Candidate Glenn Price

Director of Performing and Visual Arts, California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Conductor, Caltech Wind Orchestra and Caltech Symphony Orchestra

Biographical Statement

Dr. Glenn D. Price has an international reputation as a conductor and educator through his experience conducting student, community and professional ensembles in over 30 countries.

He has appeared as featured conductor for organizations such as CBDNA, WASBE, ABA, the Midwest Clinic, MENC, and BASBWE. Following his doctoral degree in Performance at the Eastman School of Music, he pursued conducting studies in Japan, Russia, Europe, and at Tanglewood. His numerous recordings are recognized as performance models that have expanded the repertoire. Active also as a composer and author, his comprehensive text on the art of conducting, titled The Eloquent Conductor (pub. GIA), has earned highly positive critical acclaim.

His performing, teaching and conducting career has included full-time positions in Canada and the U.S., most notably as Professor of Music (Emeritus) at the University of Calgary, as Director of Wind Studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), and currently as the Director of Performing and Visual Arts at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he conducts the Caltech Wind Orchestra and Caltech Symphony Orchestra. He is also the conductor of TEMPO, a professional contemporary chamber ensemble based in Los Angeles.His service to the profession has encompassed appointments as Artistic Director of the International Youth Wind Orchestra, Founding Conductor of the Orquesta Latinoamericano de Vientos (Wind Orchestra of Latin America), and election as President of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE).

CBDNA Conference Performances, Presentations, and Participation

Performances at National CBDNA Conferences

University of Calgary Wind Ensemble, Boulder, CO (1995)
University of Calgary Wind Ensemble, Denton, TX (2001)
University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music Wind Orchestra, Greensborough, NC (2013)

Presentations at Regional and National CBDNA Conferences

The Pedagogy of Conducting, Ames, IA (2016)
Teaching Conducting, Reno, NV (2016)
The Science, Psychology and Art of Conducting and Rehearsal, Tempe, AZ (2019)

Additional Participation at Regional Conferences

10 Caltech Students in Intercollegiate Band, Las Vegas, NV (2024)

Vision for the Future of CBDNA

I believe that CBDNA should maintain a focus on the wide variety of ensembles and constituencies that it serves, guided by a deep awareness of the important leadership role of its members.

Through my career I have witnessed tremendous growth in our field and within CBDNA. I have been involved with other organizations such as WASBE, the Conductors Guild, and ABA, which have a very broad mandate. One of the advantages of CBDNA is made clear by its name – a specific focus on post-secondary ensembles and instruction.

What has also emerged over time is a greater sensitivity to the range of constituencies within colleges and universities, as well as an awareness of the need for greater diversity throughout our field. The spectrum from marching bands to liberal arts colleges and conservatories are all deserving of support and opportunities, as are under-represented and under-served communities. This focus is important because, by definition, all CBDNA members are in leadership positions, and therefore have the opportunity to effect positive change while creating meaningful experiences.

An area of specific interest throughout my career has been teacher education, and a priority on “raising the bar” of both teacher’s skills and musical standards. I have been fortunate to lead numerous graduate conducting programs in diploma, degree and workshop settings, always guided by the principle of improving the capabilities of the participants in a manner that could then enrich the experience for their students, musicians and communities.

The pandemic underlined the importance of music, creativity, and social interaction in the human experience. Those are the areas of primary focus for us as musicians and teachers. CBDNA can provide resources and opportunities crafted to the specific needs of all its members, enriching the lives of those we teach, and by extension, the countless lives that those individuals contact.