Artistic Staff

Noam Aviel

Music Director

Hailed for her artistic excellence, versatility and charismatic stage presence, Noam Aviel has emerged on the international scene as one of the most dynamic young conductors. She has been recognized for her musicianship, deep understanding of stylistic approaches in a wide range of repertoire from opera and symphonic to jazz, and sensitivity to the needs of the artists with whom she collaborates.

Former Associate Conductor of the San Antonio Symphony, Noam Aviel has made successful appearances conducting the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra in Sweden, KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic and Johannesburg Philharmonic orchestras in South Africa as well as San Antonio Philharmonic. In 2022 Noam made her debuts at Opera Orlando with Thomas Albert’s contemporary music drama Lizbeth and at Mobile Opera in Alabama conducting L’elisir d’amore.

Noam Aviel’s future engagements include concerts with Symphony in C, German symphonic debut with Dortmund Philharmoniker, a debut at Opera Tampa conducting Hansel and Gretel, as well as returns to Mobile Opera conducting Marriage of Figaro and Opera Orlando for Massenet’s Cendrillon. Noam Aviel has worked on numerous opera productions including La Traviata, La Bohème, Macbeth, Carmen, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Lennox Berkeley’s A Dinner Engagement at the Illinois Festival Opera.

Born in Israel, Noam Aviel studied voice performance and orchestral conducting at Tel Aviv University, and later continued her studies in orchestral conducting at Illinois State University in the US. In 2017 Noam Aviel was appointed Assistant Conductor, later promoted to Associate Conductor, of the San Antonio Symphony where she has led the orchestra’s extensive educational, community and outreach concerts programme working closely with Sebastian Lang Lessing. In this role she quickly gained recognition for inventive programming and has been praised in the US press as one of 25 “Renaissance Women” who have shaped the city of San Antonio.

Kenneth T. Bean

Assistant Conductor

Kenneth T. Bean is a distinguished conductor and music educator, celebrated for his clear, efficient, and refined conducting style. Since 2018, he has served as the Assistant Conductor of Symphony in C, co-directing the Symphony in C Summer Music Camp and founding the Symphony in C Youth Orchestra, where he led the ensemble from its inception in 2014 through the 2023-2024 season. Currently, Kenneth is the Georg and Joyce Albers-Schonberg Assistant Conductor of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra and conducts the Symphonic Orchestra of the Youth Orchestra of Central Jersey. He is the founding Director and Conductor of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra Music Institute’s Young Musicians Debut Orchestra, underscoring his dedication to nurturing the next generation of musicians.

Kenneth is active in summer music education as the Conductor of Chorus and Orchestras for Kinhaven Music School’s Junior Session, where he recently served as Interim Director, fostering a vibrant and supportive learning environment for young musicians. His previous roles include Assistant Conductor for the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra, Associate Conductor of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, Music Director of the Junior String Philharmonic and Young Peoples Philharmonic of the Lehigh Valley, Resident Conductor at Luzerne Music Center’s Junior Session, and Music Director of Music and Mindfulness in Northern Virginia, showcasing his broad expertise across diverse musical settings.

As Co-Founder and Associate Director of The Primavera Fund, Kenneth champions youth music access and education by mentoring and financially supporting promising students in Philadelphia. His work ensures talented young musicians from underrepresented communities have the resources to succeed.

Kenneth’s artistry has been recognized alongside renowned musicians and soloists such as Jennifer Koh, Thomas Mesa, David Kim, and Billy Hunter. His guest appearances include conducting for the Oberlin Conservatory, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, and the American Repertory Ballet, where he led the world premiere of Ethan Stiefel’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2022.

He holds a master’s degree in music education from Jackson State University and a bachelor’s degree in Trumpet Performance from Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Kenneth T. Bean’s dedication to music education and his passion for fostering musical talent continue to shape the musical landscape and the lives of young artists.