Profile
Jim Waddelow is one of the most versatile conductors in the South. A native of Oklahoma, he is Music Director and Conductor of the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Oklahoma Haydn Festival. Jim also serves Meredith College as Director of Instrumental Activities, conducting the Meredith Philharmonic, Sinfonietta, and Opera Workshop. In 2010 he founded White Iris Light Opera in Raleigh, and the following year he led Meredith musicians on a concert tour of Tuscany, Italy. Guest appearances have included theater companies and orchestras in ten different states, and numerous all-state and all-region orchestras. Jim has conducted over 300 performances of more than 70 musicals and operas at the professional and college level. He arranges and plays bass as a member of the Raleigh-based Hillsborough Street Jazz Trio. Previous conducting affiliations include the Oklahoma Youth Symphony, Lubbock Youth Symphony, Texas Tech University, Next Generation Performing Arts Camp in Joplin, Missouri, Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony in Eureka Springs Arkansas, and the University of Central Oklahoma. A strong advocate of music education, he has conducted over 200 guest appearances and clinics in public school programs. A passionate proponent of the new music of younger composers, he is known for innovative programming. Press reviews have referred to performances as “bright, articulate, and beautifully balanced”, and “astonishing precision and polish; a joy from start to finish.” He holds a doctorate in orchestral conducting from Texas Tech University.
Academic Credentials
Doctor of Music Arts, Texas Tech University
Master of Music: University of Central Oklahoma
Bachelor of Music Education: University of Central Oklahoma