Ian Axness is a conductor, coach and collaborative pianist working seamlessly between forms of concert music, experimental performance, opera & musical theatre. He is currently Assistant Professor and Resident Music Director for Musical Theatre at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where he has conducted productions of Wonderful Town, Cinderella, She Loves Me, Sweet Charity, Xanadu, and the world premiere staging of Blake Allen’s Shards of an Honor Code Junkie. Ian has served as music director for Ask For the Moon (Goodspeed Musicals), Camelot (Human Race Theatre), Beardo (Pipeline Theatre, Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Music), Pericles (Two River Theater), Flora the Red Menace (Oberlin College), and Orphée aux enfers (The Juilliard School); and as a musical co-conspirator on plays, sketch comedy, pop-up performances, hybrid recitals, cabarets & countless musicals in development.  

Other productions with: Cincinnati Opera, New York Philharmonic, NY City Center Encores, The 92nd Street Y, Ars Nova, Joe's Pub, NYU Skirball Center, Barrow Street Theatre, New Dramatists, Abrons Arts Center, Opera in the Ozarks & New York University Abu Dhabi.