Conductors
Guest Conductor: Dale Posey
December 7, 2008 Concert
Dale Posey currently teaches band and chorus in the St. Lucie County School District and is also an Adjunct Professor of Jazz at Indian River State College. While receiving his Bachelor of Music Degree in Jazz Studies from West Virginia University, he had the pleasure of studying conducting with Lawrence Christianson, John Hendricks, and Don Wilcox. He also holds a Master of Music Degree in Jazz Pedagogy from the University of Miami.
As a classically trained double bassist, Mr. Posey has enjoyed performing with the Treasure Coast Symphony, as well as past performances with the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, the Wheeling Symphony, and the Frostburg Community Orchestra. He is also an accomplished jazz bassist in his own right. Past performances include the Newark Jazz Festival, the West Virginia Wine & Jazz Festival, and numerous performances at the Riverwalk Jazz Series in Stuart. And most recently, Mr. Posey was invited to conduct an ensemble along with Mr. Ed Dunne. It was comprised of the Fort Pierce Central High School and the Fort Pierce Westwood Band students. They performed at the Barack Obama rally in Fort Pierce at which former President Bill Clinton was the speaker. Dale Posey will be making his professional conducting debut this year with the Treasure Coast Symphony.
Guest Conductor: Al Hager
February 22, 2009 Concert
Al Hager received a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Florida State University and a Master of Education Degree from the University of Florida, and has been teaching in public schools since 1968. He was the first director of the Walt Disney World All American College Band and the Atlanta Area McDonald’s All Star Jazz Band. He has directed college jazz bands at Kennesaw State, Georgia State, Indian River State College and is an adjunct professor of jazz history at Barry University.
Mr. Hager has been Teacher of the Year at both Jefferson Jr. High in Merritt Island, and Stuart Middle School, where he has been teaching since 1990. He is a certified Florida Bandmaster Association adjudicator and published composer. A cover story about the Stuart Middle School band program was featured in the March, 2000 issue of School Band and Orchestra magazine.
Mr. Hager currently performs with the Indian River Pops Orchestra (string bass), Orqesta Mia (salsa band), Live Session (jazz quartet), Flutes Renaissance (flute trio) and the Rhythm Doctors (oldies and R&B). He also conducts the Treasure Coast Flute Choir and the big band, “For Dancers Only”. Since 1999 he has coordinated and conducted the annual Directors Jazz Band at the state music convention in Tampa.
Conductor: Terence Kirchgessner
April 19, 2009 Concert
Terence Kirchgessner, a native of Rochester, New York, began his conducting studies at the age of 15 with Jeff Greene, a prominent wind conductor in New York. He attended the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam where he conducted the wind ensemble, early music ensemble, chamber orchestra and held the position of Assistant Conductor of the Crane Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Kirchgessner has also conducted ensembles at the Hartwick Music Festival, New York Summer Music Festival as well as the Clarkson University Orchestra. At this time, he is one of the conductors for the Lynn Chamber Orchestra at the Lynn University Conservatory of Music. Terence Kirchgessner’s primary teachers were Timothy Topolewski and Chris Lanz. He had additional studies with Brock McElheran, Lukas Foss and Pinkas Zukerman. Terence received a Bachelor of Music Degree from SUNY Potsdam and a Master of Music Degree from Lynn University.
Past Conductors
2006 - 2008 - Stephen Torick: Music Director / Conductor
A retired music teacher from Sparta, New Jersey, Mr. Torick was the Director of Music and taught for 35 years in the Sparta School system. He directed the Concert Band, Marching Band, Orchestra, Jazz Band, and taught music theory, composition and arranging.
Mr. Torick received his Bachelor of Music in Performance and Master of Music in Education degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. Mr. Torick studied conducting under Hugo Kortschak with the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Hugh Ross, conductor of the Schola Cantorum and the B.B.C. Symphony Orchestra; and Jonel Perlea, conductor at the La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera. He also served as conducting assistant with the N.Y.C. All-City Orchestra under Raymond LeMieux.
Mr. Torick enlisted in the U.S. Air Force upon the completion of college and was assigned to the 604th Air University Band at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. He played trumpet with the band and became the assistant conductor of this prestigious group. While stationed in Alabama, he was the principal trumpet of the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra.
2006 - 2008 - Kathryn Torick: Associate Conductor
A former music teacher from New Jersey, Mrs. Torick has taught both instrumental and vocal music at West Morris Mendham High School, Mendham, New Jersey. She received her Bachelor of Music from Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York, and her Master of Arts in Music Education from Montclair State College, Montclair, New Jersey.
Mrs. Torick was principal horn in the Hanover Wind Symphony and the Cornell Savoyards Opera Orchestra and played in the Sussex Symphony Orchestra as well as many chamber ensembles. She has performed under the batons of Karl Husa, the 1996 Pulitzer Prize Winner, John Paynter, Director of Bands at Northwestern University, and Rodney Winther, Director of Wind Studies at the University Of Cincinnati College - Conservatory Of Music. She has also performed under Pamela Gearhart, graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and Founder and Conductor of the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra and Orchestras at Ithaca College.
2003 - 2006 - Michael Garasi
Mr. Garasi attended the Eastman School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music, receiving his Bachelor and Master's Degrees in Percussion Performance. He has attended the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors in Hancock, Maine under the tutelage of Michael Jinbo. He has studied conducting with Joseph Kreines in Melbourne, Florida.
Mr. Garasi served as the assistant conductor of the South Florida Wind Symphony in Coral Springs. He has appeared as a guest conductor with the Broward Symphony Orchestra, the 1998 All-County Honor's Orchestra, and the Miami Philharmonic Percussion Orchestra. As a percussionist, he has performed with various well-known orchestras, including the New World Symphony in Miami.
1999-2003 - Joseph Kreines
A native of Chicago, Mr. Kreines came to Florida as associate conductor of the Florida Symphony Orchestra in Orlando, where he served for four years. Subsequently, he was conductor of the Brevard Symphony, associate conductor of the Florida Orchestra in Tampa, and musical director for numerous opera and musical theatre productions. He has served as clinician and guest conductor with some 300 bands, orchestras, and choruses throughout the state, also appearing as accompanist at numerous recitals and festivals.
Mr. Kreines has composed a number of original works for various media and has made myriad transcriptions for concert band and brass choir. He is particularly well-known for those of the music of Percy Grainger. In addition, he has authored Music for Concert Band, a selective annotated guide to band literature.
1993-1999 - Willem Bertsch
1992-1993 - Guest Conductors:
Michael B. Roberts
Paul Truitt
Allen Rosenberg