Peter Bay became Music Director and Conductor of the Austin Symphony Orchestra in 1998. He is also Conductor of the Bravo! Big Sky Classical Festival Orchestra (MT) and Arizona Philharmonic.

Maestro Bay has appeared with over eighty different orchestras including the National, Chicago, St. Louis, Houston, Dallas, Baltimore, New Jersey, North Carolina, San Antonio, Tucson, West Virginia, Colorado, Hawaii, Sarasota, Fort Worth, Bochum (Germany), Carinthian (Austria), Lithuanian National, and Ecuador National Symphonies, the Minnesota and Algarve (Portugal) Orchestras, the Louisiana, Buffalo, Arizona, Rhode Island and Boca del Rio (Mexico) Philharmonics, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Eastman (Postcard from Morocco) and Aspen (The Ballad of Baby Doe) Opera Theaters, and the Theater Chamber Players of the Kennedy Center. Summer music festival appearances have included Aspen and Music in the Mountains (CO), Grant Park and Ravinia (IL), Round Top (TX), OK Mozart (OK) and Skaneateles (NY). In June 2018 he led performances of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass as part of the Bernstein100Austin celebration.

Peter is the primary conductor for Ballet Austin. For Austin Opera he has conducted A Streetcar Named Desire, La Traviata, Turandot, The Marriage of Figaro, and La bohème.

Other positions held by Bay have included Music Director of the Erie Philharmonic, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, Breckenridge Music Festival (CO), Britt Festival Orchestra (OR), Hot Springs Music Festival (AR), and posts with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Richmond Symphony. From 1980 to 1990 he served on the conducting staff of the Aspen Music Festival where he led concerts with four of its orchestras. Bay and the ASO with pianist Anton Nel released a critically acclaimed Bridge CD of Edward Burlingame Hill’s music. With the Richmond Symphony he recorded the U.S. premiere of Britten’s The Sword in the Stone for Opus One Records, and with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Voices, featuring the percussion ensemble NEXUS. He is conductor for Christopher Cross’ Secret Ladder album and Hanan Townshend’s soundtrack to the 2016 movie The Vessel.

In 1994, he was one of two conductors selected to participate in the Leonard Bernstein American Conductors Program. He was the first prize winner of the 1980 Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Young Conductors Competition and a prize winner of the 1987 Leopold Stokowski Competition sponsored by the American Symphony Orchestra. In July 2012 he appeared in Solo Symphony, a choreographic work created for him by Allison Orr of Forklift Danceworks. He was inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame in May 2016.

Peter is married to soprano Mela Sarajane Dailey and they have a son Colin.

PRESENT POSITIONS:

Austin Symphony Orchestra (TX)
Music Director
1998-present

Arizona Philharmonic (AZ)
Music Director
2018-present

PREVIOUS POSITIONS:

Bravo! Big Sky Festival Orchestra (MT)
Music Director
2013-2023

Hot Springs Music Festival (AR)
Music Director
2011-2020

Britt Festivals Orchestra (OR)
Music Director
1993-2012

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (NY)
Principal Guest Conductor
1995-2000

Erie (PA) Philharmonic Orchestra
Music Director
1996-1999

Aspen Music Festival (CO)
Conducting Staff
1980-1989                                                                                                                   

GUEST APPEARANCES:

Alabama Symphony Orchestra - 2002
Algarve Orchestra (Portugal) – 2005
Amarillo Symphony Orchestra - 2021
Annapolis Symphony Orchestra - 2021
Arkansas Symphony Orchestra - 1993
Austin Opera - 2019, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2001
Ballet Austin - 1995 - present
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra -  1997, 1982
Bochum Symphony (Germany) - 1998         
Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra - 2000
Buffalo Philharmonic - 1998, 1997
Canton Symphony Orchestra (OH) - 1992
Carinthian Symphony Orchestra (Austria) - 2009, 2005, 2004
Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra - 2014
Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Dvorak Wind Serenade) - 2009
Colorado Symphony Orchestra - 1991
Dallas Symphony Orchestra - 1994
Ecuador National Symphony Orchestra - 2011
Erie Philharmonic Orchestra - 1995
Eugene Symphony - 1995
Fargo/Moorhead Symphony - 1995
Fort Wayne Philharmonic - 1992
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra - 2022, 2008
Hawaii Symphony Orchestra - 1995
Houston Symphony Orchestra - 2002
Hudson Valley Philharmonic (NY) - 1995, 1992
Jacksonville Symphony - 1996
Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra - 2005
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra - 1996, 1995
Minnesota Orchestra - 1990
Monterey Symphony Orchestra (CA) - 2022, 2012
Mostly Modern (NY) - 2022
National Orchestral Institute - 1997
National Symphony Orchestra - 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra - 2016, 2000
New Mexico Symphony - 1994
North Carolina Symphony - 1992
Northwest Chamber Symphony – 1994
Orquesta Filarmonica de Boca del Rio (Mexico) - 2018, 2017
Reno Philharmonic - 1998
Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra - 2001
Richmond Ballet - 1987, 1986, 1985
Richmond Symphony (Richmond International Festival) - 1995, 1989, 1986
Saint Cecilia Orchestra (NY) - 1996, 1995, 1994
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra - 1995, 1996
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra - 1994, 1989, 1988
Sarasota Orchestra - 2014
Sinfonia da Camera (IL) - 1997
Solisti New York (OK Mozart Festival, Bartlesville, OK) - 1986
Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra - 1995
Syracuse Symphony - 2009, 2000, 1991
Theater Chamber Players of the Kennedy Center - 1982, 1981
Tucson Symphony Orchestra - 2015, 2014
Tulsa Philharmonic - 1997
Virginia Symphony Orchestra - 1993
Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra -2001
West Virginia Symphony Orchestra - 2002 
Wichita Symphony - 2018

AWARDS:

Leonard Bernstein American Conductors Program
(American Symphony Orchestra League/Dallas Symphony Orchestra)
1994

Leopold Stokowski Conducting Competition
(American Symphony Orchestra, NY):  Prizewinner [no first prize awarded]
1987

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Young Conductors Competition
First Prize
1980

OTHER PREVIOUSLY HELD POSITIONS:

Texas State University
Resident Artist - 2012-2013

Breckenridge Music Institute (CO)
Music Advisor and Principal Conductor - 1991-1993

Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Resident/Associate Conductor - 1989-1993

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Music Advisor - 1994-1995
Conductor-in-Residence - 1992-1995
Associate Conductor - 1990-1992
Assistant Conductor - 1987-1990

Annapolis Symphony Orchestra
Music Director - 1983-1990
Assistant Conductor - 1979-1983

Richmond Symphony
Principal Guest Conductor - 1987-1988
Music Advisor - 1986-1987
Associate Conductor - 1985-1986
Assistant Conductor - 1982-1985

Virginia Commonwealth University
Instructor - 1984-1987

Prince George's County (MD) Youth Orchestra
Music Director - 1979-1983
Associate Conductor - 1974-1979

EDUCATION:

Peabody Institute
MM - Orchestral Conducting
1978-1980

University of Maryland
BS - Music Education
1974-1978

Aspen Music School
Conducting Fellow
1980

TEACHERS:

Frederik Prausnitz
Peabody Institute
1978-1980           
                                   
William Hudson
University of Maryland
1976-1978

Paul Vermel
Aspen Music School
1979