Maestro John DeMain has served as Artistic Director of Madison Opera since 1994. He is also the Music Director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and a sought-after guest conductor of orchestras and opera companies around the world.
On the concert stage, Maestro DeMain has conducted the Adelaide Symphony, Aspen Chamber Orchestra, Boston Pops, Chautauqua Symphony, Adelaide Chamber Orchestra, Columbus Symphony, Denver Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, National Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Orchestra of Seville, Pacific Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Seattle Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Texas Chamber Orchestra, and Youngstown Symphony. He is a regular guest conductor of The Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Michigan Opera Theater and New York City Opera.
In 2010, Maestro DeMain led the Canadian premiere of Nixon in China at Vancouver Opera during the Cultural Olympiad, and the 2008-2009 Season included productions of Porgy and Bess with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and San Francisco Opera. Recent engagements also include guest appearances with Los Angeles Opera for Porgy and Bess, A Little Night Music and The Merry Widow, State Opera of South Australia for Dead Man Walking, New York City Opera for Porgy and Bess, Dead Man Walking and Tosca, Glimmerglass Opera for Glassblowers and Little Women, the Festival Euro Mediterraneo in Rome for Candide, and Portland Opera for A View from the Bridge.
During his distinguished 18-year tenure with Houston Grand Opera, Mr. DeMain led the world premiere of John Adams’s Nixon in China and a history-making production of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, which he subsequently recorded for RCA, and won a Grammy Award, Tony Award, and France’s Grand Prix du Disque. The New York City Opera’s 2002 production of Porgy and Bess, conducted by John DeMain, was televised as part of the “Live from Lincoln Center” series and garnered an Emmy nomination.
A native of Youngstown, Ohio, John DeMain began his career as a pianist and conductor and, after winning the Youngstown Symphony's piano competition, went on to earn a Bachelor and Master's Degree in Music at the Juilliard School. He also holds an honorary doctorate in arts and letters from the University of Nebraska and Edgewood College. He resides in Madison with his wife, Barbara, and their daughter, Jennifer.
