Oregon Symphony Conductor Bio

Jeff Tyzik

Jeff Tyzik has earned a reputation as one of America's most innovative pops conductors and is recognized for his brilliant arrangements, original programming and engaging rapport with audiences of all ages. Principal Pops Conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for more than a decade, he also serves as Principal Pops Conductor of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and, starting with the 2008-09 season, the Oregon Symphony.

Over the course of his Rochester tenure, Tyzik has written more than 160 works for the orchestra. His newly recorded disc of works by Gershwin with pianist Jon Nakamatsu and the Rochester Philharmonic on the Harmonia Mundi label has received exceptional critical acclaim and debuted at the top of the classical Billboard chart.

"What's great about Tyzik,” writes John Pitcher of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, “is his way of making any concert seem contemporary and approachable without sugarcoating anything, without dumbing down the musical experience.”

Highly sought after as a guest conductor, Tyzik has appeared with orchestras such as the Boston Pops, the Cincinnati Pops, the New York Pops, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. During the 2007/08 season he continued his annual appearance with the Toronto Symphony and performed with orchestras across North America, including those in Detroit, Indianapolis, New Jersey, Oregon, Seattle and St. Louis, as well as the Naples Philharmonic and Pacific Symphony.

A Rochester native, Tyzik began his life in music at 9 years old, when he first picked up a cornet. He studied both classical and jazz throughout high school and went on to earn both his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied composition/arranging with Radio City Music Hall's Ray Wright and jazz studies with the great band leader Chuck Mangione.

Tyzik spent the next few years working with Mangione, becoming a skilled record producer, while continuing to be active on his own as a performer and arranger. These experiences led Tyzik to one of the great early opportunities of his career – producing a Grammy winning album with Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Orchestra. To this day, he credits Severinsen as one of his greatest musical and professional inspirations.

Tyzik’s compositions and arrangements have been widely recorded, and he received an NEA grant to compose a trombone concerto that was premiered at Carnegie Hall. He has also produced and composed theme music for many television networks including NBC, ABC and HBO and released six of his own albums on Capitol, Polygram and Amherst Records.

Tyzik lives in Rochester with his wife, Jill.