Appointed Artistic Director of the San Francisco Pride Band in August 2013, Pete Nowlen is one of Northern California’s busiest musicians. He holds faculty positions at both Sacramento State and UC Davis, where he is the Director of Concert Bands.

Pete currently maintains Artistic Director roles with the Camerata California Chamber Choir, the Rancho Cordova Civic Light Orchestra, and serves as Artistic Advisor for Music in the Mountains in Nevada County, California. He is also the founder and driving force behind Sacramento’s VITA Academy, which is dedicated to revitalizing classical music through innovative community engagement, audience engagement, and school music programs.

His other conducting credits include the Sacramento, Auburn, Camellia, UCD, and CSUS Symphonies, along with more than a dozen major productions ranging from La bohème to the Rocky Horror Show. An honors graduate of Northwestern University with a master’s degree from DePaul, Pete was a member of the French horn section of the Sacramento Symphony for 10 years.

He has performed with the San Francisco Symphony, Opera, and Ballet Orchestras, served as co-principal hornist of the International Orchestra of Italy, and has been a prize winner and finalist in international solo competitions. Pete has conducted at the annual conference of the Lesbian and Gay Band Association. In August 2018, Pete was one of the Artistic Directors leading “Team Band” at Gay Games 10 held in Paris, France.