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Peter Stafford Wilson (born October 9, 1954, Greensboro, North Carolina), is an American Orchestral Conductor, experienced in symphonic, operatic, ballet, and educational conducting.

Early Life

Showing an early interest in music from infancy, Wilson began piano studies with Kathryn Hodgkin at the age of 5, and later went on to study with George Kiorpes at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. At the age of 9 he began instrumental studies, first clarinet and later oboe. He came under the tutelage of Herbert Hazelman while a student at Grimsley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. His oboe studies were with G. Philip Koonce at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Wilson’s early interest in conducting came from Hazelman’s inspiration, and that of his earliest conducting teacher, Sheldon Morgenstern. Wilson followed Morgenstern’s rehearsals with the Greensboro Symphony and the Eastern Music Festival where he spent several summers during his adolescent years. He would return there as a staff member in the late 1970’s. At Eastern Music Festival, in addition to Morgenstern, Wilson was influenced by conductors such as Robert Durand, Matthias Bamert Karel Husa, and Robert Shaw.

In 1970, Wilson, with several friends, founded the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra and served as its first assistant conductor under music director Raymond Goriglio.

Collegiate Years

In 1972, Wilson entered the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati where his oboe studies continued with Dennis Larson, principal oboe with the Cincinnati Symphony. Already focused on pursuing a career in conducting, Wilson persuaded the administration of the Conservatory to create an Honors degree program that would allow for his conducting studies despite the lack of an offered major. Wilson became a leading exponent of contemporary music, becoming a regular conductor of the Cincinnati Contemporary Music Ensemble where he came into close contact with Visiting Professor of Composition, Lukas Foss. He quickly came to the attention of Thomas Schippers, Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony. Schippers ultimately influenced Franco Ferrara to accept Wilson for studies at the L’Academia Santa Cecilia in Rome. While in Italy, Wilson also was able to attend rehearsals of Claudio Abbado at Teatro alla Scala in Milan Italy.

Following his sojourn to Italy, Wilson returned to CCM, entering the Master’s Degree Program and studies with Louis Lane and Gerhard Samuel. He also spent a summer at the Aspen Music School under the guidance of Kresimir Sipusch and Dennis Russell Davies. He also attended the Goldovsky Summer Opera Institute working closely with Boris Goldovsky.

Early Career

             In 1978, Wilson was offered the position of Assistant Conductor of the Greensboro Symphony, and Conductor of the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra, which he had founded in 1970. While in Greensboro, he worked for noted opera conductor Peter Paul Fuchs. In 1980, Wilson was hired by the Canton (OH) Symphony as assistant conductor to Gerhardt Zimmermann. As a part of his duties in Canton, Wilson continued his tutelage of young musicians by leading the Canton Youth Symphony. He spent his summers working for several summer music schools including the Miami Valley Academy of Music and the Baldwin Wallace College summer music institute. Concurrently, served the Lakeland Civic Orchestra as music director, and spent an academic year at Kent State University as interim head of orchestral studies where he often collaborated with choral conductor Vance George and opera director James Stewart.

In 1990, Wilson was appointed Associate Conductor of the Columbus Symphony. During his tenure in Columbus, Wilson served five music directors, successfully substituting for indisposed conductors on eight occasions. He led the Columbus Symphony in every concert series and was artistic director of its Festival Weeks at the Southern Theater. A part of his portfolio was artistic leadership of the nationally renowned Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestras program, conducting the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra in three European tours, a tour of China, two appearances at Carnegie Hall in New York, and national conference appearances for the League of American Orchestras and the Music Educators National Conference. Upon his departure from the CSO in 2018, Wilson was awarded the CSO’s George M. Hardesty Award for Outstanding Leadership and the Greater Columbus Arts Council Educator of the Year Award.

While in Columbus, Wilson also served as Music Director of the Westerville Symphony at Otterbein University, a unique community of collegiate, semi-professional, and professional musicians. He also developed relationships with the Cincinnati Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra, often serving the latter as cover conductor both at Severance Hall and the Blossom Music Center. The League of American Orchestras tapped Wilson in one of its inaugural classes for the Conductor Preview Program which resulted in guest appearances with the orchestras of Dallas, Detroit, Seattle, Syracuse, Erie, the Chautauqua Institute, and Peter Nero’s Philly Pops Orchestra.

Wilson currently serves as Music Director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Ohio. His programming with the Springfield orchestra has elicited praise from musicians and public alike and won an ASCAP/League of American Orchestras award for Adventuresome Programming.

Operatic

             In 1982 he was named Music Director of the Ohio Light Opera Company, and spent several summers in Falmouth, MA as a regular guest conductor at the College Light Opera, becoming a specialist in their productions of Viennese repertoire. For several seasons he led productions of the Young Artists Opera Theater in Greensboro, NC, and later conducted opera productions at Otterbein University.

Ballet

             Wilson became experienced in ballet conducting during his years with the Canton Symphony, regularly conducting for the Canton Ballet. His work in Columbus yielded collaborations with BalletMet Columbus where he worked closely with artistic director Edwaard Liang and Gerard Charles, currently Artistic Director of the Royal Academy of Dance. In 2011, Wilson was appointed Principal Conductor of the Tulsa Ballet where he leads 4 productions a season, conducting the Tulsa Symphony. In 2019, Wilson made his debut with the Pennsylvania Ballet, conducting in the famed Academy of Music in Philadelphia.

Personal life

Wilson resides in Westerville, Ohio and is married to Barbara Karam, Director of Corporate Tax at White Castle System.

Awards

             2010 Columbus Symphony Music Educator of the Year

2015 Best Music Director from “Best of the ‘Bus” Awards from Columbus City Scene Magazine

2018 Columbus Symphony George Hardesty Award For Ouststanding Leadership

2018 Greater Columbus Arts Council Educator of the Year

Sources

Personal unpublished notes of Peter Stafford Wilson Personal unpublished notes of Barbara Karam