“…if fireworks could conduct, they’d be named Seaton. His movements ranged from as controlled and explosive as a prize fighter to as fluid and delicate as a ballet dancer.”
Scott Seaton is recognized for performances of finesse, clarity, and precision, praised by the Luxembourg Times, and described as “breathless” by Entertainment News Northwest. He is in his eleventh season as Music Director of the North State Symphony in Northern California, where his tenure has been marked by dynamic performances, imaginative programming, and a strong commitment to community and youth engagement. He also serves as Artistic Director of the Signature Symphony in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he has expanded audiences, strengthened artistic collaborations, and broadened the orchestra’s reach.
From 2012 to 2015, Seaton served as Music Director of the Minot Symphony Orchestra, leading the ensemble to new artistic heights and developing partnerships across the region. As a collaborator, he has worked with artists including Project Trio, Alessio Bax, Gabriela Martinez, Charlie Albright, and Sara Davis Buechner.
Since his international debut in 2007 with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Seaton has conducted orchestras throughout North America, South America, and Europe. Recent and upcoming engagements include the Lansing Symphony, Fresno Philharmonic, Evansville Philharmonic, Missoula Symphony, Kamloops Symphony, Spartanburg Philharmonic, Mercury Soul, Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra, the South Jutland Symphony Orchestra, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, Toronto Philharmonia Orchestra, Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich, Whatcom Symphony Orchestra, and Portland Columbia Symphony.
He has also appeared with the Brandenburger Symphoniker, Fort Worth Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Magdeburg Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Orquesta Filarmónica de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cincinnati Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra.
Seaton is a prizewinner of the 2011 INTERAKTION competition, where he conducted an orchestra comprised of musicians from Germany’s leading ensembles, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Konzerthaus Orchestra, German Symphony Orchestra, and the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin. He was a semi-finalist in the 2012 Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition, placing among the top ten conductors selected from more than 400 applicants worldwide. He has also been a finalist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Sir Georg Solti Conducting Competition and a quarter-finalist in the Gustav Mahler International Conducting Competition in Bamberg, Germany.
Equally active in opera, Seaton has served as Principal Conductor of the Bel Canto Singers, leading semi-staged productions in Northern California. He was also Principal Conductor of the Western Plains Opera and Assistant Conductor of Festival Opera in Walnut Creek, where he worked on productions ranging from Puccini’s Turandot to Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with conductor Michael Morgan.
A committed advocate for contemporary music, Seaton has conducted numerous premieres and curated programs featuring works by composers including Libby Larsen, Mason Bates, Adam Schoenberg, David Hertzberg, Pierre Jalbert, and Maria Grenfell. He has collaborated with composer and DJ Mason Bates on Mercury Soul, leading a fusion performance in San Francisco. He made his Jordan Hall debut at the New England Conservatory with the New England Collective Chamber Orchestra and has appeared in the series New Music for the Sonically Curious. His work with contemporary music also includes collaborations with the New York–based ensemble Mimesis and recordings with FiveOne in Cleveland.
Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Seaton holds degrees from the Université de Montréal, the New England Conservatory, and Vanderbilt University. His training includes fellowships at Tanglewood and the National Conducting Institute. His principal mentors include Michael Morgan, Jean-François Rivest, Robin Fountain, Charles Peltz, and Carol Nies. He has also worked with Kurt Masur, David Zinman, Marin Alsop, Jorma Panula, Peter Eötvös, Leonard Slatkin, and others.
Outside of music, Seaton is an avid cyclist and runner. He completed a solo coast-to-coast cycling journey from Oregon to Massachusetts and has run marathons in cities across North America, including the Boston Marathon. He and his wife, Julia, enjoy traveling the world in search of the perfect Macchiato.
April 2026
