Sean O’Loughlin, conductor
Sean O’Loughlin is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Victoria Symphony and the Principal Pops Conductor of Symphoria in Syracuse, NY. As a composer and arranger, his music is characterized by vibrant rhythms, passionate melodies, and colorful scoring. Commissions from the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra highlight and showcase his diverse musical abilities. As a conductor, he has led performances with the Boston Pops Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the Houston Symphony and the Seattle Symphony amongst others. He has served as conductor for international tours with Josh Groban, Sarah McLachlan and the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration. He has also appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America with Josh Groban and NBC’s “A Very Pentatonix Christmas.”
Recent collaborations include such artists as Sarah McLachlan, Adele, Josh Groban, Pentatonix, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Diana Ross, Journey, Melissa Etheridge, Blue Man Group, Janelle Monáe, Audra McDonald, Hall and Oates, Gloria Estefan, the Indigo Girls, Diana Krall, Itzhak Perlman, Natalie Merchant, Chris Isaak, Pink Martini, Brandi Carlile, The Decemberists and others.
Through his growing number of commissioned and published works, Sean is excited to continue contributing to the rich history of orchestral and wind band literature. His music is published by Excelcia Music, Hal Leonard and Carl Fischer. He is a frequent guest conductor with professional orchestras and honor bands around the country. An annual ASCAP Special Awards winner, Sean was a composition fellow at the Henry Mancini Institute in Los Angeles, and holds composition degrees from New England Conservatory and Syracuse University.
Patrick Cao, piano
Born in Nanaimo, BC, in 2011, Patrick Cao is currently a Grade 9 student in Royal Bay Secondary school (French Immersion) in Victoria BC.
Patrick began studying piano at the age of 3 and a half years old, and at the age of 9 he had already passed the RCM piano level 10 exam. When his family moved to Victoria in 2018, he continued his piano studies with University of Victoria Professor of piano, Arthur Rowe.
Patrick has been a laureate in many competitions. He has been a frequent winner in several GVPAF (Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival) classes for several years. In 2022 he won 1st place in the Canada West Performing Arts Festival in the 12 & under category, as well as 2nd place in the Don Chrysler (Sooke Orchestra) Concerto Competition. In 2023 he took 1st place in the Don Chrysler competition, and performed Mendelssohn’s 2nd piano concerto with the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Yariv Aloni.
In March of 2025 Patrick was invited to audition at the renowned Curtis School of Music in Philadelphia, and this summer he looks forward to his first performances with the Victoria Symphony, at Butchart Gardens and at Symphony Splash, with a movement of Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto.
