GLENN BLOCK has served as the Director of Orchestras and Opera and Professor of Conducting at Illinois State University since 1990. In addition, he served as Music Director of the Youth Symphony of Kansas City from 1983-2007. Prior to his appointment at Illinois State in the fall of 1990, Dr. Block served for 15 years as Director of Orchestras and Professor of Conducting at the Conservatory of Music of the University of Missouri - Kansas City and Music Director of the Kansas City Civic Orchestra. Born in Brooklyn, Dr. Block was educated at the Eastman School of Music. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California at San Diego.
As a frequent guest conductor, he has appeared in over 42 states with all-state and professional orchestras. Foreign guest-conducting have included concerts and master classes at the Fontainebleau Conservatoire in France, and concerts in Spain, Canada, Colombia, Estonia, Russia, Italy, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic and throughout South America since 2012. He has served on the Boards of Directors for both the Conductors Guild and the Youth Orchestra Division of the American Symphony Orchestra League. The Youth Symphony of Kansas City and Dr. Block made their Carnegie Hall debut in June 1997. Dr. Block has served on the faculty of the National Music Camp at Interlochen as Resident Conductor of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, and at the Interlochen Arts Academy as Visiting Conductor. In addition, he has served as Music Director of the Summer Festival Orchestra at the Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, Colorado.
He returned in the second semester of 2022 to guest-conduct orchestras in Argentina (Misiones/Posadas, Mendoza); Asunción, Paraguay -Orquesta of the Universidad de Norte (UniNorte), Orquesta de la Policia Nacional; Orquesta Camera de la Ciudad de Asunción (OCMA)- and in Italy.
He has conducted many of the major orchestras of Argentina: Teatro Colón, Chascomus, Posadas, Salta, Mar del Plata, Mendoza, Iguazu International Music Festival; Paraguay: Orquesta Nacional de Paraguay, Camerata Miranda, Orquesta de la Policia Nacional, Orquesta Camera de la Ciudad de Asunción (OCMA); Londrina, Brazil International Music Festival (2019); Guadiagrele, Italy Opera Festival (2019, 2020, 2022); Wuhan, China (2019); and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam National Orchestra of Vietnam (2018). He has led international conducting seminars throughout South America, Asia, and Europe.
In 2023 he has also been invited to serve as Adjunct Professor of Conducting at Illinois Wesleyan University and Interim Music Director of the Illinois Wesleyan Symphony. In the second semester of 2023, he was invited to conduct orchestras in Misiones and Salta, Argentina and Guadiagrele, Italy.
The next confirmed concerts as a guest conductor for the second semester of 2024 will take place in Rio Negro and Rosario, Argentina, and San Marino and Guardiagrele, Italy.