Conductor Edwin Outwater is notable for his outreach activities, work with young musicians, and cross-genre collaborations. The latter has included frequent work with the metal band Metallica. Outwater's interest in youth music began to develop in Florida as he designed the Florida Philharmonic Family Series and Music for Youth program. He served as conductor on the 1992 Metallica album Nothing Else Matters, his recording debut. From 2001 to 2005, Outwater served as music director of the San Francisco Youth Symphony. In San Francisco, he conducted heavily attended family concerts each year, and he led the orchestra's collaborations with Metallica in concert and on recordings. As of the early 2020s, Outwater was the music director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In 2022, he led the Chicago Symphony on the album Mason Bates: Philharmonia Fantastique -- The Making of the Orchestra.