Jamie Reeves

Jamie Reeves is a conductor recognized for his leadership in developing large-scale orchestral projects that bridge contemporary music, cultural narrative, and the symphonic canon, and for shaping programs that expand both the artistic and civic role of the orchestra.

He serves as Music Director of the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, where his tenure has been defined by ambitious collaborations, commissioning initiatives, and nationally recognized artistic projects that position the orchestra as a dynamic cultural force within its community and beyond.

A defining feature of Reeves’s work is his commitment to living composers and culturally resonant programming. One example of this approach was a program dedicated to Tobias Picker, which included the U.S. premiere of his cello concerto performed by Santiago Cañón-Valencia with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra. Jamie Reeves is the creator of the Alabama Composers Project, a multi-season initiative commissioning new works connected to Alabama’s cultural and historical landscape. In 2025, he appointed acclaimed composer Nkeiru Okoye as the inaugural William Levi Dawson Composer-in-Residence, culminating in the 2026 world premiere of A Time for Jubilee, a large-scale choral-orchestral work commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March. The project brought together the orchestra, university choirs, and leading soloists in one of the most ambitious collaborations in the orchestra’s history.

In the 2026–2027 season, Reeves leads the Montgomery Symphony in a landmark collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma, opening the orchestra’s 50th anniversary season with a performance of the Dvořák Cello Concerto. This project reflects both his artistic leadership and his ability to realize collaborations of significant national profile, bringing internationally renowned artists into meaningful dialogue with regional institutions and audiences.

Reeves maintains an active presence as a guest conductor, with engagements including the Chattanooga Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, New Mexico Philharmonic, and Omaha Symphony. He has also served as cover conductor with both the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, further reflecting his ongoing engagement with leading orchestral institutions.

His collaborations include performances with distinguished soloists such as Jeffrey Biegel, Geneva Lewis, Laquita Mitchell, Evren Ozel, Natasha Paremski, and Santiago Cañón-Valencia. Across his work, Reeves is known for programming that combines artistic depth with accessibility, including film-in-concert productions and educational initiatives such as Mason Bates’s Philharmonia Fantastique and participation in Carnegie Hall’s Link Up program.

Reeves’s artistic development includes participation in leading international conducting programs, including the Lucerne Festival Masterclass with Bernard Haitink and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music with Cristian Măcelaru. He has been recognized as a finalist in both the Grzegorz Fitelberg and Besançon International Conducting Competitions, conducting the Filharmonia Śląska and L’Orchestre Victor Hugo Franche-Comté.

Jamie Reeves holds conducting degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, where he studied with Marin Alsop, David Effron, Arthur Fagen, John Ratledge, and Joseph Young.