Michael Nowak

Michael Nowak is an American studio conductor and musician, the Artistic Director of Orchestra Novo and Music Director of the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society.

Biography
Michael Nowak served as Music Director of the San Luis Obispo Symphony from 1984 to 2015 and has succeeded in making the San Luis Obispo Symphony one of the foremost music organizations in San Luis Obispo County. His many contributions to the organization include making music education a priority and building the Symphony’s many programs to their current level reaching over 14,000 county school children every year.

He has led the Symphony on five successful tours–to Spain in 1996, New York’s Carnegie Hall in 2001, the Sydney Opera House in 2006, Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2008, and, the California Missions Tour in 2013. He has continually encouraged the orchestra to musical excellence, programming challenging symphonic music and commissioning new works.

Early Life
Michael Nowak was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and began his music education in the Warwick Public School system where he learned violin, clarinet and tuba. His interest in composition and conducting led him to Indiana University where he became a student of the legendary violist, William Primrose, who inspired Nowak to devote himself to the viola. Upon graduation from Indiana, Michael was invited to be Assistant Conductor and Violist with the Dallas Symphony under Anshel Brusilow.

In 1973, Mr. Nowak moved to Los Angeles, California to conduct the YMF Debut Orchestra from 1973 to 1975, and was a member of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra with Sir Neville Marriner until 1980. In 1980, Nowak began his association with Helmuth Rilling at the Oregon Bach Festival and traveled to Europe for a series of concert tours and recording with the Stuttgart Bach Collegium. He is a featured soloist on the Oregon Bach Festival’s Brandenburg Concerti recording with Helmuth Rilling.

To Hollywood
Nowak is active as a recording musician and conductor in the motion picture industry.

Among the many notable films conducted by Michael Nowak are Academy Award winning Life of Pi, King Kong, Under the Tuscan Sun, Bobby, American Gangster, Disney’s Bedtime Stories and The Kite Runner. He currently conducts the highly popular ABC show, Once Upon A Time.

Recordings
Maestro Nowak has conducted five recordings with the San Luis Obispo Symphony: Concierto Romántico, with guitarist José María Gallardo del Rey, Music for a New Life with violinist David Kim, Rhapsody for Horn and Orchestra, with French horn virtuoso Richard Todd, The Music of Joseph Clokey, and Glosas with composer and guitarist José María Gallardo del Rey.