Artist Bios

Busse, a personable and well-educated man, displayed equally refined musicianship in leading the
performance…he showed solid conducting technique, seemed to respond to what he heard, and
controlled the performance without overt histrionics. More to the point, he is an industrious
entrepreneur, an essential quality in any young conductor. You have to admire his ambition and
confidence, which should serve him well in the future- San Francisco Classical Voice

In 2002, at age 22, Tom Busse founded City Concert Opera. Since, he has built the
organization into a well respected player in the Bay Area music scene by using his passion
for many types of vocal music to give the area unique artistic experiences. Busse is an
especial devotee of Handel and the Italian Baroque (having conducted no less than five full
evening Handel works including Serse, Acis and Galatea, and Messiah), but his training
includes in depth study of 19th century Russian opera, and contemporary music. Busse
studied with SF Contemporary music players artistic director, David Milnes, and Busse
frequently collaborates with Bay Area composers to premiere new scores. Conducting
credits include North Bay Opera, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the San Francisco
Bach Choir, the UC Santa Cruz opera theater, and EnsembleSF.