Kristo Kondakçi

Assistant Professor

Affiliated Departments

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Kristo Kondakçi is an Albanian-American conductor whose work unites artistic excellence with civic purpose. He is the David and Janet McCue Music Director of the Kendall Square Orchestra, where he leads musicians from Boston’s science and technology community in performances that explore urgent human themes through the lens of orchestral music, raising support for healthcare, education, and social impact.

At Berklee, Kondakçi’s approach to conducting treats the podium as both a musical and human laboratory. Beyond baton technique, posture, and score study, his courses explore the psychology and philosophy of leadership: presence as a form of earned authority, clarity as an act of trust, and gesture as a vehicle for empathy. Each semester blends conducting labs with reframing exercises and reflective prompts, encouraging students to strengthen their communication and decision-making skills.

Beyond Berklee, he has collaborated with orchestras across the United States and abroad, including the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, and Albanian National Orchestra, among others.

Kondakçi is also a cofounder of the Eureka Ensemble and the Women’s Chorus, initiatives internationally recognized for using music to restore dignity and hope among marginalized communities. By engaging unhoused women, immigrant and refugee youth, and others at the margins of society, these initiatives model a vision of music as a catalyst for healing, inclusion, and transformation.

Kondakçi holds degrees in conducting and composition from the New England Conservatory and is a member of its President’s Council. Based in Boston, he works to develop innovative projects that expand music’s role in society.

Career Highlights

Co-creator of Boston Hope Music with the New England Conservatory and Massachusetts General Hospital, bringing therapeutic performances to patients and frontline workers during the COVID-19 crisis
Frequent speaker and educator, presenting at TEDxBoston, the League of American Orchestras, and directing The Leading Tone, a program on leadership development through conducting for executives in business, science, and public policy

Awards

Urban Service Award, Berklee College of Music — for leadership in co-creating Boston Hope Music, providing therapeutic performances for COVID-19 patients and frontline workers
Recognition at the Earthshot Prize Ceremony (2022) — for Rising Tides, a climate-awareness program in partnership with the University of Massachusetts Boston
Cultural Representative of the Albanian Diaspora (2014) — honor received from the Albanian Embassy following debut with the Albanian National Orchestra

In Their Own Words

My goal is for students to gain skills and insights that serve them in any musical context, seeing conducting as a way to lead with clarity, trust, and empathy.

My background bridges the concert hall and the community. As Music Director of the Kendall Square Orchestra and through international conducting work, I bring students practical skills in score study, rehearsal technique, and ensemble leadership. At the same time, my social initiatives, from the Eureka Ensemble to the Women's Chorus, shape how I teach conducting as a practice of presence, communication, and vision that prepares students to lead with purpose.