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Dr. Patrick Reynolds is a Professor Emeritus of Music in his 30th year on the faculty at the University of Dayton, returning in 2025-26 as an adjunct member of the faculty. His career as a conductor has been enhanced by the variety and range of his experience, including youth, professional, academic and community orchestras. He is a widely respected conductor and music educator, recognized particularly for his sustained record of community-engaged outreach and collaboration. At the University of Dayton, he has taught courses in fundamental and advanced instrumental conducting, and continues to lead the University Orchestra and Symphonic Wind Ensemble. In these ensembles, both of which comprise a broad spectrum of academic majors, he fosters positive and mentoring relationships, inspiring a love for music not only in future music professionals but also in future engineers, scientists, educators, healthcare professionals, business leaders and more. Dr. Reynolds favors a collaborative approach in rehearsal, emphasizing leadership shared with the musicians rather than the more traditional conductor-centric approach, nurturing a sense of individual responsibility and developing trust and leadership from within the ensemble. In 2020 Dr. Reynolds received the University of Dayton Faculty Award in Teaching. 

In addition to his work at the university, Dr. Reynolds served for 27 years as Associate Conductor of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO). In an over 25-year commitment to the development and presentation of educational concerts, both with the DPO and nationally with professional orchestras, his performances reached tens of thousands of young listeners. With the DPO, he conducted the Young People's and Magic Carpet series concerts, and for many years collaborated in planning and conducting the DPO’s curriculum-aligned SPARK (School Partners with Artists Reaching Kids) program. He has conducted young people’s concerts affiliated with the Carnegie Hall LinkUp program. In addition, Dr. Reynolds conducted the DPO in classical, pops, family and rock series concerts, and in Dayton Opera productions of Verdi's La Traviata, Gounod's Romeo et Juliette, Mozart's The Magic Flute, Menotti's The Consul and Amahl and the Night Visitors, Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance and Puccini’s La Boheme. For 25 years he served as conductor of the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, an organization selected from the most gifted young musicians in the Dayton region. Dr. Reynolds also serves as conductor of the Giving Strings Orchestra, a community orchestra devoted to raising funds for charitable organizations in the Dayton area.

Dr. Reynolds is a member of Canada’s Royal Conservatory of Music College of Examiners. The College is made up of over 350 distinguished professional teachers and performers from across North America. College members provide evaluations on behalf of the Royal Conservatory, offering valuable feedback, and celebrating the achievement of students participating in the Royal Conservatory Certificate Program. 

In addition, he serves on the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA) National Board and is currently President-elect of CODA. He will become the organization’s President in January 2026.

Patrick Reynolds earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, and the Master and Bachelor of Music from the University of Michigan. He is married to Sonya Szabo-Reynolds, a pianist, well-respected pedagogue and past president of Ohio Music Teachers Association. 

Professional affiliations

• College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA)
• National Association for Music Education (NAfME)
• Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA)
• Dvorak Society for Czech and Slovak Music

Research interests

• Conducting