Biography

Elias Salazar is a distinguished Venezuelan American conductor residing in Nashville, Tennessee. Known for his "precision, clarity, energy, and passion" on the podium, he has significantly impacted the Nashville music community for over a decade. Salazar is currently the Founding Music Director of the Nashville Civic Orchestra, a new symphony orchestra project in Nashville which will focus on music education initiatives as well as serving emerging artists and living composers. The orchestra is expected to hold its inaugural concert in fall of 2026.

Salazar recently served a five-season tenure as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Trevecca Symphony Orchestra and a season as Music Director of the Belmont University Opera. ​During his time with the Trevecca Symphony, Salazar led initiatives to create exciting concert experiences both for the audience and the orchestra's members by programming orchestral masterworks with contemporary works and music from all around the world. Elias made it a priority to modernize the orchestra and to expand its reach by enhancing its community presence and education efforts. Salazar began the symphony's first composition competition and began the orchestra's first series of pre-concert talks where audience members got to hear from composers and soloists and gain valuable insight into the works they were about to hear and about the orchestra's preparation process.

In 2024, Salazar completed a 10-year tenure as the Director of Choral and Orchestral Music at Ensworth School, where he also founded and directed the School of Music. In this role, he directed two vocal groups and the orchestra, developed and taught various academic music courses, and served as the music director for all of the musical theater productions. Salazar also created and led summer intensives in vocal arts and songwriting. His innovative approach and philosophy have enhanced the school’s music program significantly and have developed an internationally recognized music program which blends contemporary and traditional music across the curriculum. 

Salazar’s professional affiliations include serving as the Contemporary Music Chair on the board of the Tennessee American Choral Directors Association, as a member of the Board of Directors for the Gateway Chamber Orchestra, and as a member of the Leadership and Action Council for the Nashville Singers. Elias currently serves on the board of the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra.

Salazar’s conducting experience further includes a two-season tenure as Conducting Fellow with the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra under Dr. Christopher Norton, a season as Interim Music Director for the Music City Youth Orchestra, and numerous guest conducting engagements with groups such as the Tennessee Philharmonic Orchestra, the Nashville Cinematic Symphony, various university ensembles, the K-Love Fan Awards, and for several independent short films. In 2014, Salazar founded the Nashville Collegiate Orchestra and led the group as Founding Artistic Director until 2020.

Beyond his orchestral conducting roles, Elias is a professional trumpet player and performs as a vocalist with the acclaimed Portara Ensemble - featured at the 2017, 2018, and 2023 CMA Awards and the 2018 CMA Country Christmas program. He also currently serves as Associate Music Director and Choir Director of The Village Chapel.

A distinguished graduate of Belmont University, Salazar double-majored in Music Education with choral and instrumental emphases and in Classical Performance with a trumpet emphasis. He has  studied conducting under Drs. Jeffery Ames, Robert Gregg, Barry Kraus, and Jane Warren, and trumpet under Dr. Joel Treybig. 

A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Elias has a profound love for Latin American music and hopes to continue to bring attention to the rich and exciting music that comes from his homeland. Among several initiatives to this end in his orchestral and choral conducting roles, Salazar was also the lead trumpet player and vocalist for the Nashville Salsa Collective, an 8-piece Latin band, from 2014 to 2016.

Driven by a passion for education, community, and conducting, Salazar strives for excellence and joy in his technique, preparation, interpretation, and performances. His dream is to lead world-class ensembles unwaveringly into their communities and to inspire audiences worldwide through exhilarating and unforgettable performances.