About the Director
Mr. Elliott Lentz
As a conductor in both the orchestral and wind band worlds, Indianapolis resident Elliott Lentz is a dynamic musician and strong advocate for arts education. Currently serving as Artistic Director & Conductor for the Circle City Orchestra, he is also Director of Orchestras at North Central High School, Conductor-in-Residence with Sound Ecologies, & Head Clinician for the Smith Walbridge Student Conducting Clinic. In addition to his various roles, Elliott likewise maintains an active freelance conductor, adjudicator, & clinician schedule.
During his 4 years with the Circle City Orchestra, ensemble membership has continued to grow exponentially. Local collaborative performances have included Ballet INitiative, the Circle City Chamber Choir, and Sound Ecologies in addition to hosting multiple local concerto soloists. The CCO also performed by invitation at the inaugural “Symphony on the Circle Festival” hosted by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Since the organization’s inception, they have premiered 6 new works for String Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, and Symphonic Orchestra. Elliott routinely makes appearances on both television and radio programs to feature and promote the organization.
Lentz’s ensembles at North Central have earned numerous accolades and “With Distinction” Honors. In 2023 the Chamber Orchestra was invited to perform at the Indiana Music Education Association State Professional Development Conference. His conducting experience extends in this role to also include leading live stage productions as Pit Orchestra Conductor for The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia!, and Sister Act and assisting with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Frozen. In the fall of 2025 he will return to the pit to conduct Freaky Friday with the North Central Performing Arts Department. As a strong advocate for arts education he has given multiple professional development presentations covering such topics as “Introduction to String Players on Teaching Jazz”, “The Chosen Ones: Hoth Topics in Music Selection”, and “Getting the Gig: Tips to Help You Stand Out as the Ideal Candidate for the Job”.
In his role with Sound Ecologies thus far, he has premiered 18 new works by local composers and has 3 upcoming performances with the organization to conclude the 2025 season; “Chamber Orchestra Summer”, “Levitt Vibe Community Concert Series”, and “OrchestraMania II”.
In the 2023 - 2024 season he was named as a Finalist with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra of Indiana conducting his concert cycle “Outside the Box” & Semi-Finalist for the positions of Music Director/Conductor with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra. Additional guest conducting and collaboration opportunities have included the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and the Indiana Bandmasters Association All-Region & All-District Honor Bands. Symposium participation has included the Conductors Retreat at Medomak, University of Colorado - Boulder, University of Illinois, University of Indianapolis, and University of Missouri - Kansas City. Lentz was recently selected as 1 of 5 finalists to conduct & perform with the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” in the 10th Annual Army Band Workshop & Concert in July of 2025.
Elliott completed his Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Ball State University where he studied Trumpet with the late Professor Paul Everett and Conducting with Dr. Thomas Caneva. Outside of the rehearsal hall, he loves spending time with his wife, Amy, and their rescue Bernese Mountain Dog, Augie.