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Dr. Bruce Kiesling

Dr. Kiesling's current conducting positions include staff positions with the Pasadena Symphony and the Tulare County Symphony. As music director of the latter, ticket sales and sponsorships have increased to record levels and his concert comments and insider stories have become popular additions to programs. The orchestra’s artistic profile has grown as well, including this season’s performance of “The Rite of Spring,” a cycle of all of the symphonies of Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, and the continuation of a Mahler cycle. 
 
Bruce’s other passion is music education, where regularly works with outstanding youth orchestra programs. For five years, Bruce was the YOLA conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic where he lead multiple orchestras of different levels including most of the 700 students at YOLA’s three sites.  YOLA is Gustavo Dudamel’s signature music education program, which brings free-of-charge musical opportunities to underserved youth in Los Angeles. In addition, for the past three years he has been the music director of the Pasadena Youth Symphony Philharmonic. Bruce is also active in higher education where he leads the University Orchestra at the University of California Santa Cruz. He has recently been appointed as Music Director of the Adrian Symphony Orchestra.
 
Bruce has conducted at the country’s most storied halls, including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and Walt Disney Concert hall. Bruce has worked with Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Tai Murray, Alexander Paley, Lindsay Deutsch, Jennifer Check, Anthony Dean Griffey, Gary Hoffman, Darren Criss, Stevie Wonder, Ricky Minor, Grace Potter, Jason Alexander, Lonny Price, Jodi Benson, Doug LeBrecque, Doc Watson, David Holt, Gospel performers Richard Smallwood and Curt Carr, and his orchestra’s have accompanied multiple performances with The Airborne Toxic Event, Clay Aiken, Natalie Cole, and Michael Bolton among others. He also spent 8 years as resident conductor of the wonderful Greensboro Symphony Orchestra in North Carolina before relocating to California. Bruce has also been seen on the stage of the Hollywood Bowl conducting with Stevie Wonder and Latin superstarts Juanes and Gloria Estefan.
 
Then there’s also his addiction to film music, which finds its way on to many of his concert programs, including full performances of the films “Psycho” and “Casablanca.” And 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 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. Three years ago, Bruce joined the conducting staff of the Pasadena Symphony and Pops, as assistant conductor and music director of the most advanced ensemble of the highly regarded Pasadena Youth Symphony. Recent guest conducting appearances include the California All-State Orchestra, The Pacific Symphony, and The Long Beach Symphony. This season includes guest conducting appearances with the Adrian Symphony in Michigan and the San Luis Obispo Symphony Orchestra.