American conductor Norman Huynh has attracted significant acclaim not just for his natural musicality and technical command, but for his dynamic presence, creative programming, and highly sought-after abilities in connecting with new audiences. The Music Director of the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra since 2020, Huynh regularly appears with distinguished orchestras and ensembles across North America, Europe, and Asia. His past and future guest appearances include engagements with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Mobile Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Britt Music & Arts Festival, Orchestra Sinfónica del Vallés (Spain), and the Princess Galyani Vadhana Youth Orchestra of Thailand.
With a range of repertoire from the Baroque to the contemporary, Huynh’s prowess as an insightful collaborative conductor includes concerts conducting not only renowned, multi-award- winning stars throughout the world of classical music, but throughout the genres of R&B, hip-hop, and pop, as well. These include violinists Itzhak Perlman and Augustin Hadelich; bassist Edgar Meyer; guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas; composers Kevin Puts, Andy Akiho, and Phillip Glass; singer/songwriters Smokey Robinson and Gladys Knight; rappers, musicians, and actors Wyclef Jean and Nas; indie and folk artist Gregory Alan Isakov; and pop groups such as Pink Martini and Boyz II Men. In addition, Huynh has received considerable acclaim for his work conducting orchestral performances of live film soundtracks, ranging from An American in Paris to Harry Potter films.
A proud first generation Asian-American, Huynh’s passion for engaging new audiences reflects his own entry point to classical music as a 12-year-old “band geek” trombonist in Alabama. The euphonium player turned maestro is deeply committed to creating similar opportunities for others to discover the arts and is passionate about creating innovative opportunities for community engagement. These include creating the Portland Symphony Orchestra’s popular evenings of “Symphony and Spirits,” a concert series for under-40 audiences featuring signature cocktails and live performances which continues to be a regularly sold-out event to this day, as well as implementing the Orchestra’s award winning PSO Explorers Program In 2015, Huynh and the PSO earned the 2015 Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award, awarded “in recognition of innovative approaches to music education.”
In 2012, Huynh co-founded and served as the first Music Director of the Occasional Symphony, a chamber orchestra that creates experiences of live music curated for non-traditional spaces, such as Halloween in a half-restored gothic church or Cinco de Mayo in the basement bar of a Mexican restaurant. Based in Baltimore, the Occasional Symphony continues to perform to critical acclaim, presenting diverse musical voices of the past and present through Huynh’s approach of commissioning world premieres along with reimagined concerts of traditional orchestral works.
Huynh previously served as the Associate Conductor of the Oregon Symphony and Assistant Conductor of the Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra. He was one of only six conductors to receive a coveted invitation to conduct the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra as part of the 2022 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview, hosted by the League of American Orchestras and widely considered one of the orchestra field’s most prestigious events for young conductors. Huynh is an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival Conducting Academy and has studied with such acclaimed conductors as Robert Spano, Gustav Meier, Marin Alsop, Markand Thakar, Demondrae Thurman, John Ratledge, and Adrian Gnam. He was also selected for private mentorship by the late maestro Kurt Masur as a prestigious Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Scholarship recipient.
Norman Huynh resides in Bozeman, Montana, where he enjoys stargazing, board games, and riding his motorcycle.
