Chad Emry Heltzel

Chad Emry Heltzel’s recent orchestral conducting engagements include the Fairbanks Summer Festival Orchestra, the Venice Symphony (Venice, FL), the Pembroke Symphony, the Milton Philharmonic, the Greater Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra and the Berlin Sinfonietta. As an opera conductor, he has appeared with University of Toronto Opera, Opera Nuova Summer Arts Festival, and served as Music Director with the Montreal West Operatic Society. From 2015-2019, Dr. Heltzel was a member of the studio of Uri Mayer at the University of Toronto where he obtained his DMA in orchestral conducting.

In addition to his frequent engagements leading the standard symphonic repertoire with the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra, he made an impact on the contemporary music scene. In 2019, Dr. Heltzel conducted the UTSO in a critically acclaimed world premiere of Gary Kulesha’s Non-Destructive Classical Music. He also served as Music Director for the North American premiere of Salvatore Sciarrino’s opera Luci Mie Traditrici (“The Killing Flower”), where he collaborated with the composer during the Faculty of Music’s 2017 New Music Festival. Dr. Heltzel’s commitment to new music includes several premieres led with the Ariadne Ensemble, a professional chamber orchestra he co-founded in Montreal in 2014. As their Artistic Director, he led performances from both the podium and piano in programs that featured works by Arvo Pärt, Tarik O’Regan, Jocelyn Morlock, and Witold Lutoslawski.

Dr. Heltzel has been an active participant in orchestral, opera, and choral conducting masterclasses around the world. His list of conducting teachers include Imre Pallò, Robert Franz, Alexis Hauser, Ken Kiesler, Michael Jinbo and Michael Zaugg.