Compelling interpretations, inventive performances, and an energetic stage presence are the hallmarks of American conductor Antoine T. Clark. He is the founding Artistic and Music Director of the Worthington Chamber Orchestra in Ohio (formerly McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra, established in 2013) and a passionate advocate for expanding access to classical music and fostering community engagement. Mr. Clark is the recipient of the Columbus Symphony 2024 Music Educator Award. In 2022, he served as Cincinnati Symphony’s MAC Music Innovator. The program, which highlights leading African American classical musicians who embody artistry, innovation, and commitment to education and community engagement, saw Clark leading chamber music and orchestral performances in schools and throughout the community during his residency.
In the 2024-2025 season, Mr. Clark embarks on his twelfth year with the Worthington Chamber Orchestra, leading the ensemble in a Masterworks series titled In Nature’s Realm. The series celebrates the natural world through lush musical landscapes and vibrant visual art, featuring collaborations with plein air painters from the Ohio Plein Air Society. The orchestra is also partnering with the Worthington Partnership’s “Green Team” on the “Let’s Grow Native, Worthington” initiative, which promotes sustainability and native plantings throughout the city to support local ecosystems. Additionally, Mr. Clark will lead a performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana in collaboration with the Oyo Dance Company.
Mr. Clark is dedicated to building strong community relationships and creating bold programs featuring innovative collaborations with artists across various disciplines. His past projects have included working with sculptors, dancers, poets, and fiber artists. For the 2024-2025 season, he is collaborating with plein air painters from the Ohio Plein Air Society, reflecting his commitment to interdisciplinary creativity and engagement.
During the 2023-2024 season, Mr. Clark was appointed Associate Conductor of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra after serving as Assistant Conductor. Fall 2023 saw guest conducting engagements with the South Carolina Philharmonic, a two-city New York tour with the Gateways Music Festival, performances with the Walla Walla Symphony, and the Lima Symphony’s New Year’s Eve concert. In the summer of 2024, he conducted the Juneteenth Festival Orchestra at UCLA.
Additional recent highlights include performances with the Spartanburg Philharmonic, Symphony Tacoma, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. His past guest conducting engagements also include the Dayton Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony, and the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra. He has also conducted performances with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and Opera Columbus.
Clark’s earlier professional posts include Assistant Conductor of the Chicago Sinfonietta, Assistant Conductor of the Gateways Music Festival Orchestra, Music Director of the Ohio Wesleyan University Chamber Orchestra, and Music Director of the Ohio Northern University Symphony. He has also served as a cover conductor for the Lancaster Festival Orchestra.
His work has garnered praise, including the Chicago Tribune’s recognition of his “balletic poise” during the premiere of Joel Thompson’s breathe/burn: an elegy with Chicago Sinfonietta.
Mr. Clark is deeply committed to enhancing music education and broadening its reach. He serves on the Columbus Symphony Orchestra’s Education Committee and as the Music Director and Conductor of the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra’s Philharmonia Orchestra, which has been invited to perform at the 2025 Ohio Music Education Association conference. His educational work spans teaching students from young beginners to college music majors and leading initiatives that aim to increase access to music and engage diverse communities.
A frequent speaker on expanding opportunities within the arts, Clark has participated in panels and events with the International Conductors Guild, Chicago Sinfonietta, and the 2021 Youth Orchestras Online DEI panel, a collaboration between Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestras. He has also contributed to the Washington Musical Pathway’s Workshop: Career in Music Panel and the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra’s Workshop Academy, collaborating with organizations to promote inclusive practices and foster a welcoming environment for all.
A strong advocate for new music, Mr. Clark regularly commissions works for the symphonic and chamber music repertoire. In the 2024-2025 season, he will premiere commissioned works by composers Korine Fujiwara and Evan Williams. He has previously worked with composers such as Mark Lomax II, Jacob Reed, Michael Rene Torres, Matthew Saunders, Christopher Weait, Linda Kernohan, Ching-chu Hu, and Vera Stanojević.
He was awarded Third Prize in the 2024 Los Angeles Conducting Workshop and Competition and has participated in numerous prestigious festivals, including the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and the Monteux School and Music Festival. He has also been a Project Inclusion Conducting Freeman Fellow with Chicago Sinfonietta.