Announcing Roger Kalia as Orchestra Santa Monica’s New Music Director

After a five-month long search and evaluating many fine candidates, Orchestra Santa Monica (OSM) is proud to introduce Roger Kalia as its new Music Director and Conductor.  He will be starting his duties with OSM this upcoming 2018-2019 season and is planning an exciting offering of concert programs for the community.  At present, Kalia is entering his fourth season as Assistant Conductor of the Pacific Symphony and Music Director of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra. Kalia also serves as Co-Founder and Music Director of the Lake George Music Festival in upstate New York, which was recently featured in the League of American Orchestra’s Symphony Magazine as one of the premier summer classical music festivals in the country.  Earlier this month he was announced as one of the 2018 recipients of The Solti Foundation U.S Career Assistance Award, which is the foremost organization in the United States dedicated exclusively to helping young conductors.

 “I am thrilled to have been named the next Music Director of Orchestra Santa Monica,” says Kalia.  “I am looking forward to working with its wonderful musicians and Board and leading the orchestra into its next chapter.  By performing exciting repertoire, both old and new, and creating unique community collaborations, we are going to reach out to a wide-ranging audience and make our concerts the most welcoming and inviting place for classical music in Santa Monica.”

“Roger comes with such impressive qualifications and everyone I’ve spoken to who knows him just raves about Roger,” explains Board President Cindy Bandel.  “We’re really looking forward to working with him and intend to do our best to support this amazing young man as he’s on his way to a stellar professional conducting career.”  And from OSM’s recently retired Maestro, Allen Gross – “I’m delighted that Roger Kalia will be the new Music Director of OSM.  He will bring energy and vision to OSM and carry this wonderful orchestra to a new level.  I wish him great success.”

Three concert dates for OSM’s 2018-2019 season have been confirmed at the Moss Theater:  Oct 7, 2018; Feb 17, 2019; and May 26, 2019.  The concerts are all on Sunday afternoons at 2:30 pm and the concert programs are to be announced in the coming weeks through OSM’s newsletter, website (www.OrchestraSantaMonica.org), and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/OrchestraSM). 

To learn more about OSM’s new Music Director, please visit http://www.RogerKalia.com.