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Jamie Reeves

Music Director and Conductor
Montgomery Symphony Orchestra

 

About

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Photo Credit: Brittany Lesavoy Smith 

Jamie Reeves is a conductor recognized for his leadership in developing large-scale orchestral projects that bridge contemporary music, cultural narrative, and the symphonic canon, and for shaping programs that expand both the artistic and civic role of the orchestra.

 

He serves as Music Director of the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, where his tenure has been defined by ambitious collaborations, commissioning initiatives, and nationally recognized artistic projects that position the orchestra as a dynamic cultural force within its community and beyond.

 

A defining feature of Reeves’s work is his commitment to living composers and culturally resonant programming. One example of this approach was a program dedicated to Tobias Picker, which included the U.S. premiere of his cello concerto performed by Santiago Cañón-Valencia with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra. Jamie Reeves is the creator of the Alabama Composers Project, a multi-season initiative commissioning new works connected to Alabama’s cultural and historical landscape. In 2025, he appointed acclaimed composer Nkeiru Okoye as the inaugural William Levi Dawson Composer-in-Residence, culminating in the 2026 world premiere of A Time for Jubilee, a large-scale choral-orchestral work commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March. The project brought together the orchestra, university choirs, and leading soloists in one of the most ambitious collaborations in the orchestra’s history.

 

In the 2026–2027 season, Reeves leads the Montgomery Symphony in a landmark collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma, opening the orchestra’s 50th anniversary season with a performance of the Dvořák Cello Concerto. This project reflects both his artistic leadership and his ability to realize collaborations of significant national profile, bringing internationally renowned artists into meaningful dialogue with regional institutions and audiences.

 

Reeves maintains an active presence as a guest conductor, with engagements including the Chattanooga Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, New Mexico Philharmonic, and Omaha Symphony. He has also served as cover conductor with both the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, further reflecting his ongoing engagement with leading orchestral institutions.

 

His collaborations include performances with distinguished soloists such as Jeffrey Biegel, Geneva Lewis, Laquita Mitchell, Evren Ozel, Natasha Paremski, and Santiago Cañón-Valencia. Across his work, Reeves is known for programming that combines artistic depth with accessibility, including film-in-concert productions and educational initiatives such as Mason Bates’s Philharmonia Fantastique and participation in Carnegie Hall’s Link Up program.

 

Reeves’s artistic development includes participation in leading international conducting programs, including the Lucerne Festival Masterclass with Bernard Haitink and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music with Cristian Măcelaru. He has been recognized as a finalist in both the Grzegorz Fitelberg and Besançon International Conducting Competitions, conducting the Filharmonia Śląska and L’Orchestre Victor Hugo Franche-Comté.

 

Jamie Reeves holds conducting degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, where he studied with Marin Alsop, David Effron, Arthur Fagen, John Ratledge, and Joseph Young.

Performances

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Carlos Simon- The Block 

Aaron Copland- Appalachian Spring Suite

-Intermission-

Antonín Dvořák- Cello Concerto in B Minor

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Antonín Dvořák- Carnival Overture

Jeff Scott- Athena Trumpet Concerto (Alabama Premiere)

-Intermission-

Jennifer Oliverio- New Work for Two Trumpets and Orchestra (World Premiere)

Leonard Bernstein- Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

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Beethoven- Overture to Leonore No. 3

Beethoven- Symphony No. 1 in C Major

-Intermission-

Brahms- Violin Concerto in D Major

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Joyce Caddell Holiday Pops 

featuring the Montgomery Chorale 

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Giacomo Puccini- La Bohéme

Lydia Katarina, Mimi

Jasmine Habersham, Musetta

Daniel O'hearn, Rodolfo

Reginald Smith, jr, Marcello

Eleomar Cuello, Schaunard

Wei Wu, Colline 

Paul Houghtaling, Benoit/Alcindoro

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Education Concerts 

March 9, 2027 

Antonín Dvořák- Carnival Overture

Carlos Simon- The Block 

Mason Bates- Philharmonia Fantastique 

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Back to the Future In Concert 

Montgomery Symphony Orchestra 

Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts 

March 5, 2027 7:30pm 

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Beethoven- Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor"

-Intermission-

Tchaikovsky- Symphony No. 5 

Media

News

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Jamie Reeves Opens Landmark Season in Collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma

 

MONTGOMERY, AL — Jamie Reeves will lead the opening concert of Montgomery Symphony Orchestra’s 50th Anniversary Season on Sunday, September 20 at 3:00 p.m. at Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts, joined by internationally acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma for one of the orchestra’s most anticipated performances in recent years.

 

A 20-time Grammy Award winner, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, United Nations Messenger of Peace, and founder of Silkroad, Yo-Yo Ma remains one of the most influential artists in classical music. His discography includes more than 120 albums, from landmark recordings of the classical canon to genre-defying collaborations such as Goat Rodeo Sessions with Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer, and Stuart Duncan. Through initiatives including the Bach Project and Our Common Nature, Yo-Yo Ma has continued expanding classical music’s role in cultural dialogue worldwide.

 

The opening program reflects the artistic direction Jamie Reeves has cultivated in Montgomery—balancing contemporary voices with cornerstone repertoire. The concert opens with Carlos Simon’s The Block, followed by Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite. Following intermission, Yo-Yo Ma joins Jamie Reeves and the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra for Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor.

 

The performance launches a milestone season celebrating five decades of artistic excellence in Alabama’s River Region. The anniversary season will feature internationally recognized guest artists, a four-concert Masterworks series, a world premiere commission, a concert presentation of La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini, and a season finale featuring pianist Joyce Yang performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 'Emperor'.

 

Since his appointment as Music Director in the 2021–2022 season, Jamie Reeves has led a period of notable artistic momentum for the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra through ambitious programming, high-profile collaborations, and community-focused initiatives. His Alabama Composers Project has brought new works connected to the state’s cultural history to the stage, including the recent world premiere of A Time for Jubilee by Nkeiru Okoye commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March.

 

Beyond Montgomery, Jamie Reeves continues to expand his national profile through guest engagements with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, New Mexico Philharmonic, and Omaha Symphony, in addition to past cover conducting engagements with the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.

 

"Our 50th anniversary season celebrates all we´ve accomplished over five decades and looks ahead as we bring world-class symphonic experiences to the River Region," said Jamie Reeves. "Sharing the stage with Yo-Yo Ma for our season opener is a profound honor that will inspire our community and elevate the future of music-making in Montgomery.”

 

As the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra enters its 50th season, the collaboration between Jamie Reeves and Yo-Yo Ma marks a major moment for the organization and opens a milestone year with one of classical music’s most recognized artists.

 

Tickets are now on sale. Principal Sponsor: The James E. Klingler Family.

 

For media inquiries, guest conducting engagements, and programming collaborations for Jamie Reeves:
Eva Artistic Management

eva@evaartisticmanagement.com

Contact

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Eva Artistic Management 
Eva Adolfo, Founder and CEO 
eva@evaartisticmanagement.com






 

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