Daniel Wiley (left) and Luke Poeppel have joined the Kansas City Symphony as assistant conductors this season.
Daniel Wiley and Luke Poeppel have been named assistant conductors at the Kansas City Symphony in Missouri. Both conductors will share cover conducting duties for the Symphony’s classical series and work with Music Director Matthias Pintscher. In addition, five new section musicians have joined the orchestra: Aaron You-Xin Li, violin; Alejandro Lombo, flute and piccolo; Ayrton Pisco, violin; Hyojoon Park, trumpet; and Sally Kim, cello.
Daniel Wiley, who joined the symphony on its first European tour this past August, will conduct Young People’s Concerts, support School Music concerts, and a special presentation with Dionne Warwick. He will also lead a holiday concert with the Texas Tenors, Family Series productions, and two concerts with Ben Folds. Wiley has appeared with orchestras and ballet companies across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and is currently serving as assistant conductor for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Pops. He has conducted new-music ensembles and has participated in the Composing in the Wilderness program, part of the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival in Alaska. A former public-school music teacher, Wiley is passionate about music education and frequently volunteers as a guest clinician.
Luke Poeppel, an American-German conductor based in Rochester, New York, will lead the Kansas City Symphony in Handel’s Messiah, children’s concerts, school programs such as KinderKonzerts and LinkUp, and a special concert featuring Cody Fry. Poeppel is a master’s student at the Eastman School of Music and was selected for Ensemble Modern’s 2023-2024 ICCS young professionals’ program.
