Carl St.Clair

Carl St.Clair serves as Adjunct Professor and Artistic Leader/Principal Conductor of the USC Thornton Orchestras at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, a position held for over 25 years with expanded responsibilities since 2012. He concurrently holds leadership roles as Music Director of the Pacific Symphony (33 seasons as of 2022-2023) and Music Director of Costa Rica's National Symphony Orchestra since 2014. Previously, he served as General Music Director for Berlin's Komische Oper (2008-2010) and Weimar's German National Theater and Staatskapelle.

His professional focus centers on orchestral innovation, music education, and contemporary repertoire development. St.Clair pioneered the Pacific Symphony's American Composers Festival (2000-present) and "Symphonic Voices" opera initiative, presenting concert-opera productions of major works including Madama Butterfly, Tosca, and La Bohème. He champions new music through commissions from composers like Philip Glass, Zhou Long, and Michael Daugherty, resulting in critically acclaimed recordings and performances at venues including Carnegie Hall.

As a dedicated educator, St.Clair developed the Pacific Symphony's comprehensive education ecosystem including Pacific Symphony Youth Ensembles, Heartstrings, and arts-X-press programs. His mentorship extends to Chapman University (Presidential Fellow since 2018) and the University of Texas Butler School of Music (Distinguished Alumni in Residence from 2019). His international conducting career spans performances with major orchestras across five continents, including landmark tours to Europe, China, and Carnegie Hall where the Pacific Symphony received a standing ovation during the 2018 Philip Glass celebration.