(Image above: L to R: Ron Spigelman, Principal Pops Conductor, and Travis Estes, VP of Marketing & Communications for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.)

This week, we embark on a new musical journey that marks the exciting debut of “Rockabilly 2 Rachmaninoff,” a captivating new series In the Flamingo Lounge dropping every two months on the second Saturday. Each episode promises unique insights, featuring a special guest from the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Joining us for the inaugural episode in the series, is native Australian, Ron Spigelman, who begins the 25/26 season as the new Principal Pops Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (NY). He is an honors graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London. Earlier in his career he was the Associate Conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Fort Worth Symphony, Music Director of the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, San Angelo Symphony, Texas Chamber Orchestra, Springfield Symphony (MO), and the Lake Placid Sinfonietta (NY) where he is now conductor emeritus. He has also served as Principal Pops Conductor of the Fort Worth and Syracuse Symphony. Prior to moving to the United States, he was assistant conductor of the West Australian, Queensland and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras.

Recent guest conducting appearances include performances with the Atlanta, St. Louis, Baltimore, Utah, Oregon, Kansas City, and Vancouver symphony orchestras, as well as debuts with the Nashville Symphony and Minnesota Orchestra in the 24/25 season. In past seasons he has conducted the Dallas, North Carolina, Phoenix, and Virginia Symphony orchestras, the Rochester and Naples Philharmonic, the Florida Orchestra and many other orchestras.

He has conducted Symphonic, Ballet, Opera, Musical Theatre and Pops plus over 30 live-to-film productions including all eight of the Harry Potter films. Guest artists he has accompanied include Horacio Gutierrez, Rachel Barton Pine, Richard Stoltzman and Pops artists including Marvin Hamlisch, Peter Paul and Mary, James Taylor, Leslie Odom Jr., Vanessa Williams, Hanson, Wynonna Judd, Kenny G, and Gladys Knight.

Other career highlights include the world premiere of Pegasus by Lowell Liebermann with the Dallas Symphony in 2001, his Carnegie Hall debut with the Buffalo Philharmonic in 2004, and the world premiere recording of Sylvan by Michael Torke which was commissioned for the Lake Placid Sinfonietta’s centennial season in 2017.

Ron lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife Laura, they have a combined 6 children. He is board president of Harmony Project Tulsa, whose mission is to bring instrumental instruction to underserved youth in collaboration with the Tulsa Public Schools. He also recently graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Human Development with minors in Counseling & Applied Psychology, Sociology, and Communication at Arizona State University receiving the prestigious School of Social and Family Dynamics dean’s medal for academic excellence that is awarded to one student per graduating class. He was the first fully online student to win this award. Along with a busy schedule of concerts, he is also currently pursuing a master’s in liberal studies at Arizona State University.

Ron joined Rockabilly Greg In the Flamingo Lounge on July 3, 2025, as he was preparing a show with the BPO at Sahlen Field, Home of the Buffalo Bisons, to celebrate Independence Day.

For more information on the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, vist their webste – bpo.org.

You can check out all the great events and happenings for the BPO at bpo.org/events/ or on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and X(Twitter).

New episodes are available at 9 a.m. EST each Saturday at RockabillyGreg.com. Each posting includes a link to the podcast, website, and social media links, images, and other interesting tidbits about the week’s guest(s).

Greg Hennessey’s “In the Flamingo Lounge with Rockabilly Greg” podcast is must listen content for fans of Western New York music. Hennessey just started his sixth season of podcasts, and he’s got over 100 episodes in his archives at https://rockabillygreg.com.