Combining passionate music making with thoughtful scholarship, Randall Stewart is an insightful and inspiring leader of bands and orchestras based in Arlington Virginia. As the Music Director of the DC Concert Orchestra since 2014, he has led the growth of that orchestra from approximately thirty players to over eighty, with full orchestra concerts featuring works from the Classical era to the present day. His tenure as the Music Director of the Catholic University Wind Ensemble began in 2022, with an emphasis on expanding the repertoire while serving the needs of aspiring professionals and amateurs alike.
As a conductor, Stewart is a strong advocate for creative programming that emphasizes American works. His repertoire extends from orchestral standards by Copland and Barber to works by Florence Price, Valerie Coleman, William Schumann, Michael Daugherty, and Jennifer Higdon. This season, he will conduct 21st century works by Stacey Garrop, Julie Giorux, Kevin Day, and Daniel Collins.
Stewart has applied his scholarly approach equally in opera, and his performances of L'incoronazione di Poppea and The Merry Widow have been warmly received by the Washington press. He has also led performances of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Le Nozze di Figaro, and Die Zauberflöte for coópera (New York City). His musical theater work includes Sweeney Todd and The Music Man.
Stewart previously served as the Associate Conductor of the Columbia Orchestra and Music Director of the Baltimore Sinfonietta. His past guest engagements have included the Catholic University Symphony Orchestra, Anne Arundel Community College Orchestra, and the D.C. Youth Orchestra Program. Maestro Stewart is active as an educator, and also serves as the Director of Bands at Gunston Middle School in Arlington, Virginia. His past teachers include Gustav Meier, Kenneth Kiesler, Dan Lewis, and David Searle. He holds a D.M.A. in Orchestral Conducting from The Catholic University of America.
Biography
RANDALL STEWART