Scott Weiss is the Music Director and Conductor of the Aiken Symphony, the Conductor of the South Carolina Ballet Orchestra and the Director of Orchestras at the University of South Carolina School of Music. Internationally, Scott has conducted performances with the Shenzhen Symphony, the Tianjin Symphony, the Hunan Symphony, the Inner Mongolia Symphony, the Shandong Symphony and the Nanchang Philharmonic, and he has performed at major international venues including the National Theatre and Concert Hall in Taipei, the National Centre for the Performing Arts Concert Hall in Beijing, and the Hangzhou Grand Theatre Concert Hall. Artists he has shared the stage with include Elena Urioste, Natasha Paremski, Michelle White, Angelo Xiang Yu, Zuill Bailey, Awadagin Pratt, John O’Conor, Marina Lomazov and Paul Jacobs. He has also collaborated with the Joffrey Ballet, the Turtle Island String Quartet and the Indigo Girls.

Scott has several critically-acclaimed recordings on the Naxos Records and Summit Records labels. His latest offering is the world premiere recording of Nico Muhly’s Reliable Sources on the Cantaloupe Music label. The piece is one of dozens of new works that Scott has commissioned from many of today’s leading composers, including Samuel Adler, Jennifer Higdon, Mandy Fang, Zhou Long, Cindy McTee and Joseph Schwanter.

Born in Monterey, California in 1967, Scott holds degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the University of Illinois. In August 2027, Scott will retire from the University of South Carolina School of Music where he has served as the Sarah Bolick Smith Distinguished Professor of Music since 2010. His 36-year teaching career has included positions at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, the University of Kansas, Emory University and Lamar University (Beaumont, TX). As well, he has been an artist-in-residence at some of the world’s leading music schools, including the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the University of Western Australia. Each summer, Scott teaches at the Los Angeles Conducting Workshop.

For his contributions to the cultural life of the state, in December 2024 Scott was awarded the Order of the Palmetto - South Carolina’s highest civilian honor.

Scott and his wife Teah split their time between homes in Aiken, SC and Annecy, France. They are intrepid travelers and enjoy hiking, cycling and fine wines. They are also the proud parents of John, a PhD student in chemistry at Northwestern University. Both Scott and John are avid golfers. Father and son regularly travel together to play bucket-list courses around the world.

For more information, visit www.scottanthonyweiss.com