Miriam Burns
Kenosha Symphony Orchestra's
Music Director and Conductor

MIRIAM BURNS  has been on staff with the New York Philharmonic as one of their Cover Conductors from 1999-2007, having been appointed by Kurt Masur. In this capacity, she accompanied the orchestra on tour to the Far East in 2002 as the tour Assistant Conductor to then new Music Director, Lorin Maazel.

Ms. Burns is also Music Director of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Redeemer in New York City.  Versatile in all genres, she is active on operatic stages as well, conducting opera annually at the MasterWorks Festival, having been Associate Music Director of the Bronx Opera Company – conducting opening nights – for nine years. Ms. Burns has conducted oratorio with prominent Metropolitan Opera soloists such as Ben Heppner, Heidi Grant Murphy, Angela Brown, Mark Delavan, Mark Oswald and others, is committed to the furthering of musical education of all generations.  She is currently on the conducting roster of Broadway Pops International, Inc. through which she recently guest conducted Broadway stars Austin Miller, Leah Hocking and Elvis Impersonator Shawn Klush in two performances with the Memphis Symphony during Elvis Week 2008.

Increasingly in demand as a guest conductor throughout the United States and abroad, Ms. Burns’ international debut occurred with the Bournemouth Symphony in 1999, in three concerts throughout the south of England.  Her debut in Germany in 2003 involved conducting at the Stadthalle in Wuppertal, the First Ladies Symphony Orchestra of Poland, and in 2006, Ms. Burns conducted performances with the YinQi Symphony Orchestra as well as the Shih-Chien University Orchestra of Taiwan.  Guest conducting within the US has included recent appearances with orchestras such as the Memphis Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Syracuse Symphony, Virginia Symphony, South Carolina Philharmonic, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Woodstock Chamber Orchestra, MasterWorks Festival, Skaneateles Festival and the NewYork, Florida and Tennessee All-State Orchestras.

Ms. Burns has received conducting awards from the Aspen Music Festival, studying with Paul Vermel, and the Conductors Guild, where she was unanimously  presented in 1989 with their prestigious biennial prize, the Robinson Scholarship.  In addition to her professional affiliations, she completed the Artist Diploma Fellowship in Yale University’s eminent Conductor Apprentice program upon special invitation of Yale faculty.  In this capacity, she regularly worked with noted mentor conductors such as Gunther Herbig, Lawrence Leighton Smith and Eleazar de Carvallho.  She also participated in master classes under the tutelage of prominent guests such as Kurt Masur, Leopold Hager and Zdenek Macal.  Ms. Burns completed her Master’s degree and Professional Studies in Orchestral Conducting on full scholarship at the Mannes College of Music (NY), where she studied with Yakov Kreizberg and Michael Charry.  Previously active as a violinist, she holds both Bachelors and Masters Degrees in violin performance from Mannes, during which time she began preliminary conducting studies with Semyon Bychkov.  Ms. Burns is an alumna of both the New York String Orchestra Seminar under Alexander Schneider and The Quartet Program.  An avid chamber musician, Ms. Burns was an original member of what is now the Chester String Quartet.

You may e-mail Miriam Burns at batonlady@aol.com with program questions, requests for auditions, etc.

Photo taken by Mikasi Photography. Maestra Burns' lodging is provided by Best Western Harborside Inn & Conference Center.