American conductor Brent Chancellor has established an international career across North America and Europe, distinguished by artistic versatility, imaginative programming, and a commitment to expanding the possibilities of orchestral performance. Equally at home in the symphonic, operatic, and ballet traditions, he combines a deep understanding of the orchestral canon with an active engagement in contemporary music and the evolving role of orchestras in cultural life. Praised by The Skinny (UK) and NPR’s Morning Edition for his “mesmerizing” performances, Chancellor brings a distinctly American musical perspective to the orchestral tradition.
The 2026–2027 season includes a return to the New Jersey Symphony for performances with the New Jersey Ballet, his debut with Fort Wayne Ballet conducting Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty, and his fifth season at Artpark, where he will lead an all-Philip Glass concert with guest violinist Chase Spruill celebrating the iconic composer’s 90th birthday. Recent seasons have included engagements with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Reading Symphony Orchestra, and Allentown Symphony Orchestra, as well as collaborations with Berks Opera Company and the New Jersey Ballet.
“…simply astonishing.”
The Skinny (UK)
A versatile conductor with a deep affinity for theatrical and staged works, Chancellor has prepared and conducted more than twenty operas spanning the German, Italian, French, and Baroque traditions, including works by Mozart, Handel, Strauss, Puccini, Ravel, and Stravinsky. Praised by the late Mignon Dunn as “a real singer’s conductor,” he served on the conducting faculty of the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, Montreal, and New York for more than a decade. Working closely with co-directors Joan Dornemann and Paul Nadler, he collaborated with distinguished artists including Nadine Sierra, Natalie Aroyan, Oren Gradus, Sherrill Milnes, Ruth Falcon, and Thomas Hampson.
His work in dance includes collaborations with the New Jersey Ballet, Fort Wayne Ballet, Grainger Academy of the Joffrey Ballet, Graham 2, and Ailey II, as well as performances with members of the San Francisco Ballet under Music Director Martin West at Festival Napa Valley. These experiences reflect Chancellor’s particular interest in the relationship between music, movement, and theatrical storytelling, and in the distinctive demands of conducting for the stage.
“…an ideal podium artist for the 21st century”
Marcos Balter, composer
An advocate for living composers and the continuing evolution of orchestral music, Chancellor has developed an artistic profile that embraces both the symphonic canon and new musical voices. As Curator of New Music at Artpark, he has created a nationally distinctive series of genre-spanning programs, with repertoire ranging from Vivaldi to Microthol and featured artists including Third Coast Percussion, Jeremy Dutcher, CS4, Mantra Percussion, and John Lehrer Dance. The series has also presented the U.S. premiere of Philip Glass’s String Quartet No. 9, “King Lear.”
His 2024 collaboration with Artpark and ONNA Sounds, The Secret Symphony of Plants, commissioned five new works by composers including Chancellor, Kailyn Aurelia Smith, Marcus Foster, John Kaefer, and Ricardo Romaneiro. Incorporating bioelectrical material generated by native plants at Artpark, the project drew national attention for its innovative intersection of music, technology, and the natural world. Chancellor has also spent five seasons with the New Jersey Symphony’s Edward T. Cone Composition Institute, working with festival director Steve Mackey and collaborating with conductors including Eric Jacobsen, Christopher Rountree, and Case Scaglione to bring 25 new works to the stage. Across these initiatives, he champions an expansive approach to orchestral programming in which contemporary works receive the same artistic rigor and attention to detail as those of Beethoven, Mahler, and Brahms.
Secret Symphony of Plants, “mesmerizing beauty”
– NPR Morning Edition
Alongside his conducting career, Chancellor has established himself as an artistic and institutional leader. As Executive Director and Associate Conductor of the Reading Symphony Orchestra, he works at the intersection of artistic vision and organizational strategy, guiding artistic planning, long-range development, financial stewardship, fundraising, and institutional partnerships. His leadership has helped advance the orchestra’s artistic ambitions, including new commissions by Patrick O’Malley and Gramophone Award-winning composer Huw Watkins, with premieres scheduled for 2027 and 2028, respectively.
In 2016, Chancellor founded the LUX Initiative, a professional young artist orchestra dedicated to presenting symphonic music through immersive and innovative performance formats. Now in its tenth season, LUX brings together emerging orchestral musicians, composers, designers, and internationally celebrated collaborators, including Grammy Award-winning violinist Zach Brock, to create distinctive concert experiences that expand access to orchestral music for students and new audiences.
Propelled by his vision to make symphonic music relevant to new audiences, American conductor Brent Chancellor designs and presents programs that re-imagine how the orchestra connects with people.
A dedicated educator, Chancellor has served on the faculties of Rutgers University and Montclair State University, where he was Music Director of the Opera Orchestra. His commitment to artistic education and audience development continues through orchestral initiatives, interdisciplinary collaborations, and partnerships with schools and cultural organizations.
Chancellor holds a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. He is an alumnus of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, where he studied with Cristian Măcelaru, and the Blackburn Academy at Festival Napa Valley, where he worked with Stéphane Denève and Martin West. His principal teachers include Paul Nadler, Joel Revzen, Ken Lam, and Andrew Constantine.
2026-2027 Season