R. Joseph Scott

R. Joseph Scott

Now in his ninth season as Music Director and Conductor of the Sammamish Symphony Orchestra, R. Joseph Scott has been a vibrant force in the Northwest musical community for over 40 years. Prior to joining the Sammamish Symphony, Mr. Scott founded the Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra and was their Music Director, Conductor and General Manager from 1967 – 1997. He is Principle Conductor of Lyric Opera Northwest and has appeared as Guest Conductor with numerous musical ensembles, including the Bellevue Opera. He has conducted world premiers of works by Alan Hovhaness, Vaclav Nelhybel and various regional composers.

Maestro Scott has conducted concerts featuring a diverse array of artists, including Metropolitan Opera star Roberta Peters; violinist Pamela Frank; Broadway Tony Award winner Anna Maria Alberghetti; the Seattle Opera Chorus; the Empire Brass Quintet; and vocalists Maureen McGovern, Lou Rawls and Marni Nixon. An accomplished instrumentalist, he performed as Principal Oboist and Principal Tympanist with several Northwest orchestras and toured Europe twice with the Grande Ronde Symphony.

Mr. Scott attended the University of Oregon School of Music and studied conducting with Eugene Furst and Wolfgang Martin of the Portland Opera, Henry Holt of the Seattle Opera, Mikael Scheremetiew of the Thalia Conservatory, and Vilem Sokol of the Seattle Youth Symphony.