ARTISTIC DIRECTOR SEARCH
As part of our ongoing search for the next Artistic Director, the Meridian Symphony Orchestra invited qualified conductors from across the region to apply. Applications were accepted through October 1, 2025, followed by interviews later that month.
Each finalist was asked to program, rehearse, and conduct one subscription concert during the current season, offering audiences a unique opportunity to experience their artistry and vision firsthand. A final decision will be announced in June 2026.
Symphony patrons are invited to share their feedback following the February and May concerts, which the finalists will co-conduct with Maestro James Ogle. Your input will help shape the future direction of the Meridian Symphony Orchestra as we look toward an exciting new chapter
Meet our Finalists
Craig Purdy, Professor of Music at Boise State University, teaches violin, coaches chamber music, instructs in string pedagogy and literature, and directs the University Orchestra Program. Originally from New Jersey, Mr. Purdy received his Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from the Eastman School of Music and his Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory.
His primary teachers included Newton Mansfield of the New York Philharmonic, Charles Castleman, Masuko Ushioda, and Sally
O'Reilly. He also studied violin with Joseph Silverstein and Joseph Gingold, and chamber music with members of the Tokyo, Guarneri, Fine Arts, and Cleveland Quartets. As a conductor, he has been mentored by David Effron, Gerhardt Zimmermann, and Donald Portnoy.
Professor Purdy has performed as a soloist and chamber musician across the U.S. and abroad, including in numerous national and international festivals, such as the Heidelberg Festival (Germany), the Evian Festival (France), and Music from Bear Valley (Bear Valley, CA). As a violinist, he has served
as concertmaster of the Corning Philharmonic (NY), the Winona Symphony (MN), and the Eastman Philharmonia. Mr. Purdy is a founding member of the “Les Bois Trio,” ensemble-in-residence at Boise State University.
As a string educator and conductor, Mr. Purdy is a frequent orchestral clinician and conductor in Idaho and throughout the Northwest. His recent guest appearances as a conductor include the Meridian Symphony Orchestra, the Clark County, Nevada, All-District High School Orchestra, and Nevada Small Schools All State Orchestra.
Mr. Purdy maintains an active studio of university and private students, many of whom have gone on to attend prestigious schools such as the Eastman School of Music, Juilliard School, and Oberlin Conservatory. His students are frequent winners in state, regional, and national string competitions, including those organized by the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and American String Teachers Association (ASTA). He is proud that graduates of his studio and members of the Boise State Symphony Orchestra, with whom he has worked, hold positions in professional orchestras across the country, including the Treasure Valley’s own Meridian Symphony Orchestra, Boise Philharmonic, and Boise Baroque.
Conductor and Composer, Dr. Daniel Baldwin, has led a multifaceted career. Conducting and composing for bands and orchestras from beginner to professional, community to university, symphony to big band, for profit to nonprofit leadership, lecturer to artistic director, Dr. Baldwin has enjoyed success in each of the avenues in which he has pursued.
A frequent guest conductor, Dr. Baldwin has led bands and orchestras across the country premiering works by internationally renowned composers such as Philip Sparke, Scott McAllister, Brian Balmages, and Eric Ewazen at venues ranging from high school honors orchestras to
International conventions. Dr. Baldwin has held orchestral conducting positions with the National Composers Orchestra, Hillsboro Civic Symphony, and the Canyon County Symphony as well as across his ten plus years of collegiate teaching in Kansas and Iowa.
Dr. Baldwin is an award winning composer who has been commissioned by performers from the world's top orchestras with performances of his orchestral and wind band music coast to coast from Carnegie Hall to the Walt Disney Concert Hall with hundreds of performances in between. His music has been presented on National Public Radio and at the conventions of nearly every instrument and ensemble family to include the MENC National Convention and the Midwest Clinic. The premiere of his Concerto for 2 bassoons, rock band, and wind ensemble, titled "Dark Side of the Moon", by the West Point Band brought down the house as a night concert finale at the International Double Reed Convention at New York University. His music has also been featured around the globe in Canada, Italy, Germany, Japan, China, Belgium, and Austria, just to name a few. He is published exclusively by Imagine Music Publishing where he is the editor of a band/orchestra/choir catalog titled "The Pathways Series".Dr. Baldwin holds the degrees of Bachelor of Music in Education, Master of Music in Composition and Wind Band Conducting, DMA in Composition and Orchestral Conducting, and is currently completing a second masters degree program in Music Leadership from the prestigious Eastman School of Music. His primary composition teachers include Eric Richards and Craig Weston as well as additional studies with Max Ridgway, Eric Ewazen, and William Bolcom. His primary conducting teachers include Michael Knedler, Frank Tracz, and Tyler Goodrich White as well as additional studies with Keith Lockhart.