Ian Passmore loves dogs. And he loves conducting. The "dogdadmaestro" (which is the name of his website and social media handles) is the newly appointed Music Director and conductor of the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra (ORSO).
Originally from North Carolina, Ian fell in love with conducting when a touring collegiate wind ensemble visited his elementary school. Fascinated by the conductor, Ian dove in, checking out materials from the public library, to teach himself how to conduct, years before he would ever learn an instrument. Ian holds a Doctor of Music degree in orchestral conducting from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Delaware, and a Bachelors degree in music from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His principal conducting mentors were David Effron, Arthur Fagan, and James Allen Anderson, among others. Following two seasons as the Omaha Symphony's Assistant Conductor, Ian was named Associate Conductor in 2019. Prior to his appointment in Omaha, Ian served as Associate Instructor of Orchestral Conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
Passmore is passionate about the belief that "classical music should be for everyone." He strives to break down barriers to make classical music approachable, fun, relevant, and interesting. His plans for the ORSO revolve around that very mission...to program music that audiences want to hear and that the orchestra members want to play. That doesn't necessarily mean that audience members will know every piece on the program. But, Passmore says, he hopes that every piece will make "sense" and will be relatable.
The ORSO kicks off its 2026-2027 season this Saturday night with a performance at 7pm given in the historic Grove Theatre. The program will include the prelude to Wagner's Die Meistersinger, Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite, Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, and Fate Now Conquers by Carlos Simon.
Tickets and additional information can be found at https://www.orcma.org/
