The Hershey Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce that Maestro Greg Woodbridge has been named the new music director and conductor beginning with the 2023-24 season this fall. He will serve as the first Maestra Dr. Sandra Dackow Endowed Chair.
Woodbridge has served as principal guest conductor for the Hershey Symphony since 2017. In addition, he is also the associate conductor for the Harrisburg Symphony, a position he has held for ten years.
“It is an honor to be invited to build on the long-term success of the Hershey Symphony. The talent and dedication of the musicians is truly incredible, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together in the years ahead,” said Maestro Woodbridge.
Woodbridge began studying piano at the age of seven and violin at the age of nine. He holds degrees in piano performance and orchestral conducting from Penn State University. Additional conducting studies include the Pierre Monteux Conducting Institute in Maine with Michael Jinbo; Ennio Nicotra (founder of the Ilya Musin Society); and masterclasses with Gustav Meier, JoAnn Falletta and Leonid Korchmar.
Woodbridge was previously music director and conductor of the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra, the Wednesday Club Youth Orchestra, the Central Pennsylvania Symphony, and the York Youth Symphony Orchestra, and was a longtime educator in the Derry Township School District where he taught strings and orchestra. He is currently the music director of the Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestra and holds a faculty position at the Lancaster Country Day School.
“It is my goal that we all grow through the experience of sharing great symphonic music together. Our audiences are wildly supportive of what we do, and I look forward to taking on exciting classical and pops musical projects in our beautiful venues,” said Woodbridge.