Stepping Down from ETYO, Stepping Into Caminos del Inka

Change is a constant in life and as my wife and I prepare to welcome our second child, we enter another season of change.

After seven years with the East Texas Youth Orchestra, I will conclude my tenure after our season finale in May 2025. I did not make this decision lightly and, in fact, it’s taken quite a bit of time and reflection to make it. The reality is there is only so much time in a day, and as I’ve gotten older, the march of time has only become louder. It’s also become just a little harder for me to maintain the pace at which I’ve worked over the past decade. I’m looking forward to making great music with our musicians in my final two concerts in the spring and reflecting on the countless number of musicians I’ve met and memories made. The organization is in great hands with excellent staff and faculty caring for our young musicians.

Additionally, a dear colleague of mine, John Toohey, recently retired from his work with us at Caminos del Inka / The Conducting Institute / Texas Institute for Orchestral Studies. Working with John these past years has been a pleasure as we refined and created programs from scratch. I have gained so much knowledge working with John and count him as a friend. With this change, comes additional responsibility as I move from my current duties to become the next Managing Director of Caminos del Inka and its programs. I’ll continue to work alongside Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Andrew J. Kim, Santiago Ariza Rodriguez, Sammy Branch, and our associate faculty to train the next generation of conductors and orchestral musicians, as well as resurrect the Caminos Ensemble.

And, lastly, we’ll soon bring home baby #2 which, of course, brings its own set of unique challenges – many yet to be discovered! You couldn’t have paid me any amount of money to convince younger me that I’d enjoy being a father as much as I do.

And onward we march to the drumbeat of time.