Management Agency: Coda Artists

http://coda.rs/artists

Biography

First Prize Winner of the International Conducting Competition in Mexico, Antonia Joy Wilson is a professional conductor of worldwide acclaim.  As Artistic Director/Conductor of Global Arts Center & Multimedia Symphony, she is creating "Arts Access for All" through live performance collaborations in the XR: VR/AR/MR Extended Reality visual worlds.  Since her debut as the youngest woman to conduct a major American orchestra, Maestra Wilson has gone on to an extensive national and international musical career in North/South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.  

She was invited to perform for Maestro Claudio Abbado after Antonia made her professional conducting debut with The Colorado Symphony at age twenty-one.  Then, Maestro Leonard Slatkin appointed Maestra Wilson as Exxon Affiliate Artists Conducting Assistant with St. Louis Symphony.  She conducted sixty concerts including classical, pops, educational, and outreach annually.  Dr. Wilson also helped edit their weekly concert recordings for National Public Radio, and she went on tour with St. Louis Symphony to Carnegie Hall.

CARNEGIE HALL PERFORMANCE:

As a Music Director of over ten American orchestras and a guest conductor worldwide, Maestra Wilson has extensive experience with classical, pops, choral, opera, dance, ballet, jazz, and multimedia concert repertoire. Antonia specializes in artistic collaborations.  Maestra Wilson conducted Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra during its recent Carnegie Hall debut.  As part of Shen Yun Performing Arts, an artistic global touring company in New York, Dr. Wilson also conducted their International Tour of South America including 122 performances which included dancers, orchestra and multimedia.

As Artistic Director & Conductor with Midland Symphony Orchestra at Midland Center for the Arts in Michigan, Maestra Wilson created exciting artistic partnerships that were magical.  For example, Antonia created a highly successful regional collaboration of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana including 3 soloists, 4 choruses and professional dancers.  She also created a multimedia event for Gustav Holst's The Planets with Shakespeare poetry narrated to colorful Hubble Telescope video images at Midland Center for the Arts.  As a result of Dr. Wilson's dynamic programming with more sold-out performances, they were able to increase their subscriptions by 30%, donations by 50%, and corporate sponsorships by 100%. 

Gifted as both a symphonic and choral conductor, Maestra Wilson was Founder, Artistic Director & Conductor of Mostly Mahler Orchestra & Chorus in California and of Le Festivale Orchestra & Chorus in Colorado which involved a team of musicians from over 15 orchestras and 35 choruses around the region.  Antonia enjoys sharing her passion for music by promoting orchestras through media events, public speaking, fund raising, customized programming, giving pre-concert lectures, and teaching audiences with young people about music. 

Maestra Wilson conducted Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra at the world famous Teatro Colón to positive acclaim.  She was also invited to guest conduct Belgrade Radio & Television Orchestra in Serbia, and their YouTube video concert excerpt has received over 2.8 million views so far.  Maestra Wilson is a frequent guest conductor with the Romanian National Radio Symphony / Chamber Orchestras, and Academic Choir.  Dr. Wilson was Resident Principal Guest Conductor with Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra for several years.  Her tenure there involved recordings, concerts, and tours throughout Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Serbia, Turkey, and Macedonia among others. 

Antonia was awarded two European prizes, which garnered her many guest appearances in the Czech Republic.  She also guest conducted Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra in Colombia as well as orchestras in Russia, Hungary, Poland, India, and China.  Dr. Wilson is featured on the cover and with her own chapter inside the German book Women Conductors of the 20th Century by Elke Mascha Blankenburg. 

As a guest conductor with many orchestras throughout the USA, Maestra Wilson has been re-invited to guest conduct the Colorado Symphony Orchestra numerous times since her debut.  A Fellowship Conductor at Aspen Music Festival, Dr. Wilson was Assistant Conductor of Concert Orchestra and taught "Conducting for Composers."  Antonia was Principal Guest Conductor with San Francisco Sinfonietta.  She was also honored as a top finalist in three Conductors' Workshops with the League of American Orchestras.  

Maestra Wilson was the Music Director and Conductor with Jefferson Symphony Orchestra in Colorado for five years.  They produced a surround-sound compact disc featuring Ottorino Respighi’s Pines of Rome together. Under her baton, they performed Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2: "The Resurrection," and many other large orchestral with choral collaborations including over 450 musicians on stage.  Maestra Wilson has also been the Music Director and Conductor of orchestras in New Jersey, Maryland, Florida, Tennessee, and California. 

Born in Oxford, England of American parents, Antonia began studying the violin at an early age. After attending St. Louis Conservatory of Music on a full scholarship for violin, she began conducting and went on to receive a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver.  Antonia worked with Maestro Daniel Lewis during her Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Southern California.  During her graduate conducting studies in conducting at Yale School of Music, Antonia secured a Music Director appointment, and she completed her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Colorado in Boulder.  On the faculty of several universities, Dr. Wilson was also Director of Orchestral Studies and Music Director of Central Michigan University Symphony Orchestra. In addition, she enjoys serving on the faculty of international opera and conducting workshops.  Since her debut as the youngest woman to conduct a major American orchestra, Maestra Wilson has gone on to an extensive national and international musical career in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.