Entering his fourth season as Resident Conductor of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, American conductor Chelsea Tipton II has won over audience and critics alike with his vibrant musicality, accessibility, versatility, and extraordinary commitment to education outreach. As a sought-after guest conductor, Tipton has appeared with major orchestras in the United States, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orche s tra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the New World Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic , the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra , the Nashville Symphony Orchestra , the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra , among others.

The 2006-2007 season sees Tipton in guest conducting engagements with the Cleveland Orchestra , as well as Houston, Detroit, Atlanta, and New Jersey Symphonies, in addition to his regular Toledo Symphony season appearances that feature a Pops Series and a Family Series. Recent highlights included a last minute replacement for Robert Spano to conduct an all-Gershwin season finale with the Brooklyn Philharmonic in 2005. New York Times applauded Tipton for “ [leading] sweeping and vibrant performances of "Rhapsody" and "An American in Paris."

For the 2004-2005 season, Chelsea Tipton guest conduct ed the Chicago Symphony Orchestra , the Nashville Symphony, the Louisville Philharmonic, the Windsor Symphony, and the Oberlin Conservatory Chamber Orchestra. In June of 2004, the conductor led the Boston Pops Orchestra in their annual Gospel Night Concert that the Boston Globe called an “Impressive debut”.

In October 2001, Tipton was one of the ten conductors selected to conduct the New York Philharmonic in a Special Reading Session mentored by Kurt Masur. His strong commitment toward education was shown though his dedicated work with the Sphinx Competition to promote African American and Hispanic emerging artists in classical music , in addition to working with the New World Symphony to involve local high school students in concerts.

Prior to his appointment with the Toledo Symphony , Tipton was Associate Conductor with the Savannah Symphony Orchestra for four seasons and Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra for three seasons .

He has held faculty positions at Central Michigan University (CMU) as Assistant Professor where he was Director of the CMU Symphony and a Visiting Professor in clarinet and chamber music at Western Michigan University. He has served on the faculty of the Apple Hill Chamber Music Festival in New Hampshire, and served four seasons as Assistant Conductor with the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina during the summers.

Tipton earned a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from Northern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance from the Eastman School of Music, with additional studies at the University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music and the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors in Hancock, Maine. As a clarinetist, Mr. Tipton has performed with several orchestras, including the Rochester Philharmonic, the Heidelberg Festival Opera Orchestra (Germany), and the Chicago Sinfonietta. He has appeared on the NBC Today Show with Wynton Marsalis and has performed as a section clarinet player with James Galway and the Eastman Philharmonia, Wynton Marsalis and the Eastman Wind Ensemble and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra on recordings with RCA Classical, CBS Masterworks and Pro Arte labels.

A devotee of the Japanese martial art form Aikido, Chelsea Tipton II is dedicated to using positive and harmonious forces in challenging difficulties.

(August 2006)