Cinco Ranch High School Sinfonia

Performer Details

Performer Bio Synopsis

Cinco Ranch High School is the fourth public high school in the Katy Independent School District with a total enrollment of 3,715 students. The high school is the first High School to open in the master planned community known as Cinco Ranch. Located in the western suburbs of Houston Texas, Cinco Ranch is closest to Katy, Texas. The student population is diverse as it reflects the state of Texas and this part of Fort Bend County. The “secret sauce” of the Cinco Ranch High School Orchestra Program is the fundamental promise that those members of the orchestra program will come together as a family in the orchestra room, which is their home away from home, working collaboratively in a positively engaged environment of fellow hard working student musicians. Throughout the year, the 150 plus members of the orchestra are divided into six different performance ensembles. Student placement is ideally determined where each student may contribute to the success of the ensemble as well as have an opportunity for continued personal growth on their instrument. Mentioned earlier, the Orchestra room is the home away from home for these students and we provide a safe and inclusive space from all backgrounds. The CRHS program is successful because of the diversity of our students and our surrounding community. The directors believe that performing great music in a positively engaged collaborative environment of hard-working student musicians leads to the continued development of their character as well as an opportunity for students to demonstrate leadership both in and outside of rehearsal. Cinco Ranch cluster is fortunate that we have more conservatory trained directors than any other cluster in Katy ISD. The performance demonstrates to the public that the directors are also accomplished musicians. The positive collaborative environment is the secret sauce which many of our alumni mention how proud they are of their association of the Orchestra Program during their time at Cinco Ranch High School.

Cinco Ranch High School Sinfonia

Conductor's Bio

Celebrating his thirty-second year of public-school teaching, Mr. Nelsen is sought after as a leading clinician, adjudicator, and presenter for various schools, regions and collegiate classrooms and ensembles across Texas. Raised in Houston, Mr. Nelsen is a graduate of Rice University, received his music certification through Sam Houston State University and holds a Masters Degree in Music Education from The University of Houston. Brett Nelsen has been the Orchestra Director at Cinco Ranch High School since the campus opened in 1999. In that time, his orchestras have gained a National Reputation for Musical excellence. He has performed in some of the most prestigious concert halls in the United States including an outstanding debut in Carnegie Hall in 2006. In addition to performances at Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center, the orchestra has done studio work for the Walt Disney Company at both Orlando, Florida and Anaheim, California. Performing across Texas, the orchestra has won many coveted awards. They have been selected as Texas Music Educators Association Honor Orchestra Finalist nine times. They have been selected as the National Award Winner in the Director’s Choice Foundation for Music Education Orchestras in 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2022. They have consistently earned top prizes and have earned Outstanding Orchestra Awards in Festivals across Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. The orchestra program has consistently earned Sweepstakes awards in the UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Contests. In 2010, the orchestra had its Midwest Clinic Debut. In 2020, the orchestra was named the Grand National Champion of the American String Teachers Association National Orchestra Festival in Orlando, Florida and in 2022, the Sinfonia Orchestra performed as an invited ensemble for the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in February 2022. Several former students are now accomplished musicians and music educators.

Additional Directors

Oscar Vera

G. Damon Archer