Abbie Eads

A “versatile and passionate musician”, Abbie Eads captivates audiences on stages throughout the country as both conductor and cellist. Currently Conductor-in-Residence of the NW Edvard Grieg Society, Abbie “brings out the best from all those under her baton” and “is clearly passionate in communicating the intention of the composer.” Known for being “perfectly supportive” and “a true collaborator”, Abbie has garnered the respect of conductors, singers, and instrumentalists throughout the world.

This 2023-24 season she will be conducting and performing cello in collaboration with various ensembles including the Minot Symphony Orchestra, Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra, Bemidji Symphony Orchestra, Western Plains Opera, Minot Chamber Chorale, Dakota Pro Musica, and the Northwest Edvard Grieg Society. Her current work as Development Officer for the Minot State University Foundation provides her a unique opportunity to inspire more people to become supporters of the arts.
 
Previously Abbie was the Director of Music and Liturgy at Seattle’s Our Lady of the Lake Parish and Director of Orchestras and Adjunct Professor at Pierce College in Puyallup, WA. During her studies in Seattle, she was conductor of the University of Washington Campus Philharmonia Orchestras and Assistant Conductor of the University of Washington Symphony Orchestra as Graduate Assistant.
​
Eads holds a Master’s Degree in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Washington under the tutelage of Seattle Symphony Conductor Emeritus Ludovic Morlot and David A. Rahbee. Abbie received a Bachelor of Arts in Music at Minot State University where she studied cello with Erik Anderson. As a cellist, Eads was a soloist with the Minot Symphony Orchestra as the winner of their 2014 MSO Concerto Competition. She has also been accepted to perform and study at numerous music festivals across the country, including the International Conducting Workshop & Festival (Bulgaria & Ukraine), the Catskill High Peaks Festival (New York) led by Yehuda Hanani and the Pierre Monteux Festival Orchestra (Maine).