“Jayce Ogren...had an impressive City Opera debut [with Bernstein’s A Quiet Place], drawing a pulsing, sensitive and brilliant account of this stylistically far-ranging score from the orchestra.” Anthony Tommasini, New York Times

“Members of the International Contemporary Ensemble gave fired-up performances under the rhythmically vibrant baton of Jayce Ogren.” Alex Ross, The New Yorker

Jayce Ogren is rapidly developing a reputation as one of the finest young conductors to emerge from the States equally at home in both symphonic and operatic repertoire. In recent seasons, he has conducted the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, New World Symphony and the Grand Rapids Symphony. Ogren also made his New York debut in two programmes with the International Contemporary Ensemble under the auspices of the Miller Theater, resulting in an immediate re-invitation. In addition, he stepped into a last-minute cancellation for James Levine conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a challenging programme that included the world premiere of Peter Lieberson’s song-cycle Songs of Love and Sorrow (with Gerard Finley). European guest engagements have included the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Aarhus Symphony and the Asturias Symphony.

On the opera stage, Ogren made his Canadian Opera Company debut with Stravinsky’s The Nightingale & Other Short Fables. Following an invitation from New York City Opera to conduct a staged production of Mozart’s Magic Flute, he was subsequently re-invited last season for a critically acclaimed new production of Bernstein’s A Quiet Place which was a resounding success.

This season, Ogren will make his debut throughout Europe and the States with the Copenhagen Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, Napa Valley Symphony, Berkeley Symphony and following a highly successful debut with the Asturias Symphony, he will return to this orchestra for two separate periods (with pianist Joaquin Achúcarro and baritone Gerald Finley). Ogren’s critically acclaimed performances with New York City Opera have led to another re-invitation and he will return to the New York City Opera to conduct performances of Rufus Wainwright’s opera Prima Donna.

A native of Hoquiam, Washington, Ogren finished his tenure in 2009 as assistant conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and as Music Director of the Cleveland Youth Orchestra having been appointed by Franz Welser-Möst. In May 2009, Ogren made his subscription debut with The Cleveland Orchestra and in August that same year, at the Blossom Festival.

Ogren previously served as a conducting apprentice with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra working with Chief Conductor Alan Gilbert. As a result, in Sweden, he conducted the orchestras of Gävle, Helsingborg, and Norrköping, the SAMI Sinfonietta, Swedish National Orchestra Academy and Stockholm’s Opera Vox. He has also conducted Finland’s Vaasa City Orchestra. In the United States, he has appeared with the New World Symphony, Boston’s Callithumpian Consort, the Harvard Group for New Music and the New England Conservatory Opera Theater.

Ogren received a bachelor’s degree in composition from St. Olaf College in 2001 and a master’s degree in conducting from the New England Conservatory in 2003. Aided by a U.S. Fulbright Grant, Ogren completed a postgraduate diploma in orchestral conducting at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden. He has been invited to participate in conducting courses and master classes in both the U.S. and Europe, including two summers at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen. His principal teachers have been Steven Amundson, Jorma Panula, Charles Peltz, and David Zinman.

Ogren is also a published composer whose music has been premiered at venues including the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, the Brevard Music Center, the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, the American Choral Directors Association Conference, and the World Saxophone Congress. His work titled Symphonies of Gaia has been performed by ensembles on three continents and serves as the title track on a DVD featuring the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra.

Jayce Ogren is the founder of Young Kreisler, a band performing Ogren's own work, as well as music ranging from Mahler to Piazzolla to Kurt Cobain. Devoted to education, Ogren has worked with student musicians throughout the United States, appearing as a guest composer/conductor at the 2004 Washington All-State Music Festival. In 2001, the Minnesota Music Educators Association named Ogren their Composer of the Year.