DR. STEVEN ERRANTE

Conductor Emeritus, Wilmington Symphony Orchestra

Steven Errante grew up in the Detroit area and was guided at an early age by music educators who encouraged him to develop his talent for arranging and composing. By the time he was in high school, his orchestral compositions were being performed by local orchestras. In college, he earned degrees in composition and orchestral conducting at the University of Michigan and the Juilliard School, studying with Leslie Bassett, Vincent Persichetti, and Uri Mayer. During this time, he wrote the score for The Boar's Head Festival, a work heard annually in Detroit since 1972. He retired from college teaching in 2021 after a career that spanned 45 years.

Errante served as Music Director of the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra from 1986 until his retirement in May 2025 and now holds the honorary title of Conductor Emeritus. He is also the founding conductor of the Wilmington Symphony Youth Orchestra. In addition to conducting, he has been active as a composer and arranger; many of the guest artists performing jazz, folk, and popular music with the Wilmington Symphony have been backed by his arrangements. He recently completed several orchestrations for Noel Paul Stookey (formerly of “Peter, Paul, and Mary”).

Errante’s approach to music aligns with the Wilmington Symphony’s mission which centers on the belief that performance and education enhance each other. His comments and musical illustrations can also be heard in the form of Conductor’s Notes videos on the Wilmington Symphony’s website and on the Wilmington Symphony Facebook page.  

​He lives in Kure Beach with his wife Sandy, who for many years was an instructor at the Wilmington Academy of Arts and Sciences. Their daughter Emmy is the Design & Marketing Coordinator for the Walex Corporation in Leland and their daughter Casey is on the faculties of both CFCC and UNCW. They have three grandchildren.

Education
D.M.A., Composition, 
The Juilliard School, 
New York, NY

M.M., Composition, Conducting,
The University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, MI

B.M., Composition, 
The University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, MI