Sergey Bogza

YOUNGSTOWN — Sergey Bogza has resigned as music director and conductor of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra without ever conducting a regular season performance.

A statement released Friday by the Youngstown Symphony Society said Bogza resigned effective Thursday due to “personal, health and family reasons.”

Bogza signed a three-year contract in June following two years of auditioning guest conductors after the death in 2020 of Randall Craig Fleischer at age 62.

Kelly Sullivan, artistic services manager for the Youngstown Symphony Society, said there is no timetable yet for hiring a replacement, nor could she say whether they would be starting from square one or considering some of the other candidates they already had auditioned.

“We haven’t crossed that bridge yet,” Sullivan said Friday. “We just got the notice of resignation yesterday.”

In the press release, Matt Pagac, chief executive and operating officer of the society, said, “Though Sergey’s circumstances prevent him from serving as the YSO music director, we are grateful to have met and engaged with him for a short time. We wish him well.”

In an interview when he was hired in June, Bogza said, “I’m looking forward to being in Youngstown … For every concert I’ll be in Youngstown anywhere between two to three weeks. I told the search committee, if you want someone who will simply parachute in, conduct a few rehearsals and a concert and then fly out, I’m not that person. I’m going to go into the schools, I’m going to meet people. I want to be an integral part of Youngstown public life.”

Guest conductors took the baton for YSO’s 2024-25 season opening concert on Oct. 5 and for two performances last weekend when the orchestra performed the score for the 1985 film “Back to the Future” while it was shown on a big screen at Powers Auditorium.

Guest conductors already have been hired for the two remaining events in 2024, accompanying Ballet Western Reserve’s performances of “The Nutcracker” on Dec. 7 and 8 and leading the holiday pops concert “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” on Dec. 21. Both are at Powers.

Dean Buck, a Cleveland-based conductor who serves as assistant conductor and chorus master with Opera Western Reserve, will lead “The Nutcracker” performances. Buck conducted the BWR/YSO “Nutcracker” shows in 2022 and 2023.

Edward Leonard will lead the orchestra for the holiday pops concert. He first appeared with YSO in October when Bogza was unable to conduct. Leonard earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the College of Charleston and a master’s in orchestral conducting from Carnegie Mellon University. He has worked with the Pittsburgh Philharmonic, the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh and The Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh.

Guest conductors to be announced will be used for three 2025 concerts.