New York City resident Justin Bischof is one of the most eclectic artists and leaders of his generation. He is an internationally acclaimed orchestral & opera conductor as well as a concert organist, pianist, and improviser. He has performed at many of the world’s great venues including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center, Tonhalle of Zurich, Eli Broad Theatre of Los Angeles, Royal Opera House Oman, St. Paul’s Cathedral London, Notre Dame Paris, and Cologne Cathedral. He has collaborated with numerous exceptional artists including Joshua Bell, Philippe Entremont, Bright Sheng, Tan Dun, and Roberta Peters. As an orchestral conductor, he has worked with various ensembles including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, The Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, the Vancouver Symphony, the Royal Symphony of Oman, the WAAPA Orchestra of Perth, and the National Orchestra of Haiti. Recent engagements include MOO's Annual Spring Concert, the AGO Gala Closing Concert for Organ & Orchestra, Mozart Requiem, MOO’s Annual Merkin Hall Concert, and Handel Messiah. Upcoming concerts include the 2 Saint Thomas Fifth Avenue Bicentennial Concerts (including Strauss Metamorphosen and Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3), Mozart Requiem, and the NY premiere of the Auburn Requiem at SUNY Purchase Recital Hall.
He is the Founder & Artistic Director of the Modus Operandi Orchestra MOO of New York City which is comprised of 65 of New York City’s finest orchestral musicians. MOO’s mission is to present symphonic, operatic, and choral repertoire at the highest artistic level to engage and enrich the local community. In 2022, MOO presented the World Premiere, outside of Cuba, of Guido Gavilan’s Afro-Cuban Antilles Violin Concerto with Harlem String Quartet founder Ilmar Gavilan as the soloist. He made his Australian Opera Conducting Debut in Perth at the WAAPA leading a critically acclaimed production of the Australian Premiere of Robert Ward’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Crucible. With MOO, he led several full productions including Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro & Don Giovanni. He partnered with international mezzo-soprano Ariana Chris, conducting and leading from the piano several benefit concerts entitled Opera Trash at Carnegie Hall and Le Poisson Rouge receiving rave reviews. In 2019, he led a production of Britten’s Rape of Lucretia at the newly renovated historic Flea Theatre with New Camerata Opera.
Leadership/Mentoring plays a major role in Maestro Bischof’s career both on and off the podium. His effective ability to engage with audiences is well known. Off the podium, he coaches conductors, instrumentalists, board members, and donors on a variety of leadership strategies including the art of fundraising with which he has extensive experience. He serves on numerous boards including as Chair of the Alumni Council of Manhattan School of Music where he has transformed the organization over the past 4 years to better serve the 19,000 members of the international alumni community. Dr. Bischof taught for many years at the esteemed Manhattan School of Music as well as Barnard College Columbia University and is sought after as a guest clinician for master classes internationally.
