Conner Gray Covington leads an unusually broad range of symphonic, opera, and film repertoire ranging from the Classical era to the present day. During his four-year tenure with the Utah Symphony as associate conductor and principal conductor of the Deer Valley Music Festival, he conducted nearly 300 performances of classical subscription, education, film, pops, and family concerts, as well as tours throughout the state. Previously, he was a conducting fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he worked closely with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, with whom he made his Carnegie Hall debut, while being mentored by Philadelphia Orchestra music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Covington is a five-time recipient of a Career Assistance Award from the Solti Foundation US, and was a featured conductor in the Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview presented by the League of American Orchestras. His recent and upcoming concert engagements include the San Diego Symphony, Tallahassee Symphony, Amarillo Symphony, and Bellingham Festival of Music. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in November 2024.

Born in Louisiana, Covington graduated from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston and went on to study violin at the University of Texas at Arlington. He continued his studies at the Eastman School of Music, where he earned a master’s degree in orchestral conducting and was awarded the Walter Hagen Conducting Prize.