Alan Yamamoto

Dr. Alan Yamamoto serves as the Visiting Director of Orchestras at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, leading its orchestra program. He previously held the position of Conductor of the Central Piedmont Opera Theater Orchestra for nine years (2011-2022) and founded the Queens Chamber Orchestra at Queens University in 2021. His community initiative, Orchestra Mosaic, collaborates with universities, youth orchestras, and high schools to create learning environments through ensemble coaching.

• Education: Degrees from University of Colorado (Boulder), University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), and University of California (Berkeley)

Dr. Yamamoto is an advocate for contemporary music, founding the Modern Music Festival in Boulder, which showcased works by composers like John Adams, Jennifer Higdon, and Chen Yi. This festival was recognized by the Colorado State Legislature. He has conducted major works with the Charlotte Ballet and UNC Charlotte Percussion Ensemble, including Stravinsky’s Les Noces and Britten’s War Requiem.

His scholarly work includes a lecture series on Mahler’s Fourth Symphony through Arnold Schoenberg’s Society for Private Musical Performances, presented nationally. He has premiered numerous modern compositions and fostered interdisciplinary collaborations between music, dance, and film.