About the Music Director

Dr. Brad Smith serves as Music Director and Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra and Wind Ensemble at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the Music Director and Conductor of the Delaware County Youth Orchestra, based in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Prior to his current appointment, Smith received the Doctor of Musical Arts in orchestral conducting and Master of Music in wind band conducting from the University of Texas at Austin. During that time, he served as Music Director of the University Orchestra and Assistant Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Symphony Band. Before beginning graduate studies, Dr. Smith taught for four years in the Texas public schools.

Dr. Smith is a founding member of the College Orchestra Directors Association, having given a keynote presentation at the organization’s first national conference in the summer of 2004 in Cleveland, Ohio. He has participated in master classes with leading conductors such as Larry Rachleff, Otto Werner-Mueller and Christoph Eschenbach. In May of 2006, Dr. Smith was a conducting participant in a workshop focusing on large choral/orchestral masterworks, featuring the Mannes College of Music Orchestra, the Philadelphia Singers and distinguished conductors David Hayes, Duain Wolfe, Vance George, Alan Harler and Amy Kaiser. Smith and his wife Becki have been married for twelve years. Becki works as a consultant with Teachers Curriculum Institute. They have two daughters, Emily and Heather.