Who is Ruth Ochs?

In my work with Sinfonia, I think it’s important to remember the humanity behind the work of the orchestra. I like to be a teacher disguised as a conductor, because I know that students might not be thinking about how music will be with them in the future. I try to gently guide them towards playing for the sake of playing, knowing how music might fill their lives down the road in many different ways.

I passionately advocate for constructive and positive musical experiences. I don’t believe students should have to feel competitiveness or undo pressure. This isn’t the typical model of an orchestra - where perfection is invoked and the order of “practice more” is thrown around. I’d rather identify our goals as a group and then we collectively push to achieve them.

I am Sinfonia’s leader, but I am just as happy stepping back and letting students take authentic initiative that represents their dreams. My desire is to provide tools and ideas to nourish an artistic instinct in the student and to build a musical practice that will sustain a lifetime of joy and enrichment.

You can learn more about the breadth of my professional experience here and my work with Sinfonia here.