Kenneth Raskin
Conductor

Kenneth Raskin, currently the Associate Conductor of the Sacramento Philharmonic, is a conductor on the move. During his most recent tenure as Assistant Conductor of the North Carolina Symphony, Kenneth performed dozens of concerts including Classical programs, Young Persons concerts, popular Broadway and Holiday Pops shows, Education concerts, and Summer Season concerts. Additional posts include the Associate Conductor of the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in Sewanee, Tennessee, Principal Conductor of the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra, Conductor of New Millennium Strings in Berkeley, and Principal Conductor for Khadra International Dance Theatre. He was Founder & Music Director of Polished Brass, and conducted the first ever recording of the 

As a guest conductor, Kenneth Raskin has appeared with several fine orchestras across the United States, including the Houston Symphony, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Lubbock Symphony, the Toledo Symphony, the San Francisco Sinfonietta, and the University of Michigan Philharmonia. Several guest appearances in the 2011-2012 season will include the Illinois Symphony, the El Paso Symphony, and the Diablo Symphony, among others.

Kenneth was featured in the League of American Orchestra’s 2005 esteemed Conductor Preview with the Jacksonville Symphony in Florida. In 2004, he was a finalist for the League’s Conducting Fellowship Program, appearing with the Houston and Cleveland Symphony Orchestras. He received his Masters degree in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Michigan School of Music, where he studied with Kenneth Kiesler. He has also studied with David Zinman, Gustav Meier, Marin Alsop, Michael Jinbo, Murry Sidlin and Harold Farberman. Kenneth was a Fellowship Academy Conductor at the Aspen School of Music in Colorado during the summer of 2003, and has also participated in several other highly regarded conducting programs including the Conductor’s Retreat at Medomak, The Pierre Monteux School, The Conductor's Guild Workshop at the Cabrillo Festival, and the Conductor’s Institute.

Kennth Raskin pursued his career in conducting after distinguishing himself as a professional orchestral trumpeter, first as a member of the Haifa Symphony in Israel, and later as a sought-after freelance musician in the San Francisco Bay Area.