Maxim Kuzin is a Lecturer in Chamber Orchestra and Orchestral Conducting at the University of California, Santa Barbara's Department of Music. He also serves as Music Director for the Palisades Symphony Orchestra, Thousand Oaks Philharmonic, UC Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, and Irvine Classical Players Youth Orchestra. His roles include co-directing the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Chorale and leading opera productions internationally. Education: Doctorate of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting (UCLA, under Neal Stulberg); studies at Tchaikovsky National Musical Academy of Ukraine and Lysenko Specialized Boarding Music School. Professional experience includes leadership at Ukraine's National Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra, and Dnipro Glinka Conservatory Opera Program. Research interests focus on orchestral and opera conducting, contemporary music curation, and youth musical education. He has conducted over 20 opera productions (e.g., Rossini's Barber of Seville , Stravinsky's Mavra ), founded Kyiv's Ricochet New Music Ensemble, and pioneered modern music festivals across Ukraine. Awarded the Elaine Krown Klein Scholarship and recognized as an 'Emerging Artist,' Kuzin's work spans TV appearances ( Dancing with the Stars in Ukraine) and academic lectures (Harvard University on opera's cultural impact). He actively nurtures talent through competitions like Colibri International Arts and Philadelphia International Music Festival.











