This season is one we will remember for years to come. A season of change and new beginnings, one that hasn’t happened for 20 years. This season, we search for the next Vincent W. & Janet M. Carpenter Music Director of the Billings Symphony.
Six candidates, six concerts, and only one can stay.
On September 26th, we invite you all to join us at the Alberta Bair Theater to experience the first candidate to take the stage, Eric Garcia. Praised for his “elegant and expressive” conducting, he currently serves as Music Director of the Boise Philharmonic and Artistic Director and Conductor of the McCall Music Festival in Idaho.
Garcia has appeared as guest conductor with the Charlottesville Symphony, Rockford Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra, Symphony New Hampshire, and Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, among others. A dedicated advocate for contemporary music, Garcia has collaborated with composers including John Adams, Sergio Assad, and Jay Alan Yim. He has also been principal conductor at the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy. Garcia is deeply committed to music education. He has served as Associate Conductor of the Eastern Music Festival and on the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival Conducting Institute. His academic appointments have included Director of Orchestral Activities and Professor of Orchestral Conducting at both the Greenwood School of Music at Oklahoma State University and the Wanda L. Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University. He has been a clinician for high school orchestras nationwide. Garcia was a member of the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival and School. In addition to his conducting engagements, Garcia has also hosted Noted, a radio show and podcast designed to engage audiences with classical music.
As part of their application process, each candidate chose the pieces for their evening’s concert. Opening this evening, Garcia will lead the orchestra in Valerie Coleman’s Umoja (Anthem of Unity). Rather than depicting unity as uniformity, Umoja emphasizes the coexistence of contrasting musical ideas that ultimately function together, resulting in a creative melody.
Closing out the first half of the program, Guest Artist Timothy Chooi is set to join the orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto—a Billings Symphony favorite. Internationally acclaimed violinist Timothy Chooi (pronounced “Chewy”) is celebrated for his passionate interpretations, emotional depth, and dynamic stage presence. Praised for “dazzling the audience with a combination of flawless technique and heartfelt expression” (El Informador, Guadalajara), he has appeared with leading orchestras and at prestigious venues worldwide. Beyond the concert stage, Chooi is recognized as a cultural leader, committed to expanding access to classical music through education, outreach, and digital platforms that have reached millions of viewers worldwide. His artistry reflects the traditional roots of Asia, the elegance of European training, and the openness of his North American upbringing—embodying the voice of a 21st-century violinist.
The evening closes with the sunny tunes of Dvorak No. 8. Written in less than a month while at his summer home in Czech, it’s simple songful exterior hides an optimistic and ambitious interior. The folk like melodies and natural sounds are sure to transport you out of the theater directly to the Bohemian countryside. A perfect way to say goodbye to one season and hello to the next!
Dvorak No. 8 is scheduled for Saturday, September 26, at the Alberta Bair Theater. The performance begins at 7:30PM, doors open at 6:30PM, and LIVE Pre-Concert Cues begin at 6:40PM. To purchase tickets, call 406-256-6052 or visit www.billingssymphony.org.