Recognized for his “musical sensitivity” and “energized sense of interpretation”, conductor Matthew Kraemer is quickly gaining notice for his inspired performances and innovative programming.  He currently holds the Montante Family endowed Associate Conductor’s Chair with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, where he appears on each of the orchestra’s major series, including subscription weeks, Pops,Family, and summer concerts.  He plays a vital role in designing and conducting the BPO’s award-winning education and community engagement programs, as well as assisting Music Director JoAnn Falletta during recording sessions and on tour.  Mr. Kraemer has recently been appointed Music Director and Conductor of both the Butler County Symphony Orchestra and the Erie Chamber Orchestra, beginning with the 2012-13 concert season.  Upcoming season highlights include performances with Bela Fleck, Enrique Graf, Wynona Judd, Natalie Merchant, the Indigo Girls and Idina Menzel.  His future guest conducting engagements include the Elgin Symphony, Tallahassee Symphony, Hamilton (ON) Philharmonic, Symphony Syracuse, and return appearances with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.

Recipient of the distinguished Herbert von Karajan Conducting Fellowship and the Bruno Walter Career Development Grant, Mr. Kraemer served a residency with the Vienna Philharmonic at the 2006 Salzburg Music Festival.  His numerous guest conducting appearances have included engagements with the symphony orchestras of Akron, Asheville, Atlanta, Baltimore, Columbus, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Mississauga (ON), Nashville, North Carolina, St. Louis, and Virginia, the Rochester Philharmonic, the Erie and Reno Chamber Orchestras, and in Europe with the Vidin Philharmonic and the Orquesta de Cadaqués.  Equally at home in the ballet pit, he has led fully-staged productions with Virginia Ballet Theatre, Ohio Ballet, Neglia Ballet Artists, and Todd Rosenlieb Dance.  He has served as conductor for Broadway superstar Idina Menzel’s numerous symphony engagements nationwide and he has also collaborated with many other leading artists, including Awadagin Pratt, Mark O’Connor, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Philippe Quint, Jennifer Koh, Ben Folds, Chris Botti, and Richard Stolzman. 

Prior to his appointment in Buffalo, Mr. Kraemer completed a highly successful three-year tenure as associate conductor of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, where he led the orchestra in more than 200 performances throughout the state. 

Mr. Kraemer is a passionate advocate for new music and has performed the works of many living composers during his career.  He has led composer readings and workshops with several orchestras in the United States and will continue to lead the BPO’s Earshot partnership with the American Composers Orchestra’s in Buffalo this season.  Also increasingly recognized for his committed advocacy of music education and his devotion to young audiences, he has created numerous arts education programs and has taught at music festivals both in the US and abroad.  The Buffalo Philharmonic’s extensive education concerts have grown under his leadership, reaching more than 40,000 students throughout Western New York.

An Indiana native, Mr. Kraemer studied conducting in Vienna, Austria with Salvador Mas Conde and was twice a fellowship conductor at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen.  He has also participated in the National Arts Center Conductor’s Program in Ottawa, Canada.  His conducting teachers include David Zinman, Robert Spano, Stanley DeRusha, and Jorma Panula.  Mr. Kraemer is a graduate of Butler University and the University of Nevada, Reno, where he assisted former Cincinnati Symphony concertmaster Phillip Ruder. An accomplished violinist, he was a member of the Nightingale String Quartet.  Fluent in German and French, his principal violin teachers include Phillip Ruder, Herbert Greenberg, and Larry Shapiro.  When he is not performing, Mr. Kraemer enjoys cooking, running, and reading.   He and his wife Megan reside in Buffalo.

For more information on Mr. Kraemer, visit his website at  www.matthewkraemer.com