Meet Sergey Bogza
“I am honored to welcome you to one of the most fascinating seasons of the Panama City Symphony Orchestra. Our first year together was full of thrilling momentum! The orchestra is positioned to reach new artistic peaks, grow audiences and connect with even more people through our education programs. Whether you’ve been a patron for years or have recently discovered PCSO, there has never been a more exciting time to be a part of the symphonic community.
“Anticipating the 2023-2024 season, I felt compelled to program events that would reflect our extraordinary orchestra and the expanding musical tastes of our audiences. The Symphony has invited world-class artists for each regular season concert, expanded the holiday concerts calendar, and selected works that truly showcase and challenge the orchestra. Additionally, the Symphony in the City series will continue its mission of featuring chamber ensembles and solo musicians. Further, we’re eager to expand upon our commitment to music education and initiate a new series of programs specifically tailored for each student age group.
“We invite you to peruse our season and learn all that the Symphony offers. I am optimistic about the future of live music and feel that the orchestra is one of the most extraordinary performing entities ever created. Join us for the next chapter of sharing exceptional music and elevating the quality of life in Panama City and Florida’s Panhandle.”
Described as “a charismatic conductor whose passion radiates from the podium” (The Virginian-Pilot), conductor Sergey Bogza is known for his unique approach to working with orchestras and engaging audiences on and off the podium. In his second year as the Music Director and Conductor of the Panama City Symphony, he leads both the subscription series and holiday season concerts, curates a monthly chamber series known as Symphony in the City, and serves as Director of Music Education. In 2024, he will make his professional debut with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and the Alabama Ballet, leading four performances of Giselle.
Equally comfortable leading productions of opera, ballet, and concert repertoire, Bogza’s energy and artistic integrity are highly regarded by audiences and musicians alike. He has been awarded top prizes at international conducting competitions and is an active composer of symphonic and chamber music. Combining the roles of a conductor and composer, the premieres of his works are enthusiastically received by audiences and musical ensembles across the United States and Europe.
In March of 2016, Bogza became the Music Director and Conductor of the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra and has since accomplished consecutive seasons of increased subscription ticket sales, donor engagement, and audience growth. Bogza has been praised for his thoughtful approach to programming, collaborations, and entertaining and engaging pre-concert talks, and is widely credited with fostering the orchestra’s exceptional artistic growth.
As a guest conductor, Bogza cultivates a burgeoning international presence that has brought him engagements in the USA and Europe with orchestras, ballet companies, and festivals. He has guest conducted musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra, Virginia Beach Symphony, Pazardzhik Symphony Orchestra, Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, Auburn Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, and Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra. Bogza also served as an assistant conductor for Joffrey Ballet’s 100-year anniversary production of The Rite of Spring, and the University of Minnesota’s Benjamin Britten’s Peace Project, which combined the musical talents of students from North America and Germany, culminating in the critically acclaimed performances of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem in the USA and abroad. For three consecutive summers, he was selected to conduct public concerts of the B-Minor Mass, St. Matthew Passion, and the Christmas Oratorio at the Oregon Bach Festival.
Bogza is responsible for a number of successful collaborations and is regarded for his sensitive approach. In 2017, he engaged an award-winning choreographer Roger Van Fleteren to present an abridged version of Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet and the fruitful relationship led to future projects with The Alabama Ballet. That same year, Bogza conducted two sold-out performances of The Moscow Ballet’s The Great Russian Nutcracker, a production that included the company’s professional dancers, 120 community dancers, and a local children’s chorus. In 2018, in collaboration with Millikin University’s School of Theatre and Dance, Bogza led three sold-out performances of The Phantom of the Opera and productions of Pirates of Penzance, Menotti’s The Medium, and Barber’s A Hand of Bridge. At the University of Minnesota, he led the workshop premiere of two operas, Sister Carrie and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, by Grammy-winning composer Robert Aldridge and assisted with productions of Così fan tutte, Falstaff, and Bartered Bride, among others.
Off the podium, Bogza is an endurance athlete who regularly competes in ultra-marathons and long-distance bike rides. Having won gold medals and finished over a dozen races, his future aspirations include competing for The Triple Crown (three consecutive 200-mile races) in 2023, and Badwater 135 in 2024. Bogza trains with his two Belgian Malinois dogs, Samson and Stella, and is an avid chef of Slavic cuisine.
Bogza was born in Russia into a Russian-Ukrainian family and emigrated to the United States in 1995. He has earned a Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting from Central Washington University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Minnesota.