Conductor
Bio
Danko Druško is a California-based conductor and educator, widely recognized for his dynamic artistry and dedication to music education. Born in Germany to Croatian immigrant parents, he is a first-generation college graduate. He currently serves as Director of Orchestral Studies at Chapman University’s Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music and as Principal Conductor of the LA Soundscape Orchestra, which specializes in studio recordings for film, gaming, and virtual reality scoring. Druško frequently collaborates with the Los Angeles Philharmonic as a guest cover conductor at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and The Ford. As Artistic Director of the California Orchestra Academy, he provides high-level pre-professional training to young musicians, ensuring accessibility regardless of economic background.
Druško has conducted orchestras including Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Metropolitan Orchestra Lisbon, Rochester Philharmonic, Budapest Operetta, Frankfurt Opera, and Royal Opera Belgium. He has collaborated with a distinguished roster of conductors, including Simone Young, Philippe Jordan, Thomas Wilkins, Sarah Hicks, David Newman, Louis Langrée, and Gustavo Dudamel, as well as renowned artists such as Joshua Bell, Alison Balsom, Nicola Benedetti, Lisa Batiashvili, Lukáš Vondráček, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Ledisi, Café Tacvba, Beck, Harry Connick Jr., and Earth, Wind & Fire. His performances span a wide range of styles—from classical and rock to movies in concert, including Jaws, Home Alone, The Little Mermaid, Star Wars: A New Hope, and more.
A recipient of numerous prizes in Germany, Druško was awarded the Friedrichshafen City Art Award (Künstlerförderpreis) in 2014, a biennial honor recognizing promising artists who advance regional culture. He also received the Conducting Prize of Lake Constance in 2012 and was named a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in 2011. Before embarking on his conducting career, Druško performed as a professional trumpet player and tenor with symphonies and opera houses across Germany.
In addition to his conducting work, Druško partnered with LA-based artist Frances Stark and legendary producer H.B. Barnum to reimagine Mozart’s The Magic Flute for youth wind soloists and string orchestra. The project, commissioned for the Absolut Art Award, was recorded in Hollywood and premiered at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) before touring major museums such as MoMA and the Smithsonian.
Praised as a "miracle worker" by Peninsula Reviews, Druško is a passionate advocate for community engagement through music. He champions the performance of regional and traditional music to unite audiences of diverse backgrounds. He also founded the Hoosier Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir, assembling over 250 musicians for an inaugural performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2.
Druško has been invited to some of the most competitive international conducting competitions, each drawing hundreds of applicants from across the globe. He advanced to the final stages at events such as the Sir Georg Solti Conducting Competition with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony and the Frankfurter Opern- und Museumsorchester, the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Kálmán Imre International Conducting Competition with the Budapest Operetta Theatre, the International Opera Conductors’ Competition Polycarpe with the Royal Opera of Wallonia, and the Jovens Maestros Conductors’ Competition with the Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa.
Druško holds advanced conducting degrees from the IU Jacobs School of Music and the Eastman School of Music. His most influential mentors include Cliff Colnot, Arthur Fagen, David Effron, Manfred Schreier, and Hanspeter Gmür. He also earned dual Staatsexamen degrees in Music Education and English Literature/Linguistics from the University of Music Trossingen and the University of Konstanz.
Previous academic appointments include serving as Director of Orchestra and Opera at Northern Illinois University’s School of Music and as Associate Instructor with the world’s largest university opera program, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Opera and Ballet Theater. Druško has also taught at the University of Guelph in Canada and passed the highly competitive physical aptitude test to study sport science in Germany. An avid outdoorsman, he draws creative inspiration from nature. He lives in Orange County with his wife, Ameena Khawaja, Vice President of Education and Community Engagement (Pacific Symphony), and their two sons.
More
International Conducting Workshop with Maestro Druško
Frances Stark's The Magic Flute (orchestrated by Danko Druško)
Mahler 2 pre-concert lecture with The Cleveland Orchestra
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