Russell Vinick

2010 Small Orchestra "Conductor of the Year"
Awarded by Illinois Council Of Orchestras

We are pleased to announce that Russell Vinick has been named "Conductor of the Year" for 2010 by the Illinois Council of Orchestras. This prestigious award will be formally presented to Mr. Vinick at the June 6, 2010 concert. In addition to his musical expertise with the Lake Shore Symphony, Vinick also serves as Music Director and Conductor of the Chicago Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, McHenry County Youth Orchestras, and as a part-time music faculty member at Columbia College of Chicago.

Vinick has been a guest conductor in concerts with the Shandong Symphony Orchestra (China), Kunming Symphony Orchestra (China), Virginia Symphony, Missouri Chamber Orchestra, Knoxville Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, Macon (GA) Symphony Orchestra, Oak Ridge (TN) Symphony Orchestra, Manchester (CT) Symphony Orchestra, University of Tennessee Symphony Orchestra, and faculty members of Northeastern Illinois University for the Henry Cowell Music Festival sponsored by Mostly Music. He was the conductor for the world premiere recording of Martin Blazevich's Concerto Rustico for Marimba and String Orchestra soon to be released on MSR Classics, Classical Record Label.

Vinick was one of seven people internationally selected to participate in the conducting program at the Cabrillo Contemporary Music Festival in Santa Cruz, California studying under Marin Alsop and Gustav Meier. He has served as Assistant Conductor at the Pacific Music Festival (founded by Leonard Bernstein) in Sapporo, Japan, under Christoph Eschenbach and Michael Tilson Thomas. He has also been a participant in the conducting program at the Aspen Music Festival. He has served as Apprentice/Assistant Conductor for the Knoxville (TN) Symphony, Chamber, and Youth Orchestras and Interim Music Director for the Kingsport (TN) Symphony Orchestra. He has served as Music Director of the Second Unitarian Church Choir.

Vinick earned a bachelor's degree in Music Education from the University of Connecticut where he received the Lottie Green Conducting Scholarship and studied with Peter Bagley, Gary Green, and Paul C. Phillips. He earned a master's degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles under Daniel Lewis where he received the Conducting Departmental Award and music scholarships. Vinick also studied conducting with Kirk Trevor and Eiji Oue. ________________________________________