Michael Scott Butler is a conductor committed to shaping the future of the repertoire while honoring its past. He believes that conductors have a responsibility to champion new music for wind ensemble and orchestra, while also preserving and reinterpreting the masterworks that define the tradition. For Dr. Butler, the role of a conductor is not only to curate and preserve great music but also to help define what belongs in the canon moving forward—supporting living composers and presenting their work with conviction. His ultimate aim is to create transformative musical experiences—not through technical perfection, but by fostering conditions for honest emotional connection and reflection.

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Dr. Butler serves as Director of Bands at Youngstown State University, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, Dana Faculty Ensemble, and directs the YSU Youth Orchestra. Since his arrival in 2021, he has elevated the national profile of the program. Under his leadership, the Wind Ensemble earned second place in the 2023 American Prize and was selected to perform at the 2024 College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) North Central Conference and the Ohio Music Educators Association Conference. The ensemble was also featured at Severance Hall as part of the Northeast Ohio Band Invitational in 2023.

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His impact has been widely recognized by collaborators and colleagues. Composer Benjamin Barker noted,

 

“Dr. Butler’s conducting and direction gives his musicians the freedom to express their individual musicianship, while at the same time providing the structure and support to create truly unique, meaningful, and artful performances.”

This blend of structure and expressive freedom is a defining hallmark of Dr. Butler’s musical leadership.

A passionate collaborator, Dr. Butler frequently works with esteemed conductors, performers, and composers. Recent guests at YSU have included Colonel Jason Fettig of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, conductor Anthony Parnther, and composers Michael Markowski and Andrew Boysen Jr. Markowski described Dr. Butler as

 

“a pioneer and a great promoter of new compositional voices — always seeking the musical road not taken.”

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Beyond collaboration, Dr. Butler is a discerning advocate for new music. He has commissioned works from leading composers including Wayne Oquin—whose piece Song for Silent Voices won the 2018 NBA Revelli Composition Prize—and Pulitzer Prize-winner Julia Wolfe’s first work for wind band. Oquin wrote,

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“Dr. Butler is not only a strong advocate for new music—and he is that—but, more importantly, he is an arbiter of new music… someone who sifts through the vast array of contemporary repertoire and brings the best of it to the attention of his students, colleagues, and the public at large.”

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Prior to his tenure at YSU, Dr. Butler served as Director of Bands at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, where his ensembles twice earned national recognition from CBDNA. He has also held teaching positions at the University of Florida, William R. Boone High School, and Spruce Creek High School. Ensembles under his direction have performed at the Florida Music Educators Conference and on the stage of Carnegie Hall.

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An active guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, Butler has appeared with the United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” the U.S. Army Field Band, the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, and the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra. His artistry and leadership continue to earn acclaim. Conductor Anthony Parnther described him as

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“a world-class conductor… There are exceedingly few conductors imbued with the rare ability to transform an ensemble far beyond their given skill set and deliver paramount performances.”

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In addition to his conducting work, Butler contributes to the field through writing and research, including published chapters in the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series. He serves as the Ohio State Chair for CBDNA and as a judge for The American Prize. Andrew Mitchell, trombone professor at YSU, remarked,

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“Michael is one of those individuals who can oscillate comfortably between business-minded/strategic thinking and high-level artistic thinking.”

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Dr. Butler’s achievements have been recognized with multiple Citations of Excellence from the National Band Association. In 2022, he was elected to Marquis Who’s Who in America. He holds memberships in CBDNA, NBA, NAfME, and is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi, Tau Beta Sigma, Pi Kappa Lambda, and Mu Phi Epsilon.