21 Facts About Teddy Abrams

Edward "Teddy" Paul Maxwell Abrams was born on May 6,1987 and is an American conductor, pianist, clarinetist, and composer.

Teddy Abrams is currently Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra and previously led the Britt Festival Orchestra.

Teddy Abrams's ancestors immigrated to the US from Russia, Poland, and Hungary.

Teddy Abrams started improvising on piano at the age of three and began formal lessons at the age of five.

At age of eight, Teddy Abrams began playing clarinet, in elementary school band, and he developed an interest in conducting, after seeing a San Francisco Symphony performance at age of nine.

Teddy Abrams began studying conducting and musicianship with Michael Tilson Thomas, the Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, at the age of 12.

Teddy Abrams then transferred to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, graduating with a Bachelor of Music at age 18 and studying piano with Paul Hersh and clarinet with David Breeden.

In 2005, Teddy Abrams entered the Curtis Institute of Music as a conducting major, studying with Otto-Werner Mueller and Ford Lallerstedt.

Teddy Abrams studied with David Zinman at the Aspen Music Festival and School.

Teddy Abrams was the youngest conducting student ever accepted at both Curtis and Aspen.

Teddy Abrams has a longstanding relationship with the Indianapolis Symphony, and recently conducted them with Time for Three for a special recorded for PBS.

From 2008 to 2011, Teddy Abrams was the Conducting Fellow of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach.

Teddy Abrams has conducted the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Washington DC, and at Carnegie Hall; his 2009 Education Concerts with the New World Symphony were webcast to hundreds of schools throughout South Florida.

From 2011 to 2012, Teddy Abrams served as Resident Conductor of the MAV Symphony Orchestra in Budapest, Hungary.

Teddy Abrams helped program its chamber music and contemporary music concerts, and led subscription and pops performances.

Teddy Abrams served as Assistant Conductor of the Detroit Symphony from 2012 to 2014.

Teddy Abrams performed as a keyboardist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, won the 2007 Aspen Composition Contest, and was the Assistant Conductor of the YouTube Symphony at Carnegie Hall in 2009.

Teddy Abrams has held residencies at the La Mortella music festival in Ischia, Italy and at the American Academy in Berlin.

Teddy Abrams has conducted many orchestras around the world, including the Houston Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony, and New Mexico Philharmonic.

In June 2016, Teddy Abrams composed and recorded "Float Rumble Rest" as a tribute to Muhammad Ali and a benefit for the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville.

Teddy Abrams debuted more than 10 world premieres of major works in his first two seasons with The Louisville Orchestra.