Arts Division
Associate Professor
Faculty
Music Center
Music 146
Tuesday 4-5, Thursday 4-5
Music Center
CONDUCTING POSITIONS
CURRENT POSITIONS
Music Director and Conductor
Adrian Symphony Orchestra • Adrian, MI
Music Director and Conductor
Sequoia Symphony Orchestra • Visalia, CA
Artistic Director and Conductor March 2016-present
School of Orchestral Studies: New York State Summer School of the Arts
PREVIOUS POSITIONS
Conductor: Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) September 2009-August 2014
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra • Los Angeles, CA
Assistant Conductor June 2013-June 2016
Pasadena Symphony and Pops • Pasadena, CA
Resident Conductor January 2001-June 2009
Greensboro Symphony Orchestra • Greensboro, NC
EDUCATION
D.M.A. in Orchestral Conducting,
The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami; Coral Gables, FL
Doctoral Fellowship Recipient
Cognate in Choral Conducting
M.M. in Conducting
The University of Michigan School of Music, Ann Arbor, MI
Piano principle
M.F.A in Film Composition
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem, NC
B.F.A. in Musical Directing/ Vocal Coaching
The University of Michigan School of Music, Ann Arbor, MI
Active in a wide variety of music, Bruce has a national profile as a conductor and music educator from coast to coast. His schedule includes classical repertoire from Carnegie Hall to popular appearances with the San Francisco Symphony, the San Diego Symphony, and the Hollywood Bowl, leading orchestras with guest artists from Stevie Wonder and Darren Criss to Latin superstars Juanes and Gloria Estefan.
His Music Director positions include the Adrian Symphony (MI) and the Sequoia Symphony Orchestra (CA). Bruce has conducted at the country’s most storied halls, including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, and SPAC. Bruce has worked with Dmitry Sitkovetsky, David Kim, Tai Murray, Steven Lin, Andrew Tyson, Alexi Kenney, Jeffrey Biegel, Jennifer Check, Anthony Dean Griffey, Darren Criss, Gloria Estefan, Stevie Wonder, Ricky Minor, Grace Potter, Jason Alexander, Lonny Price, Jodi Benson, Doug LeBrecque, Doc Watson, David Holt, Juanes, Gospel performers Richard Smallwood and Curt Carr, and others. He has prepared orchestras for performances with Simon Rattle, Marin Alsop, Gustavo Dudamel, Thomas Wilkins, and David Robertson. Bruce created several original orchestrations to accompany the legendary rock band “Journey” for their performance at the Hollywood Bowl.
Committed to broadening the scope of so-called "classical" music, Bruce actively promotes music by women and composers of color, recently releasing the first-ever recording of the orchestral version of Florence Price’s Suite of Dances. Other projects include the world-premiere recording of the reconstruction of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.
Bruce’s other passion is music education, where he regularly works with outstanding youth orchestra programs. For five years, Bruce was the YOLA conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he led multiple orchestras of different levels. He also served on the conducting staff of the Greensboro Symphony and the Pasadena Symphony and is active in higher education, where he conducts the University Orchestra and Opera at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Then there’s also his addiction to film music, which finds its way onto many of his concert programs, including complete performances of “Star Wars,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” four films in the “Harry Potter” series, “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Home Alone,” “E.T” “Elf” and a growing list of others. Also, there is his whole musical theater phase, where he served as musical director for dozens of productions, including the original production of Darren Criss (of TV’s “Glee”) “A Very Potter Sequel,” which became a top ten hit on iTunes. He also musical directed “They’re Playing Our Song” at Reprise Theater starring Jason Alexander and Stephanie J. Block, and several productions of the five-time Emmy winner “The News in Revue.”
Bruce holds graduate degrees from the University of Michigan, The University of Miami, and The University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Recent guest conducting appearances include The San Francisco Symphony, The San Diego Symphony, The Pacific Symphony, The Toledo Symphony, The Long Beach Symphony, San Luis Obispo Symphony, the Fresno Philharmonic, the Owensboro Symphony, the Greensboro Symphony, the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra, the Western Piedmont Symphony, the Lakeside Symphony (OH), the San Diego Youth Symphony, and three years with the Young Artists Orchestra at Tanglewood. In 2024, Bruce will make his first appearances with the Florida Orchestra, the Madison Symphony, the San Antonio Philharmonic, the Youngstown Symphony, and the Huntsville Symphony.
