Edwin Outwater

{{Short description|American conductor from Santa Monica, California}} {{Infobox person | name = Edwin Maurice Outwater | image = | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date|1971|04|12|df=y}} | birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S. | death_date =  | death_place = | education = {{ubl| Harvard University | University of California, Santa Barbara }} | spouse = | occupation = Conductor | organizations = {{ubl| Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony }} | awards = | website = }} '''Edwin Maurice Outwater''' (born 12 April 1971) is an American conductor.

==Biography== Outwater is a graduate of Harvard University, graduating ''cum laude'' in 1993 with a degree in English literature.<ref name="Schweitzer">{{cite news | url=https://playbill.com/article/kitchener-waterloo-symphony-recently-saved-names-music-director | title=Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Recently Saved, Names Music Director | work=Playbill | author=Vivien Schweitzer | date=2006-12-21 | accessdate=2024-07-05}}</ref> While at Harvard, he was music director of the Bach Society Orchestra and wrote the music for the 145th annual production of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals.<ref name="Vowles">{{cite news | url=http://www.grandmagazine.ca/wp-content/uploads/JFGRAND17-outwater.pdf | title=Maestro prepares for final bow | work=Grand Magazine | author=Andrew Vowles | date=January–February 2017 | accessdate=2024-07-12}}</ref> He subsequently continued his education at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where his instructors included Heiichiro Ohyama and Paul Polivnick. Outwater earned a master's degree in conducting from the University of California, Santa Barbara.<ref name="Schweitzer"/>

Outwater has served as resident conductor and associate guest conductor of the Florida Philharmonic, where he designed the Florida Philharmonic Family Series and its Music for Youth programmes. He has also been associate conductor of the Festival-Institute at Round Top (a teaching program), principal conductor of the Adriatic Chamber Music Festival in Molise, Italy, and assistant conductor of the Tulsa Philharmonic.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://tulsaworld.com/archive/outwater-leaving-philharmonic-for-florida-post/article_afabe11a-40fb-55d1-b666-adb496989694.html | title=Outwater leaving Philharmonic for Florida post | work=Tulsa World | author=James D. Watts, Jr. | date=1999-11-27 | accessdate=2025-07-24}}</ref>

From 2001 to 2006, Outwater was resident conductor for outreach and education of the San Francisco Symphony.<ref name="Kosman">{{Cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/music/article/Former-S-F-Symphony-resident-conductor-visits-4920265.php|title=Former S.F. Symphony resident conductor visits|last=Kosman|first=Joshua|date=2013-10-23| work=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=2020-04-24}}</ref> In parallel, from 2001 to 2005, he was music director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra,<ref name="Kosman"/> where he led the orchestra in all of their concerts as well as on tour to Europe in the summer of 2004. During the tour, the orchestra made its debut at Vienna's Musikverein and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, and returned to Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. In 2004, Outwater's education programs received the Leonard Bernstein award for excellence in educational programming. Outwater has served as music director of the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony, and has been on the music faculties of the University of Tulsa, Idyllwild Arts Academy, and University of California, Santa Barbara.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}

From 2007 to 2017, Outwater was music director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/edwin-outwater-conductor-kitchener-waterloo-symphony-1.4129494 | title=After 10 years revitalizing the symphony, Edwin Outwater moves on | work=CBC News | author=Flora Pan | date=2017-05-24 | accessdate=2024-07-05}}</ref> In April 2020, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music announced the appointment of Outwater as the music director of the SFCM Symphony Orchestra.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://sfcm.edu/discover/newsroom/edwin-outwater-appointed-music-director-ending-two-year-search | title= Edwin Outwater Appointed Music Director Ending Two-Year Search | publisher=San Francisco Conservatory of Music | date=9 April 2020 | access-date=2024-07-05}}</ref>

In July 2022, Outwater first guest-conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra (BBC CO) at the BBC Proms,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/cythia-erivo-legendary-voices-bbc-proms-aretha-franklin-nina-simone-b1012924.html | title=Cynthia Erivo: Legendary Voices at the BBC Proms - Big sounds kept the crowd happy | work=The Standard | author=Nick Kimberley | date=2022-07-18 | accessdate=2024-07-05}}</ref> in what was also his Proms debut. He returned to the BBC Proms and the BBC Concert Orchestra in July 2023.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/classical-music/prom-2-2023-royal-albert-hall-review-northern-soul/ | title=Prom 2 review: Northern Soul will never be this magnificent again | work=Telegraph | author=Andrew Perry | date=2023-07-16 | accessdate=2024-07-05}}</ref> In June 2024, the BBC CO announced the appointment of Outwater as its next principal guest conductor, with the additional title of curator, effective from 1 September 2024.<ref>{{cite press release | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/edwin-outwater-principal-guest-conductor-bbc-concert-orchestra | title=Edwin Outwater appointed Principal Guest Conductor and Curator of the BBC Concert Orchestra | publisher=BBC Media Centre | date=21 June 2024 | access-date=2024-07-05}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.edwinoutwater.com Official website of Edwin Outwater] * [https://www.polyarts.co.uk/roster/edwin-outwater Polyarts agency page on Edwin Outwater] * [https://sfcm.edu/study/faculty/edwin-outwater San Francisco Conservatory of Music page on Edwin Outwater] * [https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/artists/4037/edwin-outwater Los Angeles Philharmonic biography of Edwin Outwater]

{{s-start}} {{s-culture}} {{succession box | title=Music Director, Kitchener–Waterloo Symphony | before=Martin Fischer-Dieskau | years=2007–2017 | after=Andrei Feher}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Outwater, Edwin}} Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:American male conductors (music) Category:American gay musicians Category:LGBTQ classical musicians Category:Harvard University alumni Category:University of California, Santa Barbara alumni Category:San Francisco Conservatory of Music faculty Category:American music educators Category:Musicians from Santa Monica, California Category:Classical musicians from California Category:21st-century American conductors (music) Category:21st-century American male musicians