Philip Bauman, Music Director / Conductor

Recognized by critics as offering “tremendously sensitive direction” and being “a gifted and spirited conductor,” Philip Bauman currently serves as music director of the LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra, and conductor of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Youth Orchestra. Known for his charismatic presence on and off the podium he is frequently hailed for his innovative programs and consistently captivating performances.

During his tenure with the LaPorte County Symphony, he is credited with significantly raising the orchestra’s artistic level, spearheading a resurgence in the educational programming, more than doubling the audience and expanding the budget three-fold since his arrival in 1994. A passionate advocate for music education, Mr. Bauman has dedicated much of his career to exploring music with young people through educational concerts and work with youth orchestras.

A native of Battle Creek, Michigan, Mr. Bauman made his symphonic conducting debut leading the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra and was subsequently engaged for future performances. In 1983 he founded the Camera da Musica Concert Society–a chamber music concert series and professional orchestra–noted for innovative programming, stylistic interpretation, and high performance standards.

Through his work with Chicago Opera Theater, The Opera Factory, and Light Opera Works and the Jarvis Conservatory, Mr. Bauman has gained a reputation as a highly respected conductor of the stage. His 1993 performances of Four Saints in Three Acts with Chicago Opera Theater were unanimously praised by the press. John Von Rhein, music critic of the Chicago Tribune said of his performances, "Philip J. Bauman drew a clean, buoyant and lively reading from the 21 piece orchestra, coordinating stage and pit very well. The final scenes in fact were very moving."

Mr. Bauman made his podium debut with Chicago Opera Theater in 1989, when as assistant conductor, he led the season's final performance of Romeo and Juliet on five minutes notice. Since that dramatic and successful debut, his ten year association with the company has seen him conduct highly acclaimed performances of Where the Wild Things Are, Carousel, Count Ory (Rossini), La Traviata, A Waterbird Talk (Argento) and The Medium with Metropolitan Opera star Mignon Dunn. In 1994, Mr. Bauman once again stepped in on short notice, this time for the Elgin Symphony and conducted, to much acclaim, a subscription concert for the ailing Margaret Hillis.

Mr. Bauman has conducted Adios a la Bohemia, Bohemios, La Purpura de la Rosa and two productions of Manuel de Falla's La Vida Breve for The Opera Factory, Desert Song and Princess Ida for Light Opera Works, and Attila, Don Carlo, Lucrezia Borgia and the Verdi Requiem with the da Corneto Opera Ensemble. He has conducted The Saffron Rose, La Revoltosa, Agua, Azucarillos y Aguardiente, Doña Francisquita, La Alegria de la Huerta and Gigantes y Cabezudos for the Jarvis Conservatory in Napa, California, El Barbero de Sevilla for the Amarillo Opera in Texas and The Opera Factory in addition to traveling to Idaho to conduct Boise Opera in productions of Carousel and South Pacific.

In the Chicago area he has served as music director and conductor of The Opera Factory (IL), the Chicago Brass Choir, the Lake Shore Symphony Orchestra and the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra, and director of orchestras at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park (IL).

Mr. Bauman spent 13 years as an associate conductor with the Elgin Symphony where he conducted over 100 performances encompassing subscription, pops and educational concerts. For 5 seasons he served as assistant conductor of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra appearing on classical and pops concerts. He has conducted the Wheaton Symphony, da Corneto Opera Ensemble, Indiana Opera North, the Downers Grove Oratorio Society, North Shore Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Youth Symphony Orchestra, Suburban Youth Symphony, DuPage Repertory Theater, and Circle Theater of Forest Park. He holds a master's degree in orchestral conducting from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in music theory from Western Michigan University.