Plano Senior High School Chamber Orchestra

Performer Details

Performer Bio Synopsis

The string instrument program of Plano ISD began in 1974 with an initial enrollment of fifty students. Today, Plano ISD has over 3000 students enrolled in the orchestra program. The Plano Senior High Cluster alone boasts an enrollment of approximately 1400 orchestra students. Plano Senior High School is designed for the final two years of a student’s public school program offering a wide variety of academic and career major studies. The music curriculum of this school includes orchestra, band, choir, jazz band, and music theory. Honors credit is available to students in the more advanced segments of these curricula. Students in the orchestral program participate in Region 25 Orchestras and in the Texas All-State Orchestras and Bands. Over the past decade the PSHS Orchestra has consistently won Sweepstakes Awards at University Interscholastic League festivals, numerous Best in Festival awards at national music competitions, including 1994 and 2000 Grand Prize Winner for the American Classics National Festivals and 2003 Grand Champions for Musicfest Orlando. The Plano Senior High Chamber Orchestra has been chosen as the Honor String Orchestra of Texas four times in 1993, 1995, 1998, and 2000. The spring of 1995 brought a performance in the illustrious Carnegie Hall of New York City. The Plano Senior High Symphony Orchestra performed for the Music Educators National Conference in Phoenix in April of 1998. Through international competition, the PSHS Orchestra program was invited to perform three times at the prestigious Mid-West International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. The Plano Senior High Symphony Orchestra was chosen as the 2007, 2009, 2012, and most recently 2014 Texas Music Educators Association Honor Full Orchestra for the state of Texas.

Conductor's Bio

Brian Coatney, born in Arlington, Texas, began studying the cello privately at a young age of five. He continued his music studies through out high school participating in Orchestra as well as playing percussion in numerous ensembles. After graduating from high school, Coatney pursued his music career at Northwestern State University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors Degree in Music Education. In 2003, Coatney earned a Masters in Orchestral Conducting at James Madison University where he had the opportunity to study with Dr. Robert McCashin. Mr. Coatney joined the Klein High School fine arts program in 2003 as the assistant Orchestra Director as well as conducted the Houston Youth Symphony Sinfonietta Orchestra. Mr. Coatney joined the Plano Senior High School fine arts team in 2007 as the Director of Orchestral Studies. The Plano Senior Orchestra has a long tradition of success earning multiple Sweepstakes awards at UIL, Best in Class awards at national music competitions, and has performed three times at the prestigious Mid-West International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. The Plano Senior High Chamber Orchestra has been chosen as the Honor String Orchestra of Texas four times and the Plano Senior High Symphony Orchestra has been chosen as the Honor Full Orchestra four times in 2006, 2008, 2011 and most recently, 2014. Coatney was recognized in 2008 with the TexASTA Marjorie Keller Young teacher of the Year award. He is a proud member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Mu Omicron, and the professional music fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha.