Argentinian-Mexican conductor Alex Amsel is quickly establishing himself as a dynamic presence on both orchestral and operatic stages. Currently Amsel serves as Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, having made his debut with the orchestra in a sold-out program he curated, as part of their experimental Proof Series. In the coming season 2026/27 he will move on to the position of Associate Conductor at the request of the orchestra.
Praised by the Chicago Classical Review for “a vibrant and textured account maintaining superb balance … punctuating a dynamic performance” Amsel also gained international recognition through a televised performance at the George Enescu Competition in Romania, leading to invitations with the Camerata Regală, Romanian Yourth Orchestra and Arad Filarmonica. He is making his Argentinian debut with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Entre Ríos in April 2026 and will return to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra in the summer. Future engagements will see Amsel opening the 2026-27 season of the Utah Opera conducting Armienta`s Zorro as well as a return to the George Enescu Festival.
Amsel will also be back with The Phoenix Symphony where he concluded two acclaimed seasons as The Phoenix Symphony’s Associate Conductor. Driven by a belief in music`s transformative power, he works to integrate music into the fabric of each community he serves. He launched the orchestra’s Chamber Orchestra Series, Family Series and Casual Friday Night concert discussions as well as the Student Composition Project – a first-of-its-kind program in wich composers ages 18 and under worked directly with Amsel on original compositions, culminating in world premiere performances by The Phoenix Symphony. He also served on the orchestra’s Artistic Advisory Committee and Patron Experience Taskforce, and he was elected co-chair of the Young Professionals Board.
Currently Amsel also serves as cover conducor for Cristian Măcelaru for projects at the Orchestre National de France and has covered conductors with the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Czech Philharmonic, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, and Baltimore Symphony.
He has been the Resident Conductor at Houston Grand Opera for the 2022–23 season, conducting Verdi’s La traviata and the world premiere of Jeremy Howard Beck’s Another City while also being the rehearsal conductor for productions including Mozart`s Le nozze di Figaro and Ethel Smyth`s The Wreckers. He held the John L. Magro Chair of Resident conductor at the Cincinnati Opera, and has conducted Massenet`s Cendrillon at the University of North Texas and Donizetti`s Lèlisir d`amore and Massenet`s Chérubin at the Peabody Conservatory.
An advocate for living composers, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, Amsel champions works by Gabriela Lena Frank, Carlos Simon, Jessie Montgomery, Eleanor Alberga, Victor Agudelo, and Carlos Zamora, among others. He was selected as an associate at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music under Cristian Măcelaru and has led recording sessions of world premieres at the Peabody Conservatory and Rice University's Shepherd School of Music.
Amsel spent three seasons as Conducting Fellow and Assistant Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and was selected for the Aspen Conducting Academy for two consequive years, and returned in 2022 as faculty and Assistant Conductor. He has led the orchestras at the Aspen Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, Round Top Music Festival and the Philadelphia International Music Festival. Amsel completed his graduate studies under Marin Alsop at the Peabody Conservatory, serving as her graduate assistant while earning his master's in orchestral conducting. He has worked closely with Larry Rachleff, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and Tito Muñoz, Robert Spano, Patrick Summers, and has participated in masterclasses with Hannu Lintu, David Zinman, Hugh Wolff, David Effron, and Nicholas McGegan. He holds additional degrees from the New England Conservatory and The University of Texas at Austin.
During his free time, Amsel is a wine, biking, architecture, and Golden Retriever aficionado.