The RI Phil Announces Troy Quinn as Principal Pops Conductor

The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School (RI Phil) is pleased to announce the appointment of Emmy-nominated conductor Troy Quinn as Principal Pops Conductor for a five-year term, effective immediately.

Quinn’s appointment comes at the conclusion of his sixth season of Summer Pops with the RI Phil, which wraps up this coming Saturday, September 5th at Independence Park in Bristol. Since 2021, Quinn’s programming for Summer Pops has generated record-setting audiences. He has also led the RI Phil in performances at PPAC and The VETS with many exciting popular artists including Nas, The Indigo Girls, Sutton Foster, Cypress Hill and Tower of Power. 

“We are excited to formally welcome Troy Quinn to the artistic team as Principal Pops Conductor” said David Beauchesne, Executive Director of the RI Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School. “We’ve worked together for six remarkable years and are thrilled to make this appointment as we solidify our artistic team under the leadership of Music Director Ruth Reinhardt.” Since Reinhardt was announced as Music Director, the RI Phil has also formally appointed Robert Spano as Principal Guest Conductor and, most recently, Eric Nathan as Composer in Residence. 

In this titled role, Quinn will continue to lead the RI Phil’s Summer Pops series and will conduct popular artist concerts at PPAC and The VETS. Quinn and the RI Phil also hope to explore a home-grown Pops Series, as well as expand on the Orchestra’s occasional movies and film concerts.

A native of Connecticut, Quinn grew up listening to the RI Philharmonic Orchestra. While attending Providence College, he sang with the Orchestra as a member of the Providence Singers. “The Rhode Island Philharmonic holds a special place in my heart, where I began my musical journey and fell in love with symphonic music,” said Troy Quinn. “I am thrilled to continue our work together and serve as the Principal Pops Conductor of this beloved orchestra.”

Be there on Saturday, September 5th at Independence Park in Bristol when Troy and the RI Phil present the final Summer Pops concert of the 2026 season, Outstanding Overtures: Favorites from Theater, Film & Classical Music! Visit riphil.org/summer-pops or call 401.248.7000 for more information.

Visit riphil.org for information on future performances, subscription information and to learn more about the RI Phil Music School.

About Troy Quinn

Over the last decade, Quinn has established himself as one of his generation’s most versatile conductors. Lauded for his energetic and riveting conducting, charismatic stage presence, and genre-defying programs, Quinn is in his tenth season as Music Director of the Owensboro Symphony in Kentucky. He is also in his ninth season as Music Director of the Venice Symphony in Florida and serves as Pops Conductor of the Santa Rosa Symphony in California. Quinn’s engagements have included performances with many prestigious orchestras in the United States, including the Boston Pops, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.

Equally at home in the pops and commercial world, Quinn has performed and recorded with some of the most popular artists of our time, including The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Barry Manilow, Lee Greenwood, Josh Groban, Jennifer Hudson, Michael Feinstein, Sutton Foster, Tower of Power, Rockapella, Cypress Hill, The Indigo Girls, and Nas. As an accomplished vocalist, Quinn has also collaborated with such renowned composers as Alan Menken, Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, and Alexandre Desplat while performing under prominent maestros, including Helmuth Rilling, Larry Rachleff, Carl St. Clair and Dan Saunders of the Metropolitan Opera. In addition to his concert work, Quinn has worked extensively in the television and recording industry, earning an Emmy nomination for the PBS special A Night at the Oscars with the Owensboro Symphony. He has made appearances on such hit television shows as Fox’s GLEE, NBC’s The Voice, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno while recording on films like The Call of the Wild and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. He has also appeared at many of the world’s major music centers and at such famed venues as the Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Tanglewood.

A native of Connecticut, Quinn pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree from Providence College where he was the recipient of the Leo S. Cannon award for superior achievement in the music field. He went on to earn his master’s degree with honors from the Manhattan School of Music, studying conducting with David Gilbert and voice with highly acclaimed Metropolitan Opera singer Mark Oswald. He completed his doctorate in conducting at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where he studied with Larry Livingston and Jo-Michael Scheibe and was named the outstanding doctoral graduate of his class. Quinn has participated in numerous masterclasses as a conducting fellow, attending conducting institutes at the Royal Academy of Music, Eastman School of Music, and Bard Conservatory of Music. He has been mentored by such renowned conductors as Benjamin Zander and Neil Varon. Quinn serves on the conducting faculty at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music and has previously served as a faculty member at Providence College, where he was also awarded an honorary doctorate.