Conductor Nicole Paiement has been the Artistic Director of Ensemble Parallèle since 1993. With this professional ensemble, Paiement has recorded and performed many world premières. She is also the the Artistic Director of the BluePrint Project - a concert series which is dedicated to building New Music in the San Francisco Bay area. Since 1999, Paiement has also been the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Conservatory New Music Ensemble. Under her baton, the Ensemble has quickly gained recognition in the Bay Area as a dynamic New Music ensemble promoting, recording and commissioning works of living composers. Paiement is the Director of Ensembles at the University of California Santa Cruz where she conducts the orchestra, chamber singers and the full opera productions. Paiement is an active guest conductor, with recent engagements that include the conducting of a world première opera in Seoul, Korea. Other recent guest-conducting engagements include the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Suwon Philharmonic orchestra, Seoul Contemporary Opera Company, Ensemble Kochi of Japan, Monterey Jazz Festival Orchestra, Minneapolis Chamber Orchestra, Ottawa Symphony and San Francisco Contemporary Chamber Players. Founded in 1968, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s New Music Ensemble is dedicated to the performance of late 20th century works and new works of the 21st century. The Ensemble has commissioned and premiered many new pieces by prominent American composers. Ensemble Parallèle focuses on the performance and recording of lesser-known works of the 20th century and the music of today. In its repertoire selection, the Ensemble attempts to bridge the gap between the recent past and the present, providing audiences with historical insight that helps them appreciate the musical language of today, which is at the root of the Ensemble’s mandate. As suggested by its name, the Ensemble focuses on collaborations with other art forms that increase the accessibility to and visibility of contemporary music. Since its formation, the Ensemble has presented many world and American premières and has commissioned several composers of various countries.
