With a deep belief in the power and essentiality of collaborative music making, Guillaume Pirard has become a highly respected artist and educator of his generation. Since making his debut with the Orlando Philharmonic, Mr.Pirard has conducted the New York University and Cornell University Orchestras, Ensemble X, OpusIthaca, the Philharmonic of Moravia, the Metamorphosis Chamber Orchestra, the Lviv Philharmonic, the Mannes School of Music Opera and the Mannes Orchestra. He served as Assistant Conductor for the Buffalo Philharmonic and Ensemble 21. He is currently the Music Director of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra in Ithaca, New York.

His conducting career could not have happened without the support of his mentors Larry Rachleff, David Hayes and JoAnn Falletta.

Co-concertmaster and founding member of The Knights, Mr. Pirard toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe with performances at the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and the Muziverein in Vienna, and major festival appearances at Tanglewood, Ravinia, Caramoor, Skaneateles, the Festival-de-Paques in Aix-en-Provence and the Salzburg Festspiele. He has recorded with the ensemble on SONY Classical and Warner Music. Mr. Pirard has also performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, A Far Cry, the Sejong Soloists, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie ,and with renowned musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Gil Shaham and Reinbert De Leeuw to name a few.

A historical performance practice specialist, Guillaume studied in Den Haag and Brussels with some of the masters of the romantic, classical and baroque styles such as Vera Beths, Mira Glodeanu and Anner Bylsma. He has played in various period ensembles and chamber music series in Europe and the United-States, such as the Helicon Foundation, the Smithsonian Chamber Players, the Chamber Music Society of Central Virginia, the Staunton Festival, Les Muffatti and the Context series at Rice University. 

Born in Belgium, Mr. Pirard studied at the Brussels Royal Conservatory of Music, receiving a First Prize in violin performance at the age of 16. He continued his studies at the Juilliard School with Hyo Kang and Dorothy Delay. He earned a Masters Degree in Orchestral Conducting from the New School, under the tutelage of David Hayes. Mr. Pirard has served on the faculty at New York University, San Diego State University, Ithaca College and Cornell University.