About the Orchestra

Summerville Orchestra’s Mission

To share our love of music by engaging and enriching our community, through the evolution of the orchestral art form.

2021-24 Vision Statement

We seek to create musical experiences accessible to all, and to build community relationships that will transform our cultural dialogue and landscape.

Wojciech Milewski

Music Director

Energetic and dynamic Wojciech Milewski is an emerging operatic and orchestral conductor. He is the recipient of the 2019 Henderson Symphony Orchestra Harold Farberman Prize and was a finalist in the 2019 Los Angeles Conducting Competition. Recently named music director of Charleston Opera Theater, Wojciech has held the baton for the Summerville Orchestra since 2016. Under his leadership, the orchestra has directly engaged the community by starting three separate outreach series, selling out its four pre-COVID seasons and doubling its active musician roster.

Conducting

Prior to his appointment in Summerville, Wojciech served as Music Director for the world premiere of Joe Illick’s UnShakeable with the Santa Fe Opera, and music directed several of SFO’s educational tours. He also served as Assistant Conductor at the Opera NEO festival in San Diego, CA, and as Associate Conductor for El Paso Opera’s 2016 production of Carmen. During his time in New Mexico, he also guest conducted two concert series with the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra and several works on those programs received New Mexico premieres.

As a conductor, Wojciech seeks to create lively, interactive and  multi-sensory concert experiences, fostering audience engagement and inclusion.

Workshops

Wojciech attended the 2022 International Conductor’s Guild Conference with Louis Langrée and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Conducting Workshop and Competition with Neil Thomson and Scott Weiss, the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra Conducting Seminar with Markand Thakar, and the Henderson Symphony Orchestra Conductor Camp with Alexandra Arrieche. Past studies include workshops and festivals in San Diego, CA; Orvieto, Italy; the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music; the California Conductor’s Institute; and the Bard College Conductor’s Institute. His past conducting teachers include Jorge Pérez-Gómez, John Farrer and Daniel Hege.

Education

Wojciech is an alumnus of the University of New Mexico and the State University of New York at Oswego, and currently lives in Summerville with his dog, Remy.