Music Director and Principal Conductor, Anthony LaGruth

Anthony LaGruth is entering his 9th year as the Music Director and Principal Conductor for the Livingston Symphony Orchestra. Following the previous tenure of long time conductor Istvan Jaray, Mr.LaGruth was chosen from over 100 applicants for this position. Since then, LaGruth has received enthusiastic response from both orchestra and audience members alike.

LaGruth was previously the artistic director and conductor for the Garden State Philharmonic.  He has worked with some of the greatest composers of our age, including Hans Werner Henze, John Corigliano, and Pulitzer Prize winner Karel Husa, and has collaborated with a wide range of soloists, including Frederia von Stade, Judith Ingolfsson, and Philip Smith, as well as pop icon Neil Sedaka and Broadway star Craig Schulman.

An honor’s graduate of Ithaca College, Mr. LaGruth earned a master’s degree in orchestral conducting and a bachelor’s degree in composition. He also attended the world-renowned Pierre Monteux School for conductors, where he was a conducting fellow under the tutelage of Charles Bruck and Michael Jinbo. Mr. LaGruth has enjoyed a close association with the Pierre Monteux School and has served on the staff of that institution. He serves as an adjunct faculty member of both Georgian Court University and Ocean County College and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Conductor’s Guild, a national service organization for conductors.

Noted by his colleagues for his rapport with audiences, Mr. LaGruth builds relationships with his listeners through multiple outreach programs and his popular pre-concert discussions, Musically Speaking. Whether educating and entertaining students in Music for Young People Concert or chatting informally with audience members, LaGruth finds innovative ways to bridge the gap between new audiences and classical music.