About.
American conductor Matthew Wardell is Music Director of the Ocala Symphony Orchestra and recent recipient of the Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming from The American Prize. Known for his compelling artistry across classical, pops, opera, and live-to-film repertoire, Wardell brings a dynamic presence to the podium, recently leading performances with the Jacksonville Symphony (Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert), the Florida Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, and Southwest Florida Symphony.
Equally at home in the concert hall and opera pit, Wardell has conducted over 300 live performances of symphonic, choral, and staged works, including productions of La Bohème, Carmen, Sunday in the Park with George, and Sweeney Todd. He has premiered new music by Michael Daugherty, Paul Richards, Jenni Brandon, and Stella Sung, with Daugherty calling the Ocala Symphony “the hardest working orchestra in Florida.”
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Wardell has held academic positions at the University of South Florida, Mount Holyoke College, Georgia Tech, and the University of Florida, and spent five summers at the Pierre Monteux School, where he studied with Michael Jinbo. He has participated in masterclasses with Keith Lockhart, Thomas Cockrell, and Peter WesenAuer.
In addition to his artistic work, Wardell has led more than $10 million in capital and programmatic fundraising and spearheaded the development of the Reilly Arts Center, a performing arts complex in Ocala, Florida. A dedicated community leader, he served six years on Ocala’s City Council and continues to advocate for the arts throughout Florida.
Wardell holds degrees from the University of North Florida and the University of Florida (DMA, 2022), where he studied under Dr. Raymond Chobaz. He lives in Jacksonville with his wife, arts executive Pamela Calero Wardell, and their dog Buckley.