Antoine Clark

Compelling interpretations, inventive performances, and an energetic stage presence are the hallmarks of American conductor Antoine T. Clark. The founding Artistic and Music Director of the Worthington Chamber Orchestra in Ohio (formerly McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra, established in 2013), Mr. Clark served as Assistant Conductor of West Virginia’s Wheeling Symphony Orchestra from fall 2021 to spring 2023. He has been appointed as Associate Conductor for the 2023-2024 season. A passionate advocate of arts education, in 2022, he served as Cincinnati Symphony’s MAC Music Innovator. The program, which highlights leading African American classical musicians who embody artistry, innovation, and commitment to education and community engagement, saw Clark leading chamber music and orchestral performances in schools and throughout the community during his residency.

This past summer, Clark guest conducted Kamratōn Ensemble in performances in Pittsburgh and Brooklyn and with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Fall 2023 highlights include engagements with the South Carolina Philharmonic, a two-city New York tour with Gateways Music Festival, Walla Walla Symphony, and leading Lima Symphony’s (Ohio) New Year’s Eve concert.

2022-2023 season highlights included a collaboration with Hixon Dance in a performance of Peter and the Wolf with the Worthington Chamber Orchestra and guest engagements with Dayton Philharmonic, Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, Spartanburg Philharmonic, Symphony Tacoma, Elgin Symphony, Orchestra, and New Jersey Symphony. Recent season engagements include Lancaster Festival Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and Opera Columbus. He also served as a panelist with Harold Brown, Chief Diversity Officer of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, at the 2022 International Conductors Guild Conference’s panel discussion on diversity on the podium. Guest engagements include Chicago Sinfonietta, the Chamber Orchestra of New York, the Colour of Music Festival Chamber Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, and the Gateways Music Festival. For his work with Chicago Sinfonietta leading the premiere of Joel Thompson’s “breathe/burn: an elegy” for cello and orchestra, the Chicago Tribune praised “Clark, who led from the podium with balletic poise.” With McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra, he led a collaboration with musicians from the Columbus Jazz Orchestra in a concert tribute to John Coltrane. A staunch supporter of DEI, Mr. Clark also participated in Chicago Sinfonietta’s 15th Annual Diversity Reception and the 2021 Youth Orchestras Online DEI panel, a collaboration between Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestras.

With a focus on building strong relationships in communities, Mr. Clark creates bold programs that often include innovative collaborations with artists from various artistic disciplines. A passionate supporter of new music, Mr. Clark regularly commissions works for the symphonic and chamber music canon. Among the composers he has worked with are Mark Lomax II, Jacob Reed, Matthew Saunders, Michael Rene Torres, Christopher Weait, Tony Zilincik, Ching-chu Hu, and Vera Stanojevic.

Committed to inspiring and nurturing the next generation of musicians, Mr. Clark has taught students ranging from young beginners to college music majors. He has served as the assistant conductor at the Gateways Music Festival in association with the Eastman School of Music since 2017.

Prior posts include serving as assistant conductor of the Chicago Sinfonietta, music director of the Ohio Wesleyan University Chamber Orchestra, music director of the Ohio Northern University Symphony, music director of the Ohio Northern University Wind Orchestra, music director of the Wayne State College Orchestra, and assistant conductor of The Ohio State University Orchestra.

Antoine T. Clark holds a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in clarinet performance from The Ohio State University, a Master of Music degree in clarinet performance from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. A winner in the 2017 International Conductor’s Workshop and Competition, he has participated in the Cabrillo Contemporary Festival of Music, the Monteux School and Music Festival, the International Conductors Guild Conference conducting masterclass, the New York Conducting Workshop, the Smoky Mountain International Conducting Institute, and as a Project Inclusion Conducting Freeman Fellow with the Chicago Sinfonietta. Among his mentors are conductors Neal Gittleman, Mei-Ann Chen, the late Michael Morgan, Markand Thakar, the late Michael Jinbo, and Marshall Haddock.