Pasadena Symphony Presents Dvořák’s New World and a Bold New Symphony by Juan Pablo Contreras

Hailed for the breadth of his work on the podium and at the piano, Brett Mitchell has carved a unique path for himself in the world of contemporary American classical music. Mitchell began a five-year term as Music Director of the Pasadena Symphony—an orchestra composed of the greatest studio musicians in Hollywood—in 2024, and has served as Artistic Director & Conductor of Oregon’s Sunriver Music Festival since 2022.

In May 2025, with less than 24 hours’ notice, Mitchell stepped in for his subscription debut with the New York Philharmonic, leading three performances of Kevin Puts’s The Brightness of Light featuring soprano Renée Fleming and baritone Rod Gilfry, followed by the complete score of Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé featuring the New York Philharmonic Chorus.

Working widely as a guest conductor, Mitchell’s other recent engagements have included appearances with the Dallas, Detroit, Edmonton, Fort Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Memphis, Milwaukee, National, North Carolina, Oregon, San Antonio, San Francisco, Tulsa, and Vancouver symphonies; the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl; the Cleveland and Minnesota orchestras; the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra; the River Oaks and Saint Paul chamber orchestras; the Grant Park Festival Orchestra; and a two-week tour with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has also guest conducted the Grant Park Festival Orchestra and led a two-week tour with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Mitchell regularly
collaborates with the world’s leading soloists, including Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Kirill Gerstein, Conrad Tao, Rudolf Buchbinder, James Ehnes, Augustin Hadelich, Leila Josefowicz, and Alisa Weilerstein.

From 2017 to 2021, Mitchell served as Music Director of the Colorado Symphony in Denver, following a term as Music Director Designate during the 2016–17 season. During his tenure, he led the organization through a period of significant artistic growth, helped position the orchestra as a central cultural voice in the region, strengthened community ties via strategic collaborations, and broadened the orchestra’s commitment to American music with new commissions, premieres, and recordings.

From 2013 to 2017, Mitchell served on the conducting staff of The Cleveland Orchestra, joining as Assistant Conductor in 2013 and receiving a promotion to Associate Conductor in 2015. More than a decade later, he continues to return as a frequent guest conductor, having led more than 150 performances with the orchestra over the past twelve years.

From 2007 to 2011, Mitchell led over one hundred performances as Assistant Conductor of the Houston Symphony, to which he also continues to return regularly as a guest conductor. He held Assistant Conductor posts with the Orchestre National de France, where he worked under Kurt Masur from 2006 to 2009, and the Castleton Festival, where he worked under Lorin Maazel in 2009 and 2010. In 2015, Mitchell completed a highly successful five-year appointment as Music Director of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, where an increased focus on locally relevant programming and community collaborations resulted in record attendance throughout his tenure.

Equally at home in the pit, Mitchell has served as music director of nearly a dozen opera productions spanning the core works of Mozart, Verdi, and Stravinsky to contemporary works by Mark Adamo, Robert Aldridge, Daniel Catán, and Daron Hagen. As a ballet conductor, Mitchell most recently led seven performances of The Nutcracker with the Pennsylvania Ballet in collaboration with The Cleveland Orchestra.

In addition to his work with professional orchestras, Mitchell is widely recognized for his commitment to mentoring young musicians. During his highly regarded tenure as Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (2013–17), he led a much-lauded four-city tour of China in 2015. At home, he has worked extensively with students at this country’s leading training programs, including the Cleveland Institute of Music, Interlochen Center for the Arts, National Repertory Orchestra, Sarasota Music Festival, and Texas Music Festival. He has also held faculty appointments at Northern Illinois University (2005–07), the University of Houston (2012–13), and the University of Denver (2019–20, 2022–23).

Also, an accomplished pianist, Mitchell has a devoted fanbase of his work at the keyboard, including a widely praised YouTube channel featuring his original transcriptions of iconic cues from film history. He also concertizes regularly at the piano, often performing in recital with musicians from his orchestras. In recognition of his work at the keyboard, Mitchell was named a Steinway Artist by Steinway & Sons in 2025.

Born in Seattle in 1979, Mitchell holds degrees in conducting from the University of Texas at Austin and composition from Western Washington University, which selected him as its Young Alumnus of the Year in 2014. He studied with Leonard Slatkin at the National Conducting Institute in 2005 and was selected by Kurt Masur as a recipient of the inaugural American Friends of the Mendelssohn Foundation Scholarship in 2008. Mitchell also one of five recipients of the League of American Orchestras’ American Conducting Fellowship from 2007 to 2010.
For more information, please visit brettmitchellconductor.com.