Pola Benke
Music Director Finalist & An Eclectic Night Concert Guest Conductor
Pola Benke is a distinguished conductor and cellist, currently serving as Assistant Conductor for the Long Beach Symphony and the Riverside Philharmonic. Born in Poland, her early immersion in music led her to pursue a Master’s degree in cello performance and later in orchestral conducting, shaping her dynamic artistic vision.
Pola’s career has been marked by significant opportunities, including participation in prestigious programs with Maestro Neeme Järvi and the Järvi Academy in Estonia. Known for her precise and emotionally compelling leadership, she brings a unique perspective to her work, combining her deep understanding of musical performance with her conducting expertise.
A passionate advocate for contemporary music, Pola frequently collaborates with living composers and promotes their work. She currently resides in Redondo Beach with her husband and their dog, Bobby.
For more information, please visit www.polabenke.com
Charles Dickerson
MLK Concert Guest Conductor
Charles “Chuck” Dickerson is the Founder, Executive Director, and Conductor of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles. Over his 40-plus years of conducting, he has directed performances of many of the greatest orchestral and choral works throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Chuck also holds important compositional and arranging credits. His best-known work is “I Have A Dream,” a choral and orchestral setting of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s landmark speech. The work was performed for the unveiling ceremonies of the King Memorial on the National Mall in Washington DC, and at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles for Los Angeles County’s official celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the speech.
Chuck holds a Master of Music Degree from California State University, Los Angeles, and degrees from Howard University (B.S.) and American University (J.D.). He serves as Director of Music at Rolling Hills United Methodist Church and as adjunct faculty at Cal State Dominguez Hills and La Sierra University.
Chuck is married, has two adult children, and is an avid baseball fan.
Danko Druško
Music Director Finalist & Galactic Horizons Concert Guest Conductor
Danko Druško is an award-winning conductor and educator born to Croatian immigrants in Germany. He frequently serves as a guest conductor and cover conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Druško is the Director of Orchestral Studies at Chapman University and the Artistic Director of the California Orchestra Academy, a program designed to provide high-level, pre-professional experiences for young musicians, regardless of their economic background. He has collaborated with a wide range of artists across genres, including Alison Balsom, Beck, Nicola Benedetti, Harry Connick Jr., and Gustavo Dudamel.
Druško holds a Doctor of Music degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He received his Master’s Degree in orchestral conducting from the Eastman School of Music and holds Staatsexamen degrees from both the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Trossingen, Germany (Music Education) and the University of Konstanz (English Literature & Linguistics). Druško is an avid outdoorsman and finds inspiration for his music in nature. He is married to cellist and arts executive Ameena Khawaja.
For more information, please visit www.dankodrusko.com.
Maxim Eshkenazy
Music Director Finalist & Titan Concert Guest Conductor
Based in Los Angeles, Maxim Eshkenazy is currently the principal guest conductor of the Sofia Philharmonic, the leading orchestra of his native Bulgaria. He is also a permanent fixture with Britain’s Classic FM Radio Orchestra. He has concertized with numerous American orchestras, including the Atlanta Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Chautauqua Symphony, Pacific Symphony, and New West Symphony.
Eshkenazy is a champion of Bulgaria’s Fortissimo Fest, a summer open-air classical music festival, as well as Fortissimo in Class and Fortissimo Family, which bring enriching music programs into classrooms and educational concerts to audiences of all ages. Maxim is a passionate educator and is currently the Music Director and Conductor of the Colburn Sinfonietta, Colburn Chamber Orchestra, and Colburn Youth Orchestra at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.
Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, to a family of musicians, Eshkenazy took up the violin at age five and continued his studies at the L. Pipkov National Music School and the P. Vladigerov National Music Academy in Sofia. At the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, he completed two Master’s degrees in Violin Performance and Orchestral Conducting. In his free time, he enjoys scuba diving and paragliding.
Geoffrey Pope
Music Director Finalist & Legends and Legacies Concert Guest Conductor
Recognized as both a conductor and composer, Geoffrey Pope’s career spans continents, genres, and musical disciplines.
Pope is active within the contemporary music, opera, and multimedia spheres, with conducting and recording projects including art installations and film scores in addition to traditional concert programs.
Pope is dedicated to musical performance on a global scale, and is a regular conductor of concert and media music in the studios of Hollywood and Budapest. As a forensic musicologist, industry consultant, and researcher, he has also worked nearly a decade on behalf of composers, producers, and attorneys.
Dr. Pope’s degrees in composition and conducting were completed at USC, UCLA, and the Eastman School of Music, where he was awarded the prestigious Walter Hagen Conducting Prize. His scholarly interests include Viennese music of the early twentieth century, and the role of diegetic music in the evolution of sonic spatialization.
Pope is on the faculty of the University of California, Irvine and conductor of the UC Irvine Symphony and Opera. He also serves as Music Director of the Beach Cities Symphony in Torrance.
For more information, please visit www.geoffreypopemusic.com.
Gary Pratt
MLK Concert Guest Conductor
The Santa Monica Symphony welcomes the return of Gary Pratt for his fourth season as guest conductor of the annual MLK Holiday concert. With his deep commitment to musical excellence, Maestro Pratt is a revered figure who infuses the MLK Holiday concert with the spirit of unity and diversity.
Mr. Pratt has led a distinguished career as a music educator, performer, conductor, adjudicator, and arranger. Upon his retirement, he became an Emeritus Professor of Music at California State University, Northridge, where he served as chairman of the CSU Northridge Wind Area, Director of Orchestras, and Director of Jazz Studies. His guest conducting engagements have included performances in both Europe and Japan, and his noted versatility as a music educator has made him a highly sought-after clinician and guest conductor of jazz ensembles, orchestras, and concert bands.
Mr. Pratt was awarded the California Music Educators Association (CMEA) Jazz Educator Award (2015) and was inducted into the California Alliance for Jazz (CAJ) Hall of Fame (2018).