David Bloom (he/him) is a conductor equally at home in orchestral repertoire, opera, and new music, noted for his “dazzling precision and grace” (San Francisco Chronicle), “intelligence, elegance, and passion” (Opera News), “ferocious and focused” (The New York Times) performances, and “breathtaking and inspired programming” (Shepherd Express). He dedicates his work to collaborating with artists and communities to inspire creativity, empathy, and joy. He is Artistic Director of New York’s Queer Urban Orchestra, Co-Artistic Director of Contemporaneous, and Principal Conductor of Present Music and the orchestra program at New York University, where he also teaches conducting.
Bloom has guest conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic, American Composers Orchestra, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Jacaranda, The Crossing, Ensemble Connect, Choir of Trinity Wall Street, and Kronos Quartet, among others, and worked with soloists Dashon Burton, David Byrne, Helga Davis, Isabel Leonard, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Courtney Love, Hila Plitmann, and Dawn Upshaw. He has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, MoMA, the Guggenheim, and Park Avenue Armory. Especially active as an opera conductor, Bloom has led productions for Washington National Opera, Opera Omaha, Beth Morrison Projects, Tri-Cities Opera, PROTOTYPE Festival, Teatro Grattacielo, Experiments in Opera, the American Opera Project, and more. He has conducted over 500 world premieres, including the orchestral version of Philip Glass’ La Belle et la Bête with Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film, Dylan Mattingly’s six-hour opera Stranger Love, and Raven Chacon’s Voiceless Mass, which went on to win the 2022 Pulitzer Prize.