Recognized for his “musical sensitivity” and “energized sense of interpretation”, Matthew Kraemer is quickly making his mark among American conductors for his inspired performances and versatility. The Buffalo News notes, “He presents a tall, dignified and stately podium presence with a quite clear beat, a good sense of shaping melodic lines, and an all- business attitude that focused on the music without any histrionics.” Mr. Kraemer begins his fourth season as the Adelaide Wisdom Benjamin Music Director of the Louisiana Philharmonic in September, 2026. Formed in 1991, LPO is the oldest full-time musician-governed orchestra in the United States. Appointed Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra in 2015, he has extended his commitment with ICO through 2027. Mr. Kraemer additionally serves as Artistic Advisor for the Acadiana Symphony in Lafayette, LA. His active guest conducting schedule includes appearances with many of the nation’s finest orchestras, including the Arkansas, Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Columbus, Houston, Elgin, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Nashville, North Carolina, Saint Louis, Spokane, Syracuse, Toledo, and Virginia symphony orchestras, the Buffalo and Rochester Philharmonics, as well as Canada’s Mississauga Symphony, Niagara Symphony, and Hamilton Philharmonic. Highlights of the 2026-27 season include performances with Adam Golka, Melissa White, Lost Bayou Ramblers, and Ben Folds, and world premieres by James Lee III and Tucker Fuller.
A passionate advocate for new music, he has performed the works of many living composers during his career, including premieres by Stacy Garrop, James Lee III, Maxim Samarov, Michael Shapiro, Roger Dickerson, Jay Weigel, Victoria Bond, Miguel del Aguila, and Reinaldo Moya. He has led the American Composers Orchestra’s EarShot readings with several orchestras. Under his leadership, the ICO was awarded two Virginia B. Toulmin commissions for women composers, a Regional Emmy, and an ARTI Award from the Indianapolis Arts Council. He has additionally led the ICO in collaborations with the American Piano Awards, the International Double Reed Society, and the USA International Harp Competition. Kraemer has served as Music Director of the Butler County Symphony and Erie Chamber Orchestra, Artistic Director of Orchestra Indiana, and associate conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic and Virginia Symphony Orchestras. His performances are broadcast regularly on NPR’s Performance Today.
Recipient of the distinguished Herbert von Karajan Conducting Fellowship and the Bruno Walter Career Development Grant, Kraemer served a residency with the Vienna Philharmonic at the 2006 Salzburg Music Festival. Equally at home in the opera and ballet pit, his operatic credits include productions of The Magic Flute, The Barber of Seville, Fidelio, Madame Butterfly, La Traviata, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Happy Birthday Wanda June (world premiere), Trouble in Tahiti, and Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park (American professional premiere), as well as ballet productions with Virginia Ballet Theatre, Ohio Ballet, Dance Kaleidoscope, Neglia Ballet Artists, and Todd Rosenlieb Dance. He has performed with many leading artists, including Lang Lang, Beatrice Rana, Aaron Diehl, Awadagin Pratt, Tim Fain, Jennifer Koh, Elmar Oliveira, Rachel Barton Pine, Gary Karr, Sharon Isbin, Richard Stolzman, Wu Man, Branford Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Bela Fleck, Mark O’Connor, Ben Folds, Chris Botti, Mandy Gonzalez, the Indigo Girls, Wynona Judd, and Natalie Merchant, among many others. A frequent collaborator with Broadway superstar Idina Menzel, he served as conductor for many of her symphony engagements nationwide.
An Indiana native, Kraemer studied conducting in Vienna, Austria with Salvador Mas Conde and was twice a fellowship conductor at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen. His conducting teachers include David Zinman, Robert Spano, and Jorma Panula. Kraemer is a graduate of Butler University and the University of Nevada, where he assisted former Cincinnati Symphony concertmaster Phillip Ruder. An accomplished violinist, he was a member of the Nightingale String Quartet. When he is not performing, Kraemer enjoys cooking, running, and reading. He and his wife, Megan, reside in New Orleans with their sons Gabriel and Nathaniel.