Garrett Keast, "one of America’s brightest young conductors" (Town-Crier News) whose "strong energetic body language" (News Times) and "strong technique and right artistic sense" (Austin American Statesman) make him a promising and sought-after exponent of the young generation of conductors. Keast has made guest appearances with numerous orchestras in the United States, including the Brooklyn Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and Oregon Symphony. He was the 2005/06 season winner of the prestigious Bruno Walter Foundation Career Development Grant, and has served as associate conductor of New York City Opera and as assistant conductor of The Dallas Opera.

Keast’s 2008/09 season is full of important debuts and re-engagements. In the fall, he will make his first appearances with the Florida Orchestra and he will debut with New Orleans Opera, leading a production of Don Giovanni. He has also been invited to guest conduct the Festival Orchestra of the International Festival-Institute of Round Top and the Texas All-State Philharmonic in San Antonio. He has been re-engaged by the Butler Opera Center to lead his third production there, Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel.

Highlights of the 2007/08 season included engagements as guest conductor of the Oregon Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the New York All-State Symphony. With the Brooklyn Philharmonic, he collaborated with violinist Tim Fain in a program of Stravinsky, Mozart, and Beethoven. He returned to the Butler Opera Center to lead a production of Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah and enjoyed his seventh season as conductor of Canada’s Music at Port Milford Chamber Music Festival.

The 2006/07 season included several debuts, including the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Boise Philharmonic, Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra, and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Xalapa. Mr. Keast served in his third season as associate conductor of New York City Opera, he conducted Bellini’s Norma in South Florida, and he led the Orquesta Sinfonica de Xalapa Opera Gala. In July of 2006, he conducted the Naumburg Orchestra in Central Park with pianist Andrew Armstrong as soloist.

The 2005/06 season featured Mr. Keast as the assistant conductor of the Dallas Opera. He also continued as associate conductor of New York City Opera and made a very successful debut with the Butler Opera Center of the University of Texas, with Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites. The Austin Critics Table crowned the production “Best Opera Performance” for the 2005/06 Austin season.

Mr. Keast began his affiliation with New York City Opera in the 2004/05 season, assisting George Manahan with Dialogues of the Carmelites. He also guest conducted the Syracuse Symphony, conducted several concerts as resident conductor of the Queens Symphony Orchestra, and led Mississippi Opera’s double-bill of Gianni Schicchi & Pagliacci.

Mr. Keast has a deep interest in performing and promoting new music. He is passionate about teaching young people, building audiences for classical music, and developing stimulating programs for the modern symphony orchestra. Garrett Keast is a graduate of the University of Texas Butler School of Music and he lives in New York City.