Nicholas Hersh
Nicholas Hersh named Music Director of the Modesto Symphony Orchestra
The Modesto Symphony Orchestra (MSOA) has named Nicholas Hersh as its next Music Director. Hersh is only the ninth music director for the Modesto Symphony Orchestra and he will lead the MSOA’s 93rd season. Hersh’s artistic leadership will bring innovative, captivating, and exciting ideas and programs into the community and his passion for music education will help guide Modesto Symphony’s existing education programs to new heights.
In his first season with the MSOA, Hersh will lead the entire 2023-24 Classics Series. Hersh will work with the MSOA to complete each program and ensure it complements the orchestra and guest artists while being exciting and captivating for the community as well as meeting his artistic standard. The Modesto Symphony Orchestra will also be Hersh’s first Music Directorship.
“I am beyond thrilled that my first music directorship will be in such a vibrant, music-loving city as Modesto,” says newly appointed MSOA Music Director Nicholas Hersh, “There was a certain electricity in the Gallo Center when the MSO musicians and I collaborated last year, shared not only onstage but with the audience as well; together we’ll grow that energy, creating bespoke artistic experiences for the entire Modesto community and cementing the role of music education for all ages as a driver of social good. I can’t wait to be back in Modesto this October for Tchaikovsky’s blazing Piano Concerto No. 1 with Alessio Bax, whose inventive musicianship I’ve long admired, as well as a season full of both new discoveries and fast favorites!”
“Nick immediately impressed us with his thoughtful consideration of our entire organization, collaborating with our staff, and connecting with our musicians and audiences,” says Caroline Nickel, President and CEO. “We invited Nick to join us last season due to his reputation and notable conducting engagements, but after working with him in November, his personality and enthusiasm for both orchestral performances and music education shined through. I had the opportunity to reconnect with him, and I knew he would be a great fit for our organization and the values that we strive for. We’re excited to welcome him on board, and we can’t wait to see him lead our orchestra in his Music Director debut this October.”
Hersh, an American conductor and a rising star in the world of classical music, brings to Modesto an array of talents and accomplishments. During his tenure as Associate Conductor with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO), he led the symphony in numerous concerts and directed Baltimore’s education and family programming as well as serving as Artistic Director of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra. Hersh created the BSO Pulse series, through which he brought together prominent indie bands and orchestral musicians in unique collaborations.
Additionally, Hersh frequently works with major symphony orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra, Houston, Colorado, and the Peabody Orchestra of John Hopkins University. Hersh is also a successful arranger and orchestrator, and audiences that attended his debut with the Modesto Symphony in November 2022 were treated to his orchestral arrangement of Franz Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14, “Death and the Maiden.”