Ruth Ochs

Ruth Ochs is a Senior Lecturer in Music at Princeton University and Conductor of the Princeton University Sinfonia. She has transformed the Sinfonia into a full symphony orchestra, programming works from baroque to contemporary composers including Haydn, Beethoven, Beach, Brahms, Dvořák, Price, and Tchaikovsky.

• Teaches courses on symphony, concerto, string quartet, and eighteenth-century music
• Director of Princeton University Sinfonia and Westminster Community Orchestra
• Active in community engagement through Pace Center collaborations and Trenton Youth Orchestra

Research & Teaching Interests focus on intersections of performance and scholarship, with emphasis on:

• Orchestral conducting pedagogy
• Historical performance practices
• Contemporary music programming
• Community music initiatives

Scientific Awards & Honors:

• 2019 Pace Center Award for Civic Engagement
• Honorary Member of Princeton University Class of 2023

Education:

• B.A. in Music from Harvard University (magna cum laude, highest honors)
• M.M. in Orchestral Conducting from University of Texas at Austin
• Ph.D. in Musicology from Princeton University (2018, dissertation on Karol Szymanowski’s ballet Harnasie)
• Additional studies with Maestro Michael Jinbo at Pierre Monteux School

Community Engagement:
Collaborates with Pace Center’s Community Outreach, Teachers as Scholars program, and Trenton Youth Orchestra. Co-leads Princeton in Leipzig summer course faculty and revives community music initiatives post-pandemic.