This year marks the 5th season with the York Youth Symphony Orchestra for Conductor Gregory Woodbridge who also holds posts with the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra and the Pennsylvania Regional Ballet Orchestra.He continues to inspire impassioned performances from orchestras at all levels, student through professional, and has been praised for his exceptional musicianship and artistry on the podium. Mr. Woodbridge began his musical studies at the age of 7 as a pianist, and took up the violin at the age of 9. He holds undergraduate degrees in Piano Performance and Music Education and a Master’s Degree in Orchestral Conducting from Penn State University where he studied with Dr. Pu-Qi Jiang. While at Penn State, Mr. Woodbridge was assistant conductor for the Penn State Philharmonic, the Penn State Chamber Orchestra, and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra. Additional conducting studies include the Pierre Monteux Conducting Institute in Maine with Michael Jinbo; Leonid Korchmar (Kirov Opera and St. Petersburg Conservatory); Ennio Nicotra (founder of the Musin Society); and most recently Gustav Meier and Joann Falletta at the Conductor’s Institute Richmond Symphony Masterclass. Mr. Woodbridge works daily with the Hershey High School Symphony Orchestra, a 90-member orchestra that won a performance spot at the PMEA All-State Conference in April 2010. He was also the Music Director and Conductor of the Wednesday Club Youth Orchestra (Harrisburg, PA) from 2000-2007, a highly selective string orchestra comprised of 40 high school-aged musicians. That orchestra had the distinct honor of performing with fiddler, Mark O’Connor, on two separate tours to the Harrisburg area as well as Harrisburg Symphony's Concertmaster Odin Rathnam and Anker Buch. Last fall, Mr. Woodbridge was named a Conducting Fellow with the Allentown Symphony by their Music Director, Diane Wittry. Previous guest conducting engagements include the York Symphony (PA), the PMEA Region IV-V State Orchestra Festival, the Lebanon Valley College-Community Orchestra, the Messiah College Orchestra, the Cumberland Valley Chamber Players, and high school county festivals in Berks, Bucks and Cumberland counties. Mr. Woodbridge lives in Harrisburg, PA with his wife Heather and their two children Delaney and Liam.
