QUO’s Artistic and Developmental Staff

Artistic Director

We are thrilled to welcome David Bloom as the new Artistic Director of the Queer Urban Orchestra!
David Bloom (he/him) is a conductor noted for his “rockstar energy” (Urban Milwaukee) and “graceful sensitivity” (I Care If You Listen), leading “ferocious and focused” (The New York Times) performances lauded for their “rhythmic precision and dynamic forward motion” (The Wall Street Journal) and their “breathtaking and inspired programming” (Shepherd Express). Co-Artistic Director of both Contemporaneous and Present Music, he has been a guest conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ensemble Connect, Choir of Trinity Wall Street, and Kronos Quartet and worked with soloists Dashon Burton, Courtney Love, Hila Plitmann, Dawn Upshaw, and many more. He has led productions for Opera Omaha, Beth Morrison Projects, Tri-Cities Opera, PROTOTYPE, Teatro Grattacielo, Experiments in Opera, and more.

Associate Conductor

Musician/Educator/Wearer-of-Many-Hats Derek J. Weagle (they/them) is a Brooklyn-based artist and healer invested in the disruption of social and academic barriers around classical music, as well as the preservation of music-making as an act of joyful humanness. With a practice rooted in syncretism, Derek can be found equally comfortable in roles ranging from conductor to composer, performer to teacher. They hold a B.M. in Music Education from UMass Lowell and an M.M. in Composition with a minor in Choral Conducting from New England Conservatory, as well as a Certificate in Sound Healing from the Sage Academy of Sound in Woodstock, NY. Current engagements include work as an independent Sound Healing Practitioner; Associate Conductor of the Queer Urban Orchestra; Assistant Conductor of Choral Chameleon; Artistic Director of the Adelphi University Vocal Ensemble; Founding Artistic Director of Bloom Sound Collective; Composer & Owner at Risanare Music; Board of Directors for the Refugee Orchestra Project. For more information on Derek’s artistic practice and services offered, see their website at www.derekjweagle.com.

 

Board

President: David Lohman
Vice-President: James DiMeglio
Secretary: Bob Wei
Treasurer: Scott Oaks
At Large Members: Lynn Caron, Navin Manglani, Ron Nahass, Cory Pitts

Orchestra Manager: Brian Shaw