bio

Joseph Ordaz
Biography & Repertoire List

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Joseph Ordaz is currently the Music Director and Conductor of the Mission College Symphony in Santa Clara. He has worked with many notable instructors in conducting including John Farrer, Donald Thulean, Daniel Lewis, Diane Wittry, William LaRue Jones, Adrian Gnam, Jorge Mester, Kirk Trevor, Harold Farbermann, and Mitchell Sardou Klein. He has participated in workshops including the International Conductor's Workshop at Mercer University, California Conducting Institute, "Beyond the Baton", Conductors Workshop of America at the University of Iowa, the Pacific Music Festival at Stanford University, the Conductors Institute at the University of Hartford, and Conductors Guild workshop. Other orchestras that he has worked with in workshops or rehearsal have included the Bakersfield Symphony, Norwarlk (CT) Symphony, Peninsula Symphony and
Nova Vista Symphony.

He began studying the piano at age 8 with Faith Peterman while growing up in Gilroy, CA. He received his Bachelor of Music Degree from San Jose State University and his Master of Music Degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. His primary teachers were John Delavoryas and Alfred Kanwishcer at SJSU, Milton and Peggy Salkind at SFCM, and Miyoko Lotto in New York. He has also studied harpsichord with Laurette Goldberg while at SFCM. He has performed as soloist with the Mission Chamber Ochestra, Ft. Worth Chamber Orchestra, South Valley Symphony, San Jose State University Symphony, New England Symphonic Ensemble, and at the TCU/Cliburn Piano Institute and University of Maryland International Piano Festival. He has performed in masterclasses with such noted pianists as Gary Graffman, Richard Goode, Leonard Hokansen, Jose Fegahli, Tamas Ungar. From 1991 - 2001, Mr. Ordaz has also performed as a member of the Monterey Symphony and has performed in numerous recitals throughout the Bay Area. Has received awards from the San Jose Music Study Club and TCU/Cliburn Piano Institute.

Currently, Mr. Ordaz serves as Coordinator of the Olympiad of the Arts Piano Competition in Saratoga, CA and formerly on the Board of Directors of the Steinway Society - The Bay Area. Mr. Ordaz has previously taught at Gavilan and Foothill Colleges and currently is the Chair of the Music Department at Mission College in Santa Clara, CA where he has been on the faculty since 1997.

Conducting Repertoire List

Bartok
Divertimento for Strings

Beethoven
Coriolan Overture
Piano Concerto No. 2
Romance for Violin & Orchestra, Op. 40
Symphony no. 1
Symphony no. 5
Symphony no. 8

Brahms
Serenade no. 1
Symphony no. 3

Copland
Appalachian Spring

Matt Doran
Concertino for Trombone & Strings*

Dvorak
Notturno for Strings
Romance for Violin & Orchestra
Serenade for Winds & Low Strings
Symphony no. 7

Frank
Symphony in D

Michael Hawkins
Rondo for Strings*

Haydn
Overture for an English Opera
Piano Concerto in D
Symphony no. 103 "Drumroll"

Massenett
Meditation from "Thais"

Mendelssohn
Overture to "The Hebrides"
Symphony no. 3 "Scottish"
Symphony no. 4 "Italian"

Mozart
Overture to "Cosi fan tutti"
Overture to "Don Giovanni"
Piano Concerto no. 21
Symphony no. 31 "Paris"
Symphony no. 36 "Linz"
Symphony no. 41 "Jupiter"

Rossini
Overture to "The Barber of Seville"

Saint-Saens
Romance for Horn & Orchestra

Sibelius
"Finlandia"
"Valse Triste"

Schubert
Symphony no. 2
Symphony no. 4 "Tragic"

Stravinsky
"La Histoire du Soldat" (Suite)

Tchaikovsky
Piano Concerto no. 1
Serenade for Strings

Vaughn Williams
Variations on a theme by Thomas Tallis

Vivaldi
Concerto for 2 Cellos in g minor
Concerto for 2 Violins in b minor

von Weber
Concertino for Clarinet & Orchestra
Overture to "Der Freischutz"

* denotes World Premiere

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