Artist-in-Residence – October 21-22, 2024

The Lassiter Orchestra is proud to welcome Mr. Christopher Thibdeau to the Lassiter Orchestra program as an Artist-in-Residence.  Mr. Thibdeau brings a his experience as a cellist and conductor and exquisite musicianship as a to the help inspire our students!

Christopher Thibdeau is a Boston based musician and educator. Landing in Atlanta after graduate school, he was the Limited Term Assistant Professor of Music Education (Strings) at Kennesaw State University (KSU), the Music Director of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestras of Atlanta, the Assistant Conductor of the Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra and the Conductor of the Atlanta Chamber Music Festival. Christopher has also previously served as the Interim Music Director of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and the Conductor & Artistic Manager of Orchestras for the Atlanta Music Project.

In Boston and the metropolitan area, Christopher has served as the Music Director of the Grotton Hill Music Sinfonia Youth Orchestra and as the Conductor and Master Teacher at Bridge Boston Charter School. He has appeared as a guest artist at the Brookline School of Music and as a guest instructor with the Boston Strings Academy and has collaborated with local musicians for performances throughout the community. Off the podium and out of the classroom, Christopher has presented workshops and educational concerts across the U.S. He was a panel speaker at the 2007 Connecticut State Music Teachers Association State Convention and has been featured as a guest speaker and moderator for the Eastman School of Music Polyphonic.org webinar series. In 2016 he was a guest teaching artist at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music’s (ANIM) Summer Residency program. During his time in Kabul, Christopher taught cello and conducting lessons, and had the opportunity to work with the first-ever female Afghan conductor, Negin Khpolwak. ANIM was founded in 2010 by Dr. Ahmad Sarmast to rebuild music education in Afghanistan. They are currently in exile, based in Lisbon, Portugal, until they can one day return to Kabul.

Mr. Thibdeau’s diverse career has led him to work in the Orchestra Management offices of Boston Symphony Orchestra as well as in finance in Post Office Square. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance from the Eastman School of Music where he studied cello with Alan Harris and orchestral conducting with Neil Varon, and a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Carl Topilow. Christopher currently consults from home and spends his free time with his wife, Katia, and their two children and dog.