Recognized for his inspiring leadership and committed artistry, conductor and pianist Chad Emry Heltzel is actively engaged throughout North America. Dr. Heltzel holds both a DMA in orchestral conducting from the University of Toronto and a DMA in piano performance from l’Université de Montréal. Grounded in the standard symphonic, operatic, and piano repertoire, he has led numerous premieres as a dedicated advocate of contemporary music.
Conducting
Chad Emry Heltzel’s recent orchestral conducting engagements include the Fairbanks Summer Festival Orchestra, the Venice Symphony (Venice, FL), the Pembroke Symphony, the Milton Philharmonic, the Greater Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra and the Berlin Sinfonietta. As an opera conductor, he has appeared with University of Toronto Opera, Opera Nuova Summer Arts Festival, and served as Music Director with the Montreal West Operatic Society. From 2015-2019, Dr. Heltzel was a member of the studio of Uri Mayer at the University of Toronto where he obtained his DMA in orchestral conducting.
In addition to his frequent engagements leading the standard symphonic repertoire with the University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra, he made an impact on the contemporary music scene. In 2019, Dr. Heltzel conducted the UTSO in a critically acclaimed world premiere of Gary Kulesha’s Non-Destructive Classical Music. He also served as Music Director for the North American premiere of Salvatore Sciarrino’s opera Luci Mie Traditrici (“The Killing Flower”), where he collaborated with the composer during the Faculty of Music’s 2017 New Music Festival. Dr. Heltzel’s commitment to new music includes several premieres led with the Ariadne Ensemble, a professional chamber orchestra he co-founded in Montreal in 2014. As their Artistic Director, he led performances from both the podium and piano in programs that featured works by Arvo Pärt, Tarik O’Regan, Jocelyn Morlock, and Witold Lutoslawski.
Dr. Heltzel has been an active participant in orchestral, opera, and choral conducting masterclasses around the world. His list of conducting teachers include Imre Pallò, Robert Franz, Alexis Hauser, Ken Kiesler, Michael Jinbo and Michael Zaugg.
Piano
Dr. Heltzel made his debut with orchestra at the age of 15 performing Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto with members of the Oregon Symphony. He studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Rice University, and the Glenn Gould School in Toronto with John Perry where he won the concerto competition and performed Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra. Dr. Heltzel went on to pursue graduate studies in piano at l’Université de Montréal with Marc Durand and obtained his DMA in piano performance in 2009. There, he won the concerto
competition performing Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto with l’Orchestre de l’Université de Montréal and made his conducting debut leading piano concertos of Bach and Mozart from the keyboard. He is an award winner of numerous national and international piano competition, been broadcast on CBC Radio II and NPR, and has appeared as guest soloist with the Oregon Symphony, Portland Chamber Orchestra, and Syracuse Symphony.
Piano
Teaching
As a teacher of conducting, piano and chamber music, Dr. Heltzel has held positions at the University of Toronto, the McGill Conservatory and l’Université de Montréal. In 2008, he was invited to present a bi-lingual lecture-recital at l’Université de Montréal on Schenkerian Analysis following a grant-funded independen study in New York City with Dr. Carl Schachter. Dr. Heltzel has been a guest lecture-recitalist at the University of Victoria, Syracuse University, McGill Conservatory, and the Portland Piano International Summer Festival. His doctoral thesis “The Art of Conviction: A Film-based Study of the Rehearsal Techniques of Herbert von Karajan” will be published by the University of Toronto in June 2020
Teaching
Away from the podium and concert hall, Dr. Heltzel recharges his musical energy with hiking, running, yoga and listening to recordings. A native of Portland, Oregon, he attributes his love of nature to growing up in the Pacific Northwest. A dual citizen of Canada and the United States, he currently makes his home in Toronto.
