08/27/2026
â¨Spotlight: Assistant Conductor JosĂŠ Valenciaâ¨
Conductor and violinist JosĂŠ Valencia has built a career around a simple conviction: orchestral music is most powerful when musicians and audiences feel genuinely connected to it.
Known for energetic performances, imaginative programming, and an engaging presence both on and off the podium, Valencia brings together the traditions of the symphonic repertoire with film music, contemporary works, American music, popular culture, and unexpected collaborations.
Valencia serves as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Kokomo Symphony Orchestra and Director of Orchestras at Park Tudor School in Indianapolis, where he works with young musicians from their first experiences on a string instrument through advanced Upper School performance. He has also maintained an active professional career as a conductor and violinist with orchestras throughout Indiana.
His career has taken him well beyond Indiana. In 2000, Valencia won first prize in the Fourth Karelia-Sochi International Conducting Master Class and Competition in Russia. He subsequently returned to Russia as Principal Guest Conductor of the Sochi Philharmonic Symphony, conducting four programs during its 2001â02 season.
Valenciaâs unusual academic background has also shaped his musical life. Before pursuing graduate study in music, he earned a degree in Russian Linguistics and Literature from Duke University. His knowledge of Russian later led to his work with Indianapolis Opera on its production of Tchaikovskyâs Eugene Onegin. He holds masterâs degrees in Violin Performance and Orchestral Conducting from Butler University.
As an educator, Valencia believes that excellence grows from curiosity, persistence, listening, and the understanding that every musician matters. As a conductor, he brings that same philosophy to the professional podium: an orchestra is at its best not simply when individuals play well, but when they listen, respond, and create something together that none of them could create alone.
Help us celebrate and thank Maestro Valencia for his contribution to the LSO and the community! đś
