JT Kane

In July 2022, JT Kane joined the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) as the inaugural Dean of Instrumental Studies and Orchestral Performance. This division – the largest at MSM – provides a comprehensive and cohesive pedagogical and performance framework for instrumentalists pursuing training at the highest level. JT works closely with world-class faculty and guest artists to present annual masterclasses and partners with distinguished conductors to shape programming across MSM’s large ensemble offerings, including the Manhattan Symphony Orchestra (MSO), Camerata Nova, the Wind and Brass Ensembles, and OPUS130, MSM’s Orchestral Performance Orchestra.

Prior to his appointment at MSM, JT served as Vice President for Musician Advancement and Dean of Orchestra at the New World Symphony (NWS) in Miami Beach. At NWS, he oversaw the design and implementation of the Fellows’ comprehensive training curriculum focusing on artistic excellence, community engagement, and career development. He curated a roster of over 120 distinguished visiting faculty each season and served as the key liaison between NWS administration and Fellows.

Earlier in his career, JT held leadership roles with several major institutions including Artistic Operations Manager at Artis—Naples, Orchestra Personnel and Popular Programming Manager with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and Manager of Orchestral Operations at the Aspen Music Festival and School. He is a graduate of the League of American Orchestras’ Emerging Leaders Program (2019–2020) and a past participant in the League’s Essentials of Orchestra Management. He was also a senior consortium member of the Sphinx Organizations National Alliance for Audition Support (NAAS), a national initiative to increase diversity in American orchestras, and helped lead its annual Audition Intensives hosted by New World Symphony.

An accomplished violist, JT began his international career in 2001 in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, where he helped launch the Instituto Superior de Música del Estado de Veracruz, a training orchestra and music school where he was the Professor of Viola until 2009. During that time, he also taught at the Facultad de Música-Universidad Veracruzana and was the Acting Assistant Principal Violist with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa. In the U.S., JT has performed with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Florida Philharmonic, Huntsville Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Naples Philharmonic, Palm Beach Opera, Palm Beach Symphony, and the Sarasota Orchestra.

He holds a Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from the Harid Conservatory (now the Conservatory of Music at Lynn University) and a Master of Music in Viola Performance from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where he was a teaching assistant.

Outside of his professional life, JT enjoys hiking, cooking, playing tennis, and traveling with his wife Lisa. He’s also an enthusiastic ukulele player and a proud father to two daughters, Isabel and Amanda.