Geoffrey Pope

Dr. Geoffrey Pope is director of orchestral studies and an assistant professor of teaching at UC Irvine. His professional career spans continents, genres and musical disciplines. Recognized through numerous appointments, commissions and awards as a conductor and composer, Pope seeks to present provocative, inclusive and engaging performances that have a strong cultural impact.

Much of his conducting work builds upon the standard repertoire, while exploring contemporary music, opera and multimedia spheres, including art installations and film scores. Recent highlights include the Los Angeles premiere of John Williams’ Prelude and Scherzo, a piano concerto written for Gloria Cheng and Lang Lang, with Cheng performing alongside the Santa Monica Symphony. In fall 2024, he released recordings of several new works, including Noah Meites’ Counting and Corey Field’s The Trial of Benjamin Britten, a monodrama in nine scenes featuring tenor Todd Strange and hornist Dylan Hart. Other recent performances include UC Irvine’s acclaimed production of Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, directed by Andreas Mitisek, as well as masterworks concerts with the Beach Cities Symphony, where he was music director and conductor from 2020 to 2025. He also continues to serve as a featured lecturer with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, presenting numerous pre-concert Upbeat Live talks.

Other recent work includes Puccini’s La Bohème with Valley Opera and Performing Arts; a live-to-film performance of Kathryn Bostic’s score to The Flying Ace (1927) at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in celebration of early Black cinema; the premiere of David Reyes’ Aztec opera El Circo Anahuac; the premiere of Jason Barabba’s Lettere da Triggiano with Synchromy and members of the Los Angeles Master Chorale; a multimedia concert of Osvaldo Golijov’s Ayre at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles; and John Adams’ Son of Chamber Symphony at UCLA’s Inside the (G)Earbox: John Adams @ 70 symposium. Earlier work includes Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia for the worldwide Britten Centenary celebrations, praised for its “energy and flair” (Boston Classical Review), as well as Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire throughout the Denver area. His concert music recordings appear on the Open Space, Orenda Records and Perspectives on New Music labels.

Pope is also active internationally, regularly conducting concert and media music in Hollywood and Budapest recording studios. Recent projects include scores for Netflix, Apple, Amazon and independent studios worldwide. In 2024 he served as music director and conductor of Music in Light, an immersive multimedia installation in Macau, and in 2023 conducted the orchestra and choir for the St. Stephen’s Day fireworks display in Budapest, a televised event akin to America’s Independence Day. His conducting and orchestration work can also be heard on film, television and video game scores, including League of Legends, The Woman King and the Emmy-winning score to Kung Fu Panda on Netflix. As a forensic musicologist and consultant, he has worked for nearly a decade on behalf of composers, studios, music supervisors and attorneys through his company, Musical Problem-Solver LLC.

Pope earned degrees in composition and conducting from USC, UCLA and the Eastman School of Music, where he received the Walter Hagen Conducting Prize. While completing his doctorate at UCLA, he presented symphonic programs exploring connections between Richard Wagner and Bernard Herrmann. His research interests include Viennese music of the early 20th century and the role of diegetic music in the evolution of sonic spatialization. His dissertation, which addressed the evolving role of Bühnenmusik (onstage instrumental music) in German opera, was used by Vienna State Opera musicians in a petition to designate Bühnenmusik as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Before his full-time appointment, Pope served as a lecturer at UCI from 2022 to 2025, conducting the orchestra and opera and teaching orchestration and conducting. He was also a guest lecturer at Chapman University, California State University, Long Beach and the University of Miami. He currently serves as president of the Western Region of the College Orchestra Directors Association.

More information: www.geoffreypopemusic.com