Assistant Conductors
Jordan Brooks
Jordan Brooks is a conductor and cellist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is currently an orchestral conducting student of Scott Weiss at the University of South Carolina where he is also the Assistant Conductor for the highly regarded USC Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, Jordan serves as Assistant Conductor for the Aiken Symphony. His previous roles include Assistant Conductor for the University of Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra, and cover conductor for the Delaware County Symphony and the Youth Orchestra of Bucks County Philharmonia. In addition, he is also the Conductor in Residence with the Center City Chamber Orchestra in Philadelphia.
Jordan graduated from Temple University in 2021 where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in cello performance. At Temple, he was principal cello with the Temple University Symphony Orchestra. As a conductor, Jordan regularly conducted the Temple University Repertory Orchestra where he also served as President and Artistic Director on the executive board. Jordan counts among his conducting teachers and mentors Scott Weiss, Kenneth Kiesler, Kensho Watanabe, Andreas Delfs, and Thomas Hong.
In August 2023, Jordan made his international conducting debut in Berlin, Germany as an Assistant Conductor at the Berlin Opera Academy. Additionally during June 2023, Jordan was a conducting student at the Mostly Modern Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY where he worked with JoAnn Falletta, David Amado, and Aram Demirjian. During previous summers, Jordan participated in the CCM Opera Conducting Bootcamp at Miami Music Festival, the Conductors Retreat at Medomak, and the European American Musical Alliance (EAMA).
Austin Davis
Austin Davis is a third-year doctoral student studying conducting at the University of South Carolina. As a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, Austin is passionate about advancing the performance of works by Native American composers and is presently researching the orchestral music of Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate.
Prior to coming to South Carolina, Austin studied music at the University of Redlands near his hometown of Riverside, California. While there, Austin developed a love of performing new works and collaborating with young composers through a close relationship with the university’s composition program. He performed and recorded several new works for his fellow students, and made multiple conducting appearances with the University of Redlands’ Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Chamber Strings, and annual Feast of Lights celebration. Austin’s work at Redlands earned him finalist awards for the American Prize in Conducting and the Ernst Bacon Award for the Performance of American Music. Austin continues to support upcoming composers and has recently premiered a new work with Symphony Tacoma as part of the Cascade Conducting Masterclass.
Austin has often had an active role performing within his local community. He performed with several community groups throughout the Southern California area, including guest conducting appearances with the Pomona Concert Band. Following his graduation from Redlands, he was appointed the Associate Director of the Riverside Concert Band, the country’s longest-running volunteer band. After debuting with the Aiken Symphony last season, Austin is excited to continue bringing his passion for music to the Aiken community.