HARRY MARENSTEIN, MUSIC DIRECTOR and CONDUCTOR
Harry J. Marenstein began his affiliation with the North Shore Symphony Orchestra (NSSO) in 2016 as Principal Guest Conductor and was named Music Director in 2018. 

In that time, NSSO has expanded its concert season to five concerts annually to include pops repertoire, and annual collaborations with youth music groups and Spot-On Entertainment. Guest artists welcomed to the stage during Mr. Marenstein’s tenure include Erik Ralske (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra), David Grossman (New York Philharmonic), prize-winning violinist Sarah Ma, and Grammy-nominated jazz harpist Brandee Younger.

Since becoming Music Director, Mr. Marenstein has also led numerous NSSO audiences through “Guided Tours” of great orchestral works, including Wagner’s prelude to “Tannhäuser”, Smetana’s “Vltava”, and Beethoven’s Symphony no. 5. An advocate for all periods of music, particularly that of living composers, Mr. Marenstein has led performances and premieres of works by Hilary Purrington, Beata Moon, James Barry, Conrad Pope, and Peter Gilbert, to name a few. From 2016-2022, Mr. Marenstein was the conductor of the Youth Symphony of the Gemini Youth Orchestras, leading them in performances at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, and the Five Towns College Performing Arts Center.

Mr. Marenstein attended the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he was a student of Carl Topilow and Louis Lane, earning the Master of Music degree in orchestral conducting, and continued his studies with Harold Farberman and Gustav Meier. He received the Bachelor of Arts degree in violin performance from the State University of New York at Geneseo, where he studied with Richard Balkin. He has conducted numerous ensembles both in and outside of the United States, including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pleven Symphony, the New Symphony Orchestra (Sofia), the Lautremont Festival Orchestra, Anti-Social Music, Reizen Ensemble, and the Musica Bella Orchestra of New York. Mr. Marenstein joined the faculty of Nassau Community College (SUNY) in 2005, where he teaches in the music program, holding the rank of Professor. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children.