Jessica Morel

Jessica Morel was welcomed to the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras conducting staff in 2019. She serves as the primary conductor for the Charlotte Symphony Youth Philharmonic.

Jessica recently served as the Assistant Conductor for the Winston-Salem Symphony for three seasons. In this role, she conducted all Family and Educational concerts, Symphony Unbound concerts, selected Pops concerts, and served as a cover conductor for all Classics concerts. During the 2018-2019 season, Morel made her debut on a Classics subscription program and led a majority of the orchestra's performances. She has appeared as a guest conductor with the Charlotte Symphony, the Amarillo Symphony, the Abilene Philharmonic, and will conduct the Oklahoma City Philharmonic in November 2019. Additionally, she has served as a cover conductor for the Memphis, Charlotte, and Portland Symphony Orchestras. 

A passionate music educator, Jessica served as the Music Director of the Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Orchestras Program, which saw significant growth under her leadership. She believes that one of her most important roles is to teach and inspire the next generation of young musicians, and is always inspired by her students' dedication and enthusiasm. In demand as a clinician and music educator, Morel conducted the Guilford All-County Honors orchestra in 2018, as well as opera and musical theater productions for High Point University and Texas Women's University. 

Prior to Winston-Salem, Jessica was the Visiting Director of Orchestras at the University of Evansville (IN) and was an Assistant Conductor for the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra from 2015-2016. She was also selected as the Assistant Conductor for the 2015 Hot Springs Music Festival, and was named one of the competition winners of the 2014 International Conductors' Workshop and Competition held in Atlanta. Morel has participated in many summer programs, including the Eastern Music Festival, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, the Pacific Region International Summer Music Academy, and the Atlantic Music Festival. Internationally, she has conducted orchestras in Ukraine, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

Originally from Los Angeles, Jessica studied orchestral conducting at the University of North Texas (DMA) with David Itkin and Clay Couturiaux, and at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (MM) with Taras Krysa. She studied flute and music education at Indiana University (BME) with Kathryn Lukas. Additional conducting mentors have included Gerard Schwarz, Marin Alsop, Peter Bay, Robert Franz, Grant Cooper, Markand Thakar, Gábor Hollerung, Arthur Arnold, David Amado, and Jorge Mester.