Jaelem Bhate

]Jaelem Bhate is a conductor and composer from Vancouver, BC whose musical diversity has come to define his career. A leader in both the classical and jazz genres, Jaelem is a proponent of reinvention and accessibility, and works to reimagine the role and prominence of instrumental music in the 21st century.
As a conductor, Jaelem serves as Artistic Director of Symphony 21, Vancouver’s newest professional ensemble. Jaelem was also named music director of the Vancouver Brass Collective in 2019. Guest engagements include the Vancouver and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras, along with invitations to Italy, Romania, Portugal and Bulgaria. As a composer, his works have been performed by the Vancouver and Victoria Symphonies, as well as countless ensembles and soloists across the country. In the jazz world, he has released two albums with the Jaelem Bhate Jazz Orchestra; on the edge, and Carmen, a reimagining of Bizet’s operatic masterpiece for jazz ensemble. on the edge won the 2020 Julian Award for emerging Canadian jazz excellence.
Jaelem graduated from the University of British Columbia with his MMus in orchestral conducting in 2019 under Dr. Jonathan Girard, and his BMus in percussion performance in 2017 when he graduated first in his class. He has furthered his studies as a two-time assistant conductor to Boris Brott at the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, and at festivals with Paul Nadler of the MET, Gerard Schwarz formerly of the Seattle Symphony, Neil Varon of the Eastman School, and acclaimed Canadian composer Fred Stride.