MAURICE COHN, MUSIC DIRECTOR

Born and raised in Galesburg, Illinois, Maurice Cohn became Music Director of the West Virginia Symphony in the 2023-2024 season. Musical highlights of his first year in Charleston include the Symphony’s November 2023 collaboration with Mountain Stage, conducting the West Virginia Symphony premieres of music by Clara Schumann and Jessica Hunt, and expanding the orchestra through the hiring of sixteen new musicians.

Prior to moving to Charleston, Maurice served as Assistant Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for three seasons. He made his subscription debut in 2023, stepping in for Music Director Fabio Luisi, and conducted the orchestra in numerous concerts at Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, at venues throughout North Texas, and as part of the DSO’s Bravo! Vail summer residency in Colorado. Concurrent with his time in Dallas, Maurice was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Aspen Music Festival for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

When not in Charleston, Maurice conducts performances throughout the United States and abroad. Recent and upcoming guest conducting engagements include the Cincinnati Symphony, Utah Symphony, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic, ensembleNEWSRQ, Omaha Symphony, Amarillo Symphony, and the Oberlin Conservatory Orchestra. He also serves as Artistic Partner and Conductor of Camerata Notturna, a chamber orchestra based in New York City.

Maurice spent two summers as a conducting fellow at the Aspen Music Festival, where he received the Robert J. Harth Conducting Prize and the Aspen Conducting Prize. He received an M.M. in conducting from the Eastman School of Music and is a three-time recipient of the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award. He holds a B.M. in cello performance from Oberlin Conservatory and a B.A. from Oberlin College, where he studied history and mathematics.

When not conducting or playing cello, you can find him reading mystery novels, playing tennis, or continually searching for the best podcast app.