One of the most sought-after young conductors on the scene today, Michael Butterman continues his tenure as Music Director for both the Boulder Philharmonic and the Shreveport Symphony. He is also on the conducting staff of the Jacksonville Symphony (Associate Conductor since 2000), and holds the title of Principal Conductor for Education and Outreach with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the only position of its kind in the United States.

Mr. Butterman gained international attention as a diploma laureate in the Prokofiev International Conducting Competition and as a finalist in the prestigious Besançon International Conducting Competition. As the 1999 recipient of the Seiji Ozawa Fellowship, he studied at Tanglewood with Robert Spano, Jorma Panula, and Maestro Ozawa, and shared the podium with Ozawa to lead the season’s opening concert. In 1997, Mr. Butterman was sponsored by UNESCO to lead the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Moldova in a concert of music from great American masters.

For six seasons, Mr. Butterman held the post of Music Director with Opera Southwest (Albuquerque, NM). He also served as Director of Orchestral Studies at the LSU School of Music for five years, and was Principal Conductor of the LSU Opera Theater. Prior to his appointment at LSU, he held the post of Associate Conductor of the Columbus Pro Musica Orchestra, and served as Music Director of the Chamber Opera, Studio Opera, and Opera Workshop at the Indiana University School of Music. For two seasons, he was also the Associate Music Director of the Ohio Light Opera, conducting over 35 performances each summer.