LUCAS WALDIN is a dynamic and versatile conductor with a blossoming international career. Combining a command of the standard repertoire with a flare for pops and a passion for education and outreach, he has appeared to great acclaim across Europe and North America.
Currently Artist-in-Residence and Community Ambassador with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Lucas was named to the newly created position after three seasons as the orchestra’s Resident Conductor. The tailor made post will see him lead the ESO in nearly 20 concerts each season while focusing on establishing strong ties with the community through inventive outreach initiatives. He will also act as Director of the ESO’s new El Sistema inspired program, YONA – Sistema.
With over 100 appearances to date with the Edmonton Symphony, Lucas has collaborated with some of North America’s finest musicians including Jens Lindemann, Angela Cheng and Sergei Babayan, and conducted in Carnegie Hall during the ESO’s participation in the 2012 Spring for Music festival. An experienced conductor of pops and crossover, he has worked with a range of artists from Ben Folds to the Barenaked Ladies and has led numerous multimedia presentations such as Blue Planet Live and Disney in Concert.
Strongly dedicated to contemporary music, Lucas has focused on the work of Canadian composers. He has performed over 25 Canadian compositions including six world premiers, and has collaborated closely with composers such as John Estacio, Allan Gilliland, and Malcolm Forsyth. In recognition of his accomplishments, Lucas was awarded the 2012 Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Orchestra Conducting by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Lucas studied conducting and flute at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and has conducted in master classes with Helmuth Rilling, Michael Tilson-Thomas, Colin Metters, Kenneth Kiesler and Bernard Haitink. Prior to his appointments with the Edmonton Symphony, he was twice a Discovery Series Conductor at the Oregon Bach Festival and Assistant Conductor of Cleveland’s contemporary orchestra, {RED}. He has conducted the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony as a participant of the St. Magnus Festival, and was invited to lead the Cleveland Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and the Kansas City Symphony in rehearsal. In Europe, he has performed with orchestras including the Staatstheater Cottbus, Bachakademie Stuttgart, and the Jugendsinfonieorchester Kassel, while in Canada he has worked with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Orchestra London and the Toronto Symphony. Upcoming debuts include concerts with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Houston Symphony.
Hear him live with the SSO on February 28th – Espana!