Hilmar Cheese Company Pops Series
Holiday Pops
Stu Chafetz, guest conductor
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Stuart Chafetz, known for his ability to engage audiences with innovative classical and pops concerts, is a conductor increasingly in demand with orchestras nationwide. Maestro Chafetz is the Resident Conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
His guest conducting appearances include The Buffalo Philharmonic, Chautauqua Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Honolulu Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Louisville Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, New Mexico Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and Virginia Symphony.
Mr. Chafetz has worked with a variety of classical and pop artists such as: George Benson, Regina Carter, Richard Chamberlain, Roy Clark, Natalie Cole, Jean Phillipe Collard, John Denver, Marvin Hamlisch, Thomas Hampson, Wynonna Judd, Jason Scott Lee, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., Jim Nabors, Randy Newman, Jon Kimura Parker, Bernadette Peters, Awadagin Pratt, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and Chee Yun.
As Music Director of the Maui Symphony and Maui Pops Orchestra from 1999-2009, Mr. Chafetz oversaw remarkable artistic growth and vastly increased statewide exposure. He was responsible for the islands first symphonic live radio broadcasts on Hawaii Public Radio featuring the Masterworks concerts of the Maui Symphony, which gave the state of Hawaii the opportunity to hear classical music broadcast live from the island of Maui.
Formerly the Associate Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra and the Assistant Conductor of the Honolulu Symphony, Stuart became a powerful advocate for the musical education of young people and their families. He has conducted hundreds of performances nationwide focusing on the importance of classical music and the fine arts in our everyday lives.
Mr. Chafetz hosted a nationally aired PBS special, "Hawaii: The Old and the New," featuring some of Hawaii's most talented young performers and which is still being seen throughout the nation. In addition, Maestro Chafetz has conducted over 30 performances of Tchaikovskys Nutcracker with Ballet Hawaii, The Honolulu Symphony, and principals from the American Ballet Theater.
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, Mr. Chafetz was Principal Timpanist of the Honolulu Symphony for 20 years. Mr. Chafetz and his wife, conductor Ann Krinitsky, currently divide their time between homes in California and New York.