Karin Hendrickson

Dr. Kǎrin Hendrickson joins the University of New Mexico with a distinguished career in orchestra and opera, alongside a commitment to education and orchestral training. Her professional engagements include performances with renowned orchestras such as the Belgian National Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Orchestre National d’Ile de France, and multiple BBC orchestras, among others.

An internationall-recognized pedagogue, Dr. Hendrickson has coached and performed with over 50 pre-professional ensembles across four continents. Notable positions include the Concertgebouworkest Young (Netherlands), Royal Conservatoire of Music in Ghent, all the Royal institutions in the United Kingdom, the National Youth Orchestras of Great Britain, the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, University of São Paulo (Brazil), and the London Symphony Orchestra/Guildhall School Orchestra Artistry program. She has also prepared training musicians for esteemed conductors, including Michael Tilson-Thomas, Gustavo Dudamel, and multiple engagements with Marin Alsop.

In opera, Dr. Hendrickson has been a Music Director for various opera performances, including Opera Holland Park, Bloomsbury Opera, Garsington Youth Opera, and the UK tour of Opera for the Unknown Woman, whited merged electronics, improvisation, and multi-media. She has also served as Chorus Master for the Royal Opera House, London Community Chorus project, and the Longborough Festival Opera’s children’s chorus, showcasing her dedication to cultivating singers at all levels as they experience professional performance.

Dr. Hendrickson’s seminars on conducting, musicianship, audition training, or professional development have included institutions like die MUK in Austria, the Royal Academy of Music (London), Catholic University, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, the Royal Philharmonic Society, London’s Southbank Centre, and Concertgebouworkest Young.

Dr. Hendrickson counts her teachers as her greatest professional influences. Her training in conducting began at George Mason University under Professor Anthony Maiello, continued at the Peabody Conservatory with Gustav Meier, and culminated with Distinction at the Royal Academy of Music in London under Colin Metters. While at the Royal Academy, Dr. Hendrickson was honored as a Gordon Foundation winner and received the Fred Southall Memorial Prize. Recently, she became an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, the highest honor awarded to graduates. Dr. Hendrickson has attended conducting workshops at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, received support from the European Network of Opera Academies, and was mentored by Marin Alsop as a Taki-Alsop Fellowship winner. Following work with Marin Alsop included included being assistant conductor on her first tour as Music Director with the Orqustra Sinfonia do Estate de São Paulo to the Proms, the Concertgebouw, and the Rheingau Musik Festival, preparing an orchestra and touring for an appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and multiple preparations for repertoire including Bernstein’s MASS and Britten’s War Requiem for London’s Southbank Centre.

Dr. Hendrickson’s early musical journey began with piano studies at age four through the Suzuki method, leading to a degree in music (piano) at Grove City College, where she was awarded their Jack Kennedy Distinguished Alumni award in 2024. While still in high school, she composed music that was selected as the official Olympic Torch Relay Theme Song for the Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games, recorded by Aretha Franklin to NBC Records.