Juan Sebastian Fernandez first became interested in orchestral conduction while a student at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, where he studied Piano and Orchestra Conducting under the tutelage of Bradford Chase. He continued his studies in Orchestral Conducting with with Laura Joella at Florida Atlantic University, while pursuing a major in Piano Performance. 

Mr. Fernandez currently serves as the String Orchestra Director and Piano Instructor at Dillard Center for the Arts. He has previously served as a conductor for the Florida Youth Symphony. His students have achieved numerous awards in contests and assessments at the district, state and national levels. Within the past three years, his orchestra students have had the opportunity to participate in masterclasses and perform alongside Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Nicola Benedetti, Suliman Tekalli, and American hip hop duo Black Violin. 

His conducting commitments have forged collaborations with Broward Performing Arts Center, Sunrise Civic Center Theater and Art Gallery, Broward County All-County Orchestra, Florida Orchestra Association, among others. Mr. Fernandez has also directed the play “Amadeus” by Peter Shaffer, as well as musicals “Aida” by Elton John and “The Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” by Steven Sondheim.

Today, in reaction to the decline of public schools’ string orchestra programs, Mr. Fernandez is currently building a self-sustainable system to maximize participation amongst magnet and non-magnet students alike.