American conductor JEFFREY MILARSKY is highly acclaimed worldwide for his impeccable musicianship, exhilarating presence and innovative programming. His wide ranging repertoire, which spans from Bach to Xenakis, has brought him to lead such accomplished groups as the San Francisco Symphony, American Composers Orchestra, MET Chamber Ensemble, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Milwaukee Symphony, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New World Symphony, and the New York Philharmonic chamber music series. In the United States and abroad, he has premiered and recorded works by groundbreaking contemporary composers, including Charles Wuorinen, Fred Lerdahl, Milton Babbitt, Elliott Carter, Gerard Grisey, Jonathan Dawe, Tristan Murail, Ralph Shapey, Luigi Nono, Mario Davidovsky, and Wolfgang Rihm.

Milarsky is Senior Lecturer in Music at Columbia University, where he is the Music Director and Conductor of the Columbia University Orchestra. In addition he is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Percussion Ensemble as well as the Artistic Director of the Contemporary Music Performance Program. He is Music Director of AXIOM, the Juilliard School’s critically acclaimed contemporary music ensemble. In September of 2008 he was named to the conducting faculty of the Juilliard School.

Milarsky will make his San Francisco Symphony debut conducting the orchestra in San Francisco, Michigan, and at Carnegie Hall in New York. In 2011, he conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Walt Disney Concert Hall. Milarsky made his debut at the New York City Opera during the 2008/09 season. In the summer of 2008 he was called to Tanglewood to substitute for James Levine in an all Elliott Carter program in honor of his 100th birthday. In May of 2006 Milarsky substituted for James Levine at Carnegie Hall, conducting an all Milton Babbitt concert of his chamber music. In August of 2004, he made his debut with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in Norway, conducting Ravel and Liebermann. In the fall of 2007, he led the NY Premiere of Elliott Carter’s only opera What Next? to sold out performances and critical acclaim. In 2012 and 2013 will conduct in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Norway, Italy, and Paris. Milarsky appears regularly at Carnegie Hall with the American Composers Orchestra. He also has recently performed at IRCAM in Paris, conducting and recording compositions by Joshua Fineberg and Tristan Murail.

A much-in-demand timpanist and percussionist, Milarsky has performed and recorded with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, among other ensembles. Milarsky was named Principal Timpanist for the Santa Fe Opera beginning in the summer of 2005. He has recorded extensively for Angel, Bridge, Teldec, Telarc, New World, CRI, MusicMasters, EMI, Koch, and London records.

Milarsky received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School. Upon graduation, he was awarded the Peter Mennin Prize for outstanding leadership and achievement in the arts.