GRAMMY®-nominated conductor John Jeter celebrates his 30th season as Music Director & Conductor of the Fort Smith Symphony. Under his leadership, the orchestra has transformed from a community ensemble into a professional regional orchestra with an international reputation.

Jeter is an award-winning conductor and recording artist for Naxos Records, with nine albums to his credit. His recordings with the Fort Smith Symphony have earned international critical acclaim and helped bring renewed attention to important American composers, including Florence Price, William Grant Still, and Louis Wayne Ballard. He and the Symphony gave the world premiere of Florence Price’s Symphony No. 4 and are the first and only artists to record the complete symphony cycle of William Grant Still.

Jeter has conducted a wide range of repertoire, from standard orchestral works and world premieres to pops and film music. His guest conducting engagements include the Greek National Opera, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Arkansas Symphony, Springfield Symphony, and Erie Philharmonic, as well as recording projects with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony, Württemberg Philharmonic, and Malmö Opera Orchestra and Chorus.

A dedicated advocate for music education, Jeter has created Fort Smith Symphony programs resulting in approximately 75,000 live student interactions. His 30-plus-year career also includes work in classical radio as a host, producer, and guest commentator. He previously served as conducting assistant and cover conductor for the Indianapolis Symphony, Music Director of the Greater Indianapolis Youth Symphony, and Interim Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Oklahoma and University of Tulsa. He holds a Master’s Degree in Orchestral Conducting from Butler University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Theory and Piano from the Hartt School of Music.