William Eddins, conductor
William Eddins is the Music Director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. He also is Principal Guest Conductor of the RTE National Symphony Orchestra in Ireland. He has served consecutively as assistant, associate and resident conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra over the last 10 seasons. Previously he was the associate conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra and also served as assistant to Daniel Barenboim at the Berlin State Opera. Mr. Eddins made his Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra debut in October 1999 and appeared with the CSO as both conductor and pianist in January 2003.

A frequent guest conductor with major orchestras in this country and abroad, Mr. Eddins has led the New York Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra and the Atlanta, Baltimore, Colorado Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New Jersey, San Francisco and Tulsa symphony orchestras. He has conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival and at summers festivals including Aspen, Chautauqua and Tanglewood.

Internationally, Mr. Eddins has conducted the Berlin Staatskapelle, Berlin Radio Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, RAI Orchestra and the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra.

William Eddins is the conductor and host of a video, “On the Day You Were Born,” with the Minnesota Orchestra. Based on the children’s book of the same name by author/illustrator Debra Frasier, the work is for narrator and orchestra and was composed by Steve Heitzeg. Since its release it has sold more than 30,000 copies worldwide.

A native of Buffalo, New York, William Eddins was born in 1964. He attended the Eastman School of Music, studying with David Effron and graduating at the age of 18, making him the youngest graduate in the history of the institution. In March 2000 he received the Seaver/NEA Conducting Award, which is awarded to exceptionally gifted young American conductors.