Acclaimed for his “depth, musicality, and expressive power” and for leading “sensational” performances with “exceptional colors,” Maurice Cohn stands at the forefront of a new generation of American conductors. A  three-time recipient of the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award, he is currently the 11th Music Director of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Artistic Partner and Conductor of New York City’s Camerata Notturna.

Highlights of his 2025/26 season include debuts with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra with TwoSet Violin, Würth Philharmonic with Hélène Grimaud, and Brussels Philharmonic with Alexandra Conunova. He also leads the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in a subscription week featuring Jan Vogler and Chad Hoopes.

Recent seasons have seen Cohn in debut engagements with the Filharmonie Bohuslava Martinů, Omaha Symphony, Utah Symphony, and The Syracuse Orchestra. He continues an ongoing relationship with the Colorado Music Festival and maintains a strong presence in contemporary music through collaborations with ensembleNEWSRQ and the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble.

Maurice served as the Assistant Conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra under Fabio Luisi until the end of the 23/24 season, where he conducted notable performances including the world premiere of Mason Bates’s Philharmonia Fantastique and a concert version of Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones. He made his subscription debut in 2023, jumping in for Mo. Luisi on a program of Brahms, Antheil, and the world premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s Snapshots. Cohn was also a two-time Assistant Conductor at the Aspen Music Festival, where he led the world premiere of Peng-Peng Gong’s Late Bells for Concertante Piano and Orchestra with the Aspen Chamber Symphony.

Now, as Music Director of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Cohn has quickly made his mark with artistic vision and community engagement. Appointed in June 2023, his tenure has included the orchestra’s first performances of works by Duke Ellington, Louise Farrenc, and Kurt Weill; a return to opera after its nearly 20-year absence with a semi-staged production of Carmen; and genre-crossing concerts through a collaboration with NPR’s Mountain Stage. Now in his third season, Cohn will direct a series of programmes featuring soloists including Stephen Waarts, Hayoung Choi, and Barbara Nissman, among others. A significant highlight this season is a new commission by Gabriel Kahane, If love will not swing wide the gates, to be premiered by clarinettist Anthony McGill.

Maurice is the recipient of the Robert J. Harth Conducting Prize and the Aspen Conducting Prize. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from Oberlin Conservatory and a Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College, where he studied History and Mathematics. He received a Master of Music in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music.