Bio

Christian Olson is a versatile and innovative conductor who has been invited to perform in prestigious venues and festivals in both the US and Europe, including the Musikverein in Vienna and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in California. Most recently he was the Conducting Fellow with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and will serve as the Assistant Conductor at the 2024 Glimmerglass Festival. Previously he has served served as assistant conductor at the Chicago Summer Opera and the Indiana University Opera and Ballet Theater. In 2024, Mr. Olson also founded the Ver Sacrum Consort in New York City, a chamber ensemble sharing music both old and new. He has participated in the Ferenc Fricsay International Conducting Competition, the Lányi International Conducting Competition, the Lake Como International Conducting Competition, and the German Institute of Conducting Competition. He has also been featured in a PBS documentary on the life of Thomas Wilkins. Additionally, his recent performance of Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette has been featured on The Hector Berlioz Website. Conductors he has studied under and worked with include Sir Roger Norrington, Franz Welser-Möst, Stéphane Denève, Robert Spano, Nicolás Pasquet, and Carl St. Clair. His primary teachers include Arthur Fagen, Thomas Wilkins, and Dr. Paul C. Phillips. In addition to his conducting engagements, Mr. Olson is in demand as a vocal coach in a wide array of operatic and art song repertoire, and has worked with singers who have gone on to be featured performers at the Tanglewood Music Center, LA Opera, the Opéra national de Paris, the Dutch National Opera, Wolf Trap Opera Company, Opera Philadelphia, the Aspen Summer Music Festival, and Merola, among many others. He is currently researching and writing on the music of Hector Berlioz as a DMA candidate at Indiana University.