Elijah Wirth
Mr. Elijah G. Wirth is the Artistic Director of the Frederick Regional Youth Orchestra where he is the conductor the FRYO Philharmonic. During his time as the Artistic Director of FRYO, the organization has experienced immense growth, adding the Wind Ensemble and Concert Strings, as well as three new conducting positions. The group has received praise for its adventurous programming, including four world premiere performances. Mr. Wirth made his international conducting debut in the summer of 2009, directing the Acarigua-Araure Youth Orchestra in Venezuela. The orchestra is part of the internationally acclaimed music education system of Venezuela. He is in demand as a conductor and adjudicator around Maryland, conducting All-County orchestras in Carroll and Frederick counties and judging orchestra and band festivals throughout the state. As the Music Director of Carroll Community College, Mr. Wirth built the first music degree in the school’s history. He is the director of Carroll’s Opera Theater program, which began in 2008 with the goal of exposing Carroll County to the great operatic literature. Mr. Wirth also conducted the debut performance of the Westminster Symphony Orchestra in 2005, a community orchestra built to give amateur and student musicians in Carroll County an opportunity to perform. He is also the professor of tuba at McDaniel College. Mr. Wirth received a Bachelor of Music degree in Tuba Performance from the Peabody Conservatory, studying with David Fedderly. He continued his studies at Peabody, earning Masters Degrees in both Wind Conducting and Music Education under the direction of Harlan Parker. Mr. Wirth currently heads the Music Theory department in Peabody’s Preparatory division, where he has worked in developing the "Tuned-In" program, an inner-city Baltimore community engagement program, modeled after "El Sistema." He directs the Peabody Preparatory Wind Orchestra, which primarily consists of students from the “Tuned-In” program. Mr. Wirth also works with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s “ORCHKids” program as the groups Ensemble Director. Additionally Mr. Wirth is an accomplished bass guitarist, currently performing with the Baltimore-based alternative rock band, "Table Top Poets."
