Michael Christie (conductor)

Michael Christie (born June 30, 1974 in Buffalo, New York) is an American conductor. He graduated from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music with a bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance. His conducting teachers have included Peter Jaffe, Eiji Oue, and Robert Spano.

Christie first came to international attention in 1995 when he received a special prize for "outstanding potential" at the First International Sibelius Conductor’s Competition in Helsinki at age 21. Following the competition, he became an apprentice conductor with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and subsequently worked with Daniel Barenboim, conducting both in Chicago and at the Berlin State Opera. From 1996 to 1998, he was associate conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic. Franz Welser-Möst named Christie assistant conductor at the Zurich Opera for the 1997–98 season.

Christie was the music director of the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder for 13 seasons, from 2000 until 2013. He is credited with nearly doubling attendance and revenue at the festival during his tenure. In November 2012, Christie stepped down as Colorado Music Festival's music director, effective after the 2013 season. Christie is now music director laureate of the Colorado Music Festival and returned to conduct performances in 2015.

From 2001 to December 2004, Christie was chief conductor of the Queensland Orchestra.

In December 2004, Christie was appointed music director of the Phoenix Symphony. In January 2012, having served 8 seasons, it was announced that Christie would be leaving the Phoenix Symphony to become music director of the Minnesota Opera. The Phoenix Symphony named him music director laureate for a three-season term in 2013. With the Phoenix Symphony, Christie has recorded music of Mark Grey for the Naxos label.

In August 2005, Christie was named the 5th music director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic, with his first concert in February 2006. His Brooklyn Philharmonic tenure concluded in June 2010.

Michael Christie is currently music director of the Minnesota Opera, starting his tenure with the 2012–2013 season. In February 2014, Michael Christie's contract with the Minnesota Opera was extended to the 2017–2018 season. With the Minnesota Opera, Christie has conducted world premieres of new three operas, commissioned by the Minnesota Opera as part of its New Works Initiative: Kevin Puts' Silent Night (2011), which won the Pulitzer Prize in music; Puts' The Manchurian Candidate (2015); and Paul Moravec's The Shining (2016).

Whilst in Australia, Christie met his future wife Alexis, a medical doctor. The couple married in 2006, and they have two children.