In 2022 Maestro Jere Lantz received a lifelong appointment as Music Director Emeritus after 42 years at the helm of Rochester Symphony. Throughout the hundreds of concerts he led in Rochester, Lantz showed his acumen for imaginative programming and his ability to deliver dynamic and stirring performances. Lantz also served as President and CEO from 2015 to 2020.

Beyond his leadership with the Rochester Symphony, Maestro Lantz served as Music Director of the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra, Minneapolis Chamber Symphony, Kenwood Chamber Orchestra, St. Cloud Symphony, and Minnetonka Choral Society. He was interim conductor of the Winona Symphony and Mankato Symphony, Assistant Music Director of the Minnesota Opera, and Founding Music Director of the Minnesota Opera Touring Company. He has guest conducted both the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

In addition to conducting in locales as far-flung as Europe, Asia and Latin America, Lantz has led ensembles from coast to coast, including the symphonies of St. Louis, Rochester (NY), Des Moines, Syracuse, Santa Cruz, Huntsville (AL), Chattanooga, Kansas City, Erie, Indianapolis, Shreveport and Tucson.

Jere Lantz's commitment to telling "the story behind the music" made him a sought-out expert for his understanding of music and its role in today's world, He served as an advisor to the Minnesota State Arts Board, American Composers Forum, Minnesota Public Radio and the Conductors Guild of the League of American Orchestras.

Lantz currently lives in the Twin Cities area with his wife Kristina. Sounds of the Season 2026 is his first return to the Rochester Symphony podium since 2022.  

Alexandra Bartoi has served as Concertmaster of Rochester Symphony since 2024. Born in Bucharest, Romania, she studied violin in Hamburg, Germany, and, as a Fulbright Scholar, at the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

She performed with the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig before joining the MDR Symphony Orchestra as a permanent member in 2010. Her work as an orchestral and chamber musician has taken her to Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, the Philharmonie de Paris, Suntory Hall, and the Mariinsky Theatre.

In 2017, Alexandra founded The Enescu Project, a nonprofit organization based in Germany dedicated to making chamber music accessible regardless of social or economic circumstances. The project made its debut at the George Enescu International Festival in Bucharest.

She is also the founder and artistic director of Mozart After Hours at Rochester’s Historic Chateau Theatre, a concert series that presents chamber music in a relaxed, intimate setting. Alexandra’s performances and artistic initiatives reflect her belief in music’s ability to connect people across cultural and social boundaries. At Mayo Clinic, she performs for patients at their bedside and explores music’s potential to support healing and community well-being.