Tamara comes to Georgia State University with an impressive background working with professional, collegiate and youth orchestras. Professionally, she has conducted the Paris Mozart Orchestra, Boston Pops, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, Amarillo Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Mankato Symphony. She was recently appointed the new Artistic Director & Conductor of the Georgia Philharmonic. Dworetz has also worked with world-class orchestras and conductors in Europe as Assistant Conductor – Orchestre de Paris with Klaus Mäkelä, Gürzenich Orchestre Cologne with François-Xavier Roth and the BBC Concert Orchestra with her late mentor, Bramwell Tovey. As an opera conductor, she has led the Dallas Opera Orchestra and served as Assistant Conductor for Indianapolis, Atlanta and Butler Center Operas.
Dr. Dworetz’s musical beginnings took place in the Atlanta public school system. After graduating from North Springs HS in Fulton County, Dr. Dworetz was Assistant Band Director at Alpharetta High School before serving as Director of Orchestras at Lakeside High School in Atlanta where she increased enrollment by 50% over 3 years. In addition to her public school teaching, she has guest-conducted the TMEA (Texas) All-State Philharmonic Orchestra, All-Northwest Honors Orchestra (students from 6 states), and will lead the 2024 Colorado All-State Symphony Orchestra and Georgia 11-12 All-State String Orchestra. She has also worked extensively with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, Austin Youth Orchestra and Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. Last summer she served as an Assistant Conductor with the Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra 2 (NYO2) which performed at Carnegie Hall and their first-ever tour (Dominican Republic); this summer she will return as a Resident Conductor, helping prepare both the NYO and NYO2 orchestras, and traveling with Marin Alsop and NYO on their South American tour. At the National Conference of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) she will serve as guest conductor for the National Teachers’ Orchestra in their partnership with the New Canon Project.
Dr. Dworetz was recently selected as 1 of 14 candidates from a worldwide pool in the 2022 La Maestra Conducting Competition and Academy for Women Conductors in Paris, France. She was the only US-born conductor selected for the competition and earned a spot as one of 6 semi-finalists. ‘Maestra’, a documentary directed by Maggie Contreras, features 5 conductors from the competition, including Tamara, and was premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and highlighted on CBS National News as well as international film festivals.
Prior to her appointment at Georgia State, Dr. Dworetz served as the Music Director of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY) Orchestra and Concert Choir. She has led guest conducting residencies at the University of Texas at Austin, Boston University, SUNY Fredonia School of Music & Longy Conservatory at Bard College.
Dr. Dworetz holds degrees from Indiana University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Georgia and Boston University.