About

Morgan Ballard-Wheeler is a musical artist, arts administrator, and photographer currently based in Tucson, Arizona.

Morgan is compelled to create music as a conductor. His training has included auditing masterclasses with Paavo Järvi (Pärnu, Estonia) and has conducted at workshops such as the International Conducting Institute (Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic, Zlín, Czech Republic) and the European American Musical Alliance (Paris, France).

Morgan’s principal instrument is viola, having obtained a Master’s from The Hartt School in 2022. He has played with training orchestras in Austria and Maine [the AIMS and Monteux Music Festivals, respectively]. Morgan is also a trained bass-baritone and is now focused on vocal pursuits. He is a member of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus and the choir at St. Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church. Morgan was a section leader for Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford, Connecticut and a guest artist for Berkshire Choral International at Tanglewood.

In addition to performing, Morgan is also a passionate arts administrator, currently working in philanthropy with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (since January, 2025). Past experience also includes internships with New York Youth Symphony and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

In 2020, Morgan received his B.A. from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland. St. John’s engages all its students in a singular, rigorous course of Western philosophy, literature, music, mathematics, and science. While music is his path, the life of the mind is his raison d’etre. He sustains this life through his blog on aesthetics in culture.

Morgan’s hobbies include reciting Shakespeare, enjoying arthouse films, and collecting vintage cameras.