James Feddeck is quickly gaining recognition as one of the most prominent rising talents of his generation.  Recently appointed Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, he previously served as Assistant Conductor of the Memphis Symphony ... read full bio

James Feddeck is quickly gaining recognition as one of the most prominent rising talents of his generation.  Recently appointed Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, he previously served as Assistant Conductor of the Memphis Symphony.

An alumnus of the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen, Mr. Feddeck was nominated for the Glimmerglass Opera Conducting Prize in 2006; awarded the Robert J. Harth Conductor Prize in 2007; and received the Aspen Conducting Prize in 2008. He returns to Aspen as Assistant Conductor in the summer of 2009, working with artists including Cho-Liang Lin and Misha Dichter, and also makes his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra at the Blossom Music Festival at the invitation of David Zinman.  In addition, he was the unanimous winner of the Sixth Vakhtang Jordania International Conducting Competition and, at twenty-two, its youngest participant.  Other upcoming appearances include a subscription debut with the Charlotte Symphony followed by a special gala performance in Charlotte with Yo-Yo Ma.  He also makes his debut with the Toledo Symphony and returns to the Memphis Symphony for performances of Handel’s Messiah.  

Mr. Feddeck’s musical training and background is unusually diverse and multifaceted. He holds the distinction of having been admitted to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in four areas: piano, oboe, organ, and conducting. While at Oberlin, he was music director and conductor of his first fully staged operatic production, Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte. Following undergraduate and graduate degrees from Oberlin, he continued his studies in conducting at the University of Michigan and as a conducting fellow for three summers at the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival and School where he studied with Murry Sidlin and David Zinman. At Aspen, he participated in conducting master classes of operatic scenes with Patrick Summers, Harry Bicket, and James Conlon.

An accomplished organist, Mr. Feddeck has performed recitals throughout Europe and North America and has won competitions sponsored by the American Guild of Organists. As an oboist, he has taken a special interest in new music, having commissioned and premiered works including Daniel Pinkham’s Oboe Quartet. Mr. Feddeck is a recipient of a 2009 Career Assistance Award from The Solti Foundation U.S. – a new award aimed at providing critical assistance to talented young American conductors at the start of their professional careers.