Valerie Geller Biography

Maestra Valerie Geller is a dynamic and versatile musician whose career spans conducting, concertmaster leadership, solo performance, chamber music, and education. She currently serves as Music Director and Conductor of the Global Harmony Symphony, where her artistry and leadership bring music to life for audiences of all ages.

A Southern California native, Maestra Geller trained at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of Oklahoma, and University of Colorado Boulder. She has performed and toured internationally with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under André Previn and Esa-Pekka Salonen, and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra under John Mauceri. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1990.

Her concertmaster experience is extensive, including leadership roles with the Disneyland Candlelight Orchestra, South Coast Symphony, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, and Long Beach Mozart Festival, among others. She also appears regularly as a soloist and guest artist.

As a chamber musician, Valerie is the violinist of the acclaimed Violin & Organ Duo “Va’lee” (with Dr. Jung-a Lee), performing both classical repertoire and contemporary works by American composers.

A dedicated educator and mentor, Maestra Geller studied under master teachers Noumi Fischer, Lily Mahler, Manuel Compinsky, and Irving Geller. She conducts master classes in violin, chamber music, and orchestral audition preparation, and frequently serves as a competition judge. She champions emerging talent by featuring young soloists in concert performances.

Valerie’s orchestral and theatrical credits are vast, spanning symphonies such as the Pacific Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, and Long Beach Symphony, to national tours and West Coast premieres of Broadway productions like Annie, Chicago, and Peter Pan. She has also toured and recorded with internationally renowned artists, including Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow, Led Zeppelin, Mick Jagger, Alicia Keys, and many others.

As a conductor, she has led ensembles across the United States, Europe, Israel, and China, recently premiering the Starlight Symphony as both conductor and soloist in Aliso Viejo, CA. Additional conducting posts include the Laguna Woods Village Symphony, Saddleback College Emeritus Institute, Merage JCC Symphony, and Seal Beach Symphony.

Valerie comes from a distinguished musical family. Her father, Irving Geller, served 48 years as Associate Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and her mother, Helen Geller, was an accomplished stage and screen actor. Valerie resides in Orange County, California.