SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Minimum 8th Grade - 12th Grade
Rehearsals: 4:00 - 6:30 Pm
Conductor and Director, Kevin Garza

The Symphony orchestra is a full orchestra for  advanced/ intermediate orchestra students in High school and select middle school students. This orchestra is a great training orchestra for students who are on their way to becoming fully accomplished all region or all state selectees.  This will help them gain the experience and confidence to progress into the high demands of the Young Artist Orchestra. The Symphony will learn major symphonic works and will perform 4 concerts per season. 

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ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Kevin Garza, Director and Conductor, Symphony Orchestra 

​Kevin Garza is a conductor consistently known for his exciting and expressive performances, a composer, and trombonist. He has a background in music education spanning 10 years.

From 2014-2017, he was heavily involved in the school band programs in New Albany, IN and the surrounding Louisville, KY area. He taught private lessons on all brass instruments and was on the marching band staff for New Albany High School (NAHS). Kevin composed two original marching shows for NAHS, Destinations (2015) and Crest & Crown (2016), as part of the marching program’s revival after a period of dissolution. As a trombonist in the area, he frequently performed as principal trombone with community groups Brass Band of Louisville and the Louisville Winds. From 2017-2020, Mr. Garza taught in the Dallas/Fort Worth area as a low brass private lesson instructor in Forney ISD, trombone masterclass instructor in Mesquite ISD, and All-Region/State clinician for DeSoto and Garland ISDs.

Later in 2020 he served as the Director of Orchestras at Williams High School in Plano ISD until 2024. He taught and conducted three string orchestras and a full symphony orchestra comprised of students with 4 to 5 years of experience, providing them with the musical skills to be successful and competitive at Plano East Senior High School. Mr. Garza made several improvements and contributions as Williams High School’s new orchestra director, stepping in during October of the pandemic for his first year teaching. After the pandemic, he rebuilt and rebranded the orchestra program when on-site learning fully returned. He organized and hosted “Viva Viola,” a one-of-a-kind event for Plano East Cluster viola students, where 2 corporate sponsors paid for over 100 participants to learn from and perform with a distinguished viola professor in the DFW area. Additionally, the Williams High School Chamber Orchestra earned a sweepstakes at UIL Contest for three consecutive years under his direction. Together with the support of parent volunteers, WHS campus administration, and Plano ISD Fine Arts administration, his most significant contribution to the orchestra program was reestablishing its non-profit organization in 2024: the Williams High School Orchestra Booster Club. Today, the Booster Club continues to provide students with additional opportunities, funding, and experiences not seen since 2015.

Mr. Garza signed on to conduct the GNTYO Symphony Orchestra in 2023 and enjoys conducting a blend of pops, standard repertoire, and at times his own compositions. He is very dedicated to the organization and enjoys watching the Symphony Orchestra grow in membership and musicianship. In addition to the GNTYO Symphony, he served as the Interim Conductor for the East Texas Youth Orchestra (ETYO) Philharmonic in 2021, as well as the GNTYO Philharmonic in 2023.
In addition to his current work as a youth orchestra conductor, Mr. Garza is a member of the McKinney Philharmonic Orchestra’s Administrative Staff, serving as Ticketing Director and Librarian. He is dedicated to assisting MPO in giving outstanding public performances, and providing patrons with world-class concert experiences here in McKinney.

Mr. Garza holds a Bachelor of Music in composition from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and a Master of Music in conducting from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University. He studied conducting with Paul Phillips as the Assistant Conductor of the Meadows Symphony Orchestra; trombone with Carl Lenthe; piano with Alfred Mouledous; and composition with Elliott Bark, Don Freund, and Aaron Travers.

Outside of music Mr. Garza enjoys cooking, coffee, reading, and visiting friends and family.

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