Beloved for his ability to connect with audiences, conjure vibrant, fresh performances from orchestras, and program concerts that excite communities, John Young Shik Concklin serves as Music Director of both the Spartanburg Philharmonic and the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra. He is also Conductor with the Atlanta Music Project, a tuition-free group that empowers youth to realize their potential through music and drive positive social change.

As a conductor, John is known for his technical skill, rich musical insight, and collaborative acumen, being equally adept at bringing new music to life and finding new artistic space in the core symphonic repertoire. His ability has been recognized in recent seasons by the American Prize for Conducting, the Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award for Innovative Programming, and multiple grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. As a community leader, John’s ability to generate positive uplift and momentum among audiences, donors, boards, and musicians is continually praised. He is known for empowering concertgoers––classical music fans or not––to connect with and enjoy the music they hear. Every group John leads is recognized for creating unforgettable nights.

Rich with experience, John’s prior positions include Associate Conductor of the Georgia Symphony, Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, and faculty appointments at Vanderbilt, Clemson, Furman and Converse Universities. He has been a fellowship conductor at the Aspen Music Festival, a teaching assistant at the Brevard Music Center, a finalist at the New World Symphony, and a super-finalist at Debut Orchestra. 

As an assistant, he has covered the Atlanta, Kansas City, and Nashville Symphony Orchestras and provided artistic consulting to grammy-nominated albums in Nashville. He has also competed internationally at the Almaty, Nino Rota, and the Città di Brescia Conducting Competitions. A dynamic and versatile performer, he has performed at the Super Bowl Halftime Show and collaborated with Monica, Grammy-winning R&B artist, and the Kruger Brothers, bluegrass sensation.

Current projects include the Festival of American Voices with Spartanburg Philharmonic, a year-long exploration of America250 that showcases a refreshing variety of American musical perspectives. Genres represented include spirituals, jazz, blues, bluegrass, musicals, newly commissioned works, and canonical orchestral favorites. Previously, John led an NEA-supported concert that commissioned music and poetry to lead a city-wide celebration of a new planetarium. He is also working with the City of Spartanburg to revive a community-wide ensemble, the Sounds of Diversity Orchestra and Chorus. Recently, he conducted the Atlanta Music Project’s World Music Festival, a city-wide celebration of the 2026 World Cup that highlighted music from Spain, Cape Verde, Haiti, and Morocco.

John studied conducting at Vanderbilt University, Yale University, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. His mentors include David Zinman, Carl Topilow, Shinik Hahm, and Robin Fountain. He received further training from Lorin Maazel and Michael Tilson-Thomas.

Together with his wife, John co-founded a multi-genre chamber music event to raise money for local issues called Mozart for a Cause.