra USA as Orchestra Director since its founding in 2013. He served as Professor and Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Maryland for 16 years and was also Music Director of the Orquesta Simfònica del Vallès in Barcelona, Spain. Jim’s principal conducting teachers were Kurt Masur, Otto-Werner Mueller, Seiji Ozawa, and Leonard Bernstein.