JULIAN GAU is a Boston-based conductor currently pursuing a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. He attended Brown University from 2015 to 2019, studying music and math.
At the Boston Conservatory, in addition to conducting study with Bruce Hangen, Gau is the opera assistant to Andrew Altenbach, currently assisting the music and production of Albert Herring. He is the founder and conductor of the Horizon Ensemble, a Boston-based chamber orchestra with a specialty for new music by young composers. Other recent activities include conducting rehearsals for the Providence Medical Orchestra and performances of composers’ new works. During his time at Brown, Gau was the assistant conductor to the Brown University Orchestra, and the conductor and founder of the Brown University Chamber Orchestra. He was also active in theatre, having conducted Into the Woods, The Soldier’s Tale, Orpheus in the Underworld, and West Side Story.
Outside of school, Gau has attended the Miami Music Festival with Mark Gibson; the International Conducting Workshop and Festival with Carl St. Clair, Larry Rachleff, and Donald Schleicher; the Medomak Conductors Retreat with Kenneth Kiesler; and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra Conducting Workshop with Markand Thakar. As a performer, Gau has played the piano and cello in chamber and orchestral ensembles. He is currently the second chair cellist in the New England Philharmonic, and has played cello in the Brown University Orchestra and at the Eastern Music Festival. He has also played percussion for the Brown University Orchestra and Wind Symphony.