Kobie Turner has been swinging an imaginary baton after sacks since his college days, but on Friday the Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle finally stood across from the real thing. Domingo Hindoyan, the newly installed music director of LA Opera, showed up after Rams practice and handed Turner a custom conductor’s baton in an engraved case bearing his name, his nickname and his No. 91.
A Baton, Some Pointers, and a Flashback to College
The meeting, first reported by the New York Post, saw Hindoyan offer Turner actual conducting pointers after practice, a scene that doubled as a reunion of sorts for Turner’s past life. Turner, who has played four NFL seasons at defensive tackle, said the experience reminded him of his college football days and the conducting classes he once attended. Before he was an NFL sack artist, Turner studied music and mathematics as a double major at the University of Richmond, sang in an a cappella group, played piano, and has even released his own music singles.
Turner’s signature celebration is to raise an imaginary baton after a sack. LA Opera staffers and musicians participated in football drills and used blocking pads during their visit to the Rams facility, per the same Post report. It’s a fitting bit of cross-pollination: Turner even made a brief run at reality television stardom, competing in Season 12 of The Masked Singer as “Goo” in 2024 before being eliminated in the quarterfinals.
An Invitation to Opening Night Downtown
Hindoyan didn’t just bring a gift — he brought an invitation. The conductor asked Turner and his family to attend his first performance as LA Opera’s music director, Georges Bizet’s Carmen, which he conducts from October 17 through November 7 in downtown Los Angeles. The production stars Rihab Chaieb and Joshua Guerrero, according to the Post’s report on the meeting.
Hindoyan’s arrival carries weight well beyond a single opening night. He began a five-year contract as LA Opera’s third music director on July 1, opening the 2026–27 season with Carmen while simultaneously serving as Chief Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, according to AP News. He is only the third music director in the company’s 40-year history, following Kent Nagano and James Conlon, who stepped down after 20 seasons to become Conductor Laureate, as reported by Asbarez.
The Venezuelan-Armenian conductor also shares a striking musical lineage with Los Angeles’ other big maestro. Hindoyan received his early training on the violin in Venezuela’s El Sistema youth education program alongside his childhood friend and current LA Philharmonic music director Gustavo Dudamel, the Los Angeles Times reports. It places two of the city’s top podiums in the hands of musicians who grew up together an ocean away.
From Richmond’s Choir Loft to SoFi Stadium
Turner’s path to his baton obsession started long before the NFL noticed him. His “Conductor” nickname and signature celebration trace back to 2019, when he began conducting music in the locker room and mimicked the motion on the field after recording a sack against UAlbany. He was originally recruited for college choral music rather than football, before eventually settling into his double major in music theory and composition alongside mathematics, and later transferring to Wake Forest for his final season of eligibility.
That musical identity has only grown louder since he reached the league. In October 2024, Turner teamed up with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame producer Jimmy Jam and DJ Skee to create a signature celebration sound for home games. He memorably broke out the celebration after a sack against the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood last December. On the field, Turner has backed up the persona with real production: during his rookie season, he had four sacks through 11 games and was a Pepsi Rookie of the Week finalist.
A Dream Beyond the Field
Turner told the Post he might conduct four bars for fun, but acknowledged that leading a full orchestra would be a lot of work. He said he plans to display the engraved baton at his offseason home in Virginia, adding that he may bring it back there and figure out how to set up a proper display. Turner has also spoken of a dream of becoming a choir director once his football career ends, saying he’s currently living out his dream sport while raising a family and keeping music in his life.
Turner told the Post that athletes can represent more than sports — a line that fits neatly with the team’s recent naming of Leimert Park music teacher Fernando Pullum as a Rams pLAymaker.
Opening Night Comes to a New-Look Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Turner’s invitation lands at a particularly loaded moment for LA Opera. For the 2026–27 season opening, Cuban-born artist Enrique Martínez Celaya created a 70-foot-wide hand-painted stage curtain titled The Things We Know at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, replacing a starburst curtain that had hung there for 63 years, as Hoodline detailed in its coverage of the curtain’s unveiling.
Whether or not Turner takes Hindoyan up on four bars of conducting someday, the meeting of a Rams sack leader and an opera’s new maestro captures something true about Los Angeles sports and culture colliding in public view. For now, Turner’s engraved baton is headed to Virginia, and his next performance — on the field, at least — comes with the Rams still chasing wins this season.
