KYLE PICKETT is recognized as one of America’s most exciting and charismatic young conductors as well as an acclaimed orchestra builder.

Following his doctoral studies at the Peabody Conservatory with the renowned conducting teacher Frederik Prausnitz, Kyle Pickett was appointed Music Director by both the Redding and Chico symphony orchestras in Northern California. Within a year of these appointments, he spearheaded the merger of the two ensembles into the North State Symphony, creating a single professional orchestra that bridges two communities and ensures the future of symphonic music in Northern California. Now in its seventh season, this orchestra plays a full season of concerts in three cities, sells out nearly every performance and ends each season with a balanced budget.

Kyle Pickett’s talents, energy and impressive results also extend to his work with another orchestra, Alaska’s Juneau Symphony. In six seasons as Music Director, he has increased the complement of the orchestra, raised the artistic standard, double the audience, tripled the budget, instituted a popular pre-concert “Conversation with the Conductor” series and established an annual summer Pops concert. He has also created a symphonic chorus, collaborated with local opera companies and instituted live radio broadcasts and webcasts of the Sunday matinee performances. Dr. Pickett’s leadership in fundraising has lead to annual budget surpluses of more than 15% of the operating budgets.

A native of California, Kyle Pickett holds a Bachelor’s degree in music from Stanford University and a Master’s degree in choral conducting from the California State University at Chico. His Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in orchestral conducting was conferred by the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. Dr. Picket is also an accomplished flutist, having studied with Frances Blaisdell and Robert Willoughby. He also trained in voice with Wayne Connor and Judith Bettina.

"Dr. Pickett is truly amazing, having conducted success after success. He is gifted in many ways - in his positive, professional bearing, and, musically, in his fine sense of drama, a sense revealed in his controlled tempos, his dynamic shifts from louds to softs and back again, his ability to delineate and reveal individual orchestra sections so the listener can follow the music, and his use and support of many fine soloists."
CHICO NEWS AND REVIEW     

9/27/2008 (7:30pm) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
Cascade Theatre (Redding, CA)
Glazunov: The Seasons: Autumn (Bacchanal/Finale)
Brahms: Symphony #3
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #3
soloist: Jon Nakamatsu

9/28/2008 (2pm) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
Laxson Auditorium, California State University, Chico
Glazunov: The Seasons: Autumn (Bacchanal/Finale)
Brahms: Symphony #3
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #3
soloist: Jon Nakamatsu

10/24/2008 (10am) JUNEAU SYMPHONY
Juneau Douglas High School Auditorium
Children’s Concert

10/25/2008 (8pm) JUNEAU SYMPHONY
10/26/2008 (3pm)
Juneau Douglas High School Auditorium
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique (March to the Scaffold)
Mahler: Symphony #1 (mvt. III)
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (Baba Yaga)
Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel (excerpts)
Schwanter: Chasing Light...

11/14/2008 (7:30pm) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
State Theater (Oroville, CA)
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia (overture)
Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht
Beethoven: Symphony #4

11/15/2008 (7:30pm) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
Laxson Auditorium, California State University, Chico
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia (overture)
Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht
Beethoven: Symphony #4

11/16/2008 (2pm) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
Cascade Theatre (Redding, CA)
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia (overture)
Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht
Beethoven: Symphony #4

12/20/2008 (7:30pm) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
State Theatre (Red Bluff, CA)
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto #2
Mozart: Exsultate, jubilate
soloist: Daun Hayes, soprano
selected Christmas favorites

12/21/2008 (2&7:30pm) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
All Saints Episcopal Church (Redding, CA)
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto #2
Mozart: Exsultate, jubilate
soloist: Daun Hayes, soprano
selected Holiday favorites

2/7/2009 (8pm) JUNEAU SYMPHONY
2/8/2009 (3pm)
Juneau Douglas High School Auditorium
Kodály: Galanta Dances
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
soloist: Franz Felkl
Shostakovich: Symphony #5

2/21/2009 (7:30pm) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
Cascade Theatre (Redding, CA)
Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Burhnam: The Bird’s Companion (world premiere)
soloist: Heidi Melton, soprano
Mahler: Symphony #4
soloist: Heidi Melton, soprano

2/22/2009 (2pm) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
Laxson Auditorium, California State University, Chico
Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Burhnam: The Bird’s Companion (world premiere)
soloist: Heidi Melton, soprano
Mahler: Symphony #4
soloist: Heidi Melton, soprano

4/4/2009 (8pm) JUNEAU SYMPHONY & CHORUS
4/5/2009 (3pm)
Juneau Douglas High School Auditorium
Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem
soloists: Tiffany Hanson, soprano
Philippe Dammerval, baritone

4/16/2009 (10am) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
Laxson Auditorium, California State University, Chico
Children’s Concert
Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals
narrator: Alice Wiley Pickett
Stravinsky: L’Histoire du soldat
Daugherty: Dead Elvis
soloist: Benjamin Kamins, bassoonist

4/17/2009 (10am) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
Cascade Theatre (Redding, CA)
Children’s Concert
Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals
narrator: Alice Wiley Pickett
Stravinsky: L’Histoire du soldat
Daugherty: Dead Elvis
soloist: Benjamin Kamins, bassoonist

4/17/2009 (7:30pm) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
Cascade Theatre (Redding, CA)
Stravinsky: L’Histoire du soldat
Daugherty: Dead Elvis
soloist: Benjamin Kamins, bassoonist

4/18/2009 (7:30&10:30pm) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
1078 Gallery (Chico, CA)
Stravinsky: L’Histoire du soldat
Daugherty: Dead Elvis
soloist: Benjamin Kamins, bassoonist

5/6/2009 (7:30pm) CHICO MUSICAL THEATER/NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
5/7/2009 (7:30pm)
Laxson Auditorium, California State University, Chico
5/8/2009 (7:30pm) Gershwin: Crazy for You
5/9/2009 (7:30pm)
5/10/2009 (2pm)

5/16/2009 (7:30pm) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
Laxson Auditorium, California State University, Chico
Mozart: Symphony #39
Mozart: Violin Concerto #3 (mvt. I)
soloist: Adriel Taslim
Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F (mvt. III)
soloist: Emily Loeffler
Stravinsky: The Firebird (suite, 1945)

5/17/2009 (2pm) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
Cascade Theatre (Redding, CA)
Mozart: Symphony #39
Mozart: Violin Concerto #3 (mvt. I)
soloist: Adriel Taslim
Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F (mvt. III)
soloist: Emily Loeffler
Stravinsky: The Firebird (suite, 1945)

5/17/2009 (7:30pm) NORTH STATE SYMPHONY
State Theatre (Red Bluff, CA)
Mozart: Symphony #39
Mozart: Violin Concerto #3 (mvt. I)
soloist: Adriel Taslim
Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F (mvt. III)
soloist: Emily Loeffler
Stravinsky: The Firebird (suite, 1945)

6/13/2009 (8pm) JUNEAU SYMPHONY
Juneau Douglas High School Auditorium
Gershwin: Variations on I Got Rhythm
soloist: Sue Kazama, pianist
Gershwin: Porgy & Bess (Symphony Picture)
Kern: Showboat (selections)
Berlin: Irving Berlin, Symphonic Portrait
Lowe: Camelot (selections)