Skip to main content

Time:

Friday
December, 20, 2019
01:30 PM - 02:30 PM

Location:

Ballroom W183

Category

HIGH SCHOOL STRING ORCHESTRAS

Conductor

Sixto Elizondo IV

Performer Details

Performer Bio Synopsis

Reagan High School is situated in the north central area of San Antonio, and will celebrate it's 20th anniversary this year. The school has a rich fine arts tradition, with many national recognitions, in all disciplines, spanning it’s history. Reagan fine arts enjoys an incredible amount of community support, with 40% of the 3,500 enrolled students involved in a performing group. All of our music programs are supported by strong booster organizations, providing financial, organizational and volunteer support to the directors and students. The orchestra program is fed by two successful feeder middle schools, Barbara Bush, and Jose Lopez. The Reagan Orchestra has 8 performing ensembles. 5 string orchestras meet daily, over 6 class periods, and two full orchestras meet outside of the school day during the course of the year. The Philharmonic Orchestra, which begins rehearsing in January, prepares a program for the UIL Concert and Sight Reading Evaluation. It is comprised of the members of the junior varsity band and orchestra. The Ronald Reagan Symphony Orchestra meets year-round, beginning in September, members of the Reagan Wind Ensemble audition for seats in the RRSO, and the ensemble meets once per week for 2 hours. This is made possible through the cooperative collaboration of our band faculty. The RRSO annually performs a Young People's Concert for approximately 1500 elementary and middle school students in our cluster. Our newest addition is a harp ensemble, which meets once per week, and performs at events around the district, and surrounding area. Each of our orchestras prepares five concert cycles annually. Ensembles are all ability based, determined by audition at the end of the prior year. The repertoire for each ensemble ranges from grade 2 literature, for the entry level ensemble, to grade 5 and 6 literature for the "honor" ensemble. Students are also offered weekly coaching if they choose to participate in Region and All State Orchestra auditions, or Solo and Ensemble. The Reagan Orchestra has enjoyed great success in competition, annually earning 40+ Region Orchestra seats for the last 6 years, and earning 6 seats in TMEA All State ensembles in 2019. Additionally, the ensemble annually takes 70+ events to solo and ensemble and 40% of those entries advance to the Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest. The Reagan Orchestra was awarded a Finalist Honorable Mention in the 2017 American Prize competition, and our Fine Arts Department musical was named “Best Overall Production” by the Las Casas foundation in 2019. The Reagan Orchestra has a longstanding tradition of excellence in performance, competition, and service. under the direction of Sixto Elizondo IV.

Ronald Reagan High School Chamber Orchestra

Conductor's Bio

Sixto Elizondo IV is the Orchestra Director at Reagan H.S. in San Antonio, Texas, and is celebrating his 20th year of teaching. He conducts the Chamber Orchestra and three of the non-varsity orchestras in the Reagan program. He also enjoys coaching chamber groups and the students in the orchestras under the direction of Nathan Sharplin. In addition, he conducts the musical, annually presented by the Reagan Fine Arts Department. Under his direction, the Reagan Orchestra program has tripled in size, has consistently won sweepstakes awards at UIL, and has received commendations in regional and national competitions. Elizondo has served his state educators associations in many capacities. Positions include: Region Chair, All State Orchestra Organizer, All State Orchestra Student Registration Chair, and Past President of Mu Omicron. He currently serving on the board of the Texas Orchestra Directors Association, where he most recently served as President. He is honored to receive invitations to adjudicate UIL events and festivals, and to conduct region orchestra clinics around the state each year. Mr. Elizondo is a graduate of Baylor University. Professional affiliations include TODA, TMEA, TMAA, and Mu Omicron. Mr. Elizondo has been a member of the Corpus Christi Symphony for 23 years and performs frequently as a freelance violinist and vocalist in the San Antonio area. He and his wife Heather have been married for 19 years, and they have two children: Eos and Sixto V. He is an avid cook and enjoys preparing food for family and friends

Additional Directors

Nathan Sharplin

Back