Michael Roest is a conductor, educator, and arts leader dedicated to building inclusive musical communities and championing new voices in classical music.

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As Founder and Director of the International Pride Orchestra (IPO), Roest has created a global platform for LGBTQ+ musicians to perform, connect, and advocate. Under his leadership, IPO has presented concerts in San Francisco, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Houston, collaborating with drag artists Peaches Christ and Thorgy Thor and raising funds for organizations including LYRIC, SAGE, Whitman-Walker, and the Montrose Center.

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Roest’s conducting and teaching span a wide range of institutions and ensembles. At the University of Michigan, he is Music Director of both the Life Sciences Orchestra and the Michigan Pops Orchestra. His previous appointments include conducting faculty positions with the San Jose Youth Symphony and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he founded its first pre-collegiate contemporary music ensemble, brass ensemble, and string orchestra. At the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, he taught brass studies and directed the Oberlin Brass Ensemble. He also led the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra as Executive and Artistic Director. His arts-administration experience includes serving as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and as Associate Dean and Executive Director of Pre-College and Continuing Education at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

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Roest holds degrees from The Juilliard School, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and the University of Michigan. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in orchestral conducting at the University of Michigan, where he studies with Professor Kenneth Kiesler.