Dr. Germán Augusto Gutiérrez, Music Director and conductor of the Youth Orchestra since 2000, is an Associate Professor at Texas Christian University. He is also the Director of Orchestra and the Center for Latin American Music at TCU.
Dr. Gutiérrez is a frequent guest conductor of professional orchestra such as the Fort Worth and Dallas Orchestras; the National Symphony Orchestras of Peru, Colombia, and Puerto Rico; the Philharmonic Orchestra of Bogotá and New Zealand; Symphony Orchestras of Barranquilla and Del Valle in Colombia, Rio de Janeiro's Teatro Municipal and Porto Alegre in Brazil, Xalapa in Mexico, and Pergine Spettacolo Aperto in Italy. 2005 marked Dr. Gutiérrez' unprecedented eighth year as guest conductor of the Dallas Symphony's Hispanic Festival.
Dr. Gutiérrez received his Bachiller and Maestro in Music from the Tolima Conservatory in his native Colombia. He subsequently received his Master in Music from Illinois State University and his Doctor of Arts Degree from the University of Northern Colorado.
Dr. Gutiérrez and the TCU Symphony were listed in the Top Ten Best Classical Performers of 2002. Among other awards, Dr. Gutiérrez was the recipient of the 1999 Dean's Teaching Award at TCU, the 2002 Dean's Award for Research and Creative Activity, and the 2003 Chancellor's Award for Research and Creative Activity.
Invitations as guest conductor for the 2005-2006 season include the Czech National Symphony Orchestra in Prague's famed Smetana Hall, the Ibero American Arts Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico, The National Symphony of Colombia, and the International Music Festival in Medellin, Colombia.
To read more about Dr. Gutierrez, please visit his website at
www.latinarts.tcu.edu/germangutierrez.
Mr. Andres Franco, conductor of the Junior Youth Orchestra, is in his fifth season as Music Director of the Philharmonia of Kansas City and recently finished his tenure as assistant conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Under his direction the Philharmonia has been praised for its continued artistic development and creative programming which have led to a steady growth in concert attendance and patron support. He will continue his relationship with the Fort Worth Symphony and will lead the orchestra as guest conductor during the 2008-2009 season.
Mr. Franco has been increasingly active in the U.S. and South America, appearing with several orchestras including the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, Medellin Philharmonic, and EAFIT Symphony. He has also conducted several choral-orchestral masterworks with various choirs including the Oregon Bach Festival Choir, Kansas City Symphony Chorus, and the Texas Boys choir. Upcoming engagements include concerts with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, the Corpus Christi Symphony, the Philharmonia of Kansas City, and the Medellin International Festival. In addition, he will join the conducting faculty at Texas Christian University as a sabbatical replacement for Dr. Germán Gutiérrez and will lead both the TCU Symphony Orchestra and the Youth Orchestra of Greater Fort Worth.
Mr. Franco's diverse performance experience includes conducting the premiere of “Escenas Convergentes”, a work written by Luis Franco involving symphony orchestra, soloists and folk musicians as well as dancers and multimedia; and “Invierno Porteno”, a co-production of the Philharmonia of Kansas City and the Kansas City Ballet School, where he appeared as piano soloist and conductor performing music by Astor Piazzolla. Most recently, Andrés joined the artist roster of "Caminos del Inka", a project created by Maestro Miguel Harth-Bedoya to rediscover, preserve, and disseminate the orchestral music of Latin America. "Caminos del Inka" was launched by the Fort Worth Symphony in 2007 and will be presented by orchestras across the United States during the 2008-2009 season and beyond.
Andrés Franco studied conducting with Maestros Leonard Slatkin,Gerard Schwarz, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Helmut Rilling, Nicholas Uljanov and German Gutierrez.
Born into a family of musicians, Andrés Franco started his studies under the direction of his father, Jorge Franco, then received instruction from composer Luis Franco and pianist Lise Frank. After being awarded a scholarship by the MAZDA Foundatioin for the Arts and Science, he moved to Bogotá, Columbia to study piano with Professor Radostina Petkova at the Universidad Javeriana, where he earned a bachelor's degree in piano performance. In 2002 he earned a master's degree in piano performance from TCU as a student of Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Jose Feghali. Mr. Franco, who also received a master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from TCU in 2003, served as assistant conductor of both the TCU Symphony Orchestra and the Youth Orchestra of Greater Fort Worth.
Mr. Franco resides in Fort Worth with his wife, Victoria Luperi, and their two-year-old maltese, Beni.
Throughout her teaching career, Mrs. Musser worked with more than 30 student teachers from area universities, many from TCU. Many of her former students are orchestra directors in Texas.
In addition to her private studio, Mrs. Musser now teaches at TCU as an adjunct professor of music education and is thrilled to join the Youth Orchestra staff. She is a member of TMEA, TODA, TMAA, and is a frequent judge and clinician throughout the state.
