Our Conductors
Dr. David Grandis
WYO Music Director and Symphony Orchestra Conductor
Conductor David Grandis is currently Music Director of the Virginia Chamber Orchestra and of the College of William and Mary Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Grandis’ guest conducting opportunities have included the Virginia Chamber Orchestra, Bordeaux National Symphony Orchestra, Nice Philharmonic Orchestra, Sofia New Symphony Orchestra and Minsk Philharmonic Orchestra. He is regularly Assistant Conductor at the Lyon National Opera. Past positions as Assistant Conductor have also included: the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra in Maryland, the Capital City Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., the Baltimore Opera Company and the National Philharmonic, where he served as Cover Conductor.
A native of France, Mr. Grandis led the University Orchestra in Grenoble and created his own chamber orchestra in Nice. Upon completing his formal musical training in several conservatories and earning a B.M. in Musicology in France, he continued his conducting studies in the United States. He subsequently served as Assistant Conductor at the University of Illinois in Champaign where he received a M.M. in conducting under Donald Schleicher; at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, where he earned a Graduate Performance Diploma in conducting under Gustav Meier; and lastly at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he recently completed a D.M.A. in conducting under James Smith.
He has participated in several master classes with Marin Alsop, Gustav Meier, Rossen Milanov, Misha Kats, John Farrer, Daniel Lewis and Donald Thulean.
Mr. Grandis has an equal interest in both symphonic and lyric literature. His doctoral thesis, A la recherche du chant perdu, analyses the French style of opera singing and celebrates the era of the RTLN and its lyric company. It is published in French and in English by MJW Fédition, Paris. He has also studied voice for several years and performed roles in productions of Pagliacci (Silvio), Werther (Albert), Pelléas et Mélisande (Pelléas), Faust (Valentin), and Die Zauberflöte (Papageno). Albert Lance invited him to conduct productions of Gounod’s Faust and Puccini’s Il Tabarro in France. Mr. Grandis recently returned as Assistant Conductor at the Lyon National Opera for Strauss’ Capriccio.
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Ms. Rebecca Nixon
WYO String Orchestras Director
Rebecca Nixon began her study of the cello under the instruction of Louise Lang. Throughout Mrs. Nixon’s career, she has performed with the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, the Wooster Symphony Orchestra and the Alliance Symphony. Mrs. Nixon also performed at the Kennedy Center with
the Wooster Symphony Chamber Orchestra. While attending Bowling Green State University, she studied cello with Dr. Alan Smith, conducting with Dr. Emily Freeman Brown, and earned her Bachelors of Music in Music Education. In addition to earning her music degree, Mrs. Nixon has also
earned her Orff Certification and is working on Suzuki Certification. Mrs. Nixon taught Summer Institute for Strings at Bowling Green State University, assisted teaching string programs in Bowling Green, Ohio and Toledo, Ohio and taught orchestra and music theory at The Magnet School for the Arts in Newport News, Virginia. Mrs. Nixon also judged Assessments for Newport News Public and Williamsburg/James City County Schools and conducted the Newport News All-City Middle School and High School Orchestras. Currently, Mrs. Nixon conducts the Williamsburg Youth Orchestra’s Concert and Chamber Strings, teaches orchestra at Toano Middle School, and teaches privately.
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Mr. Jordan Stehle
WYO Junior Wind & Brass Ensemble Director
Grammy Award Nominee, Jordan Stehle, earned his Bachelor's in Music Education from Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania and his master's in music with a concentration in Kodály from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. He currently teaches general music and beginning band in the Williamsburg-James City County Public School system. In addition to his teaching, Jordan has worked with the Virginia Department of Education on several Fine Arts education development teams, standards review committees, and professional development design. Jordan was selected as a GRAMMY Music Educator of the Year semi-finalist in 2021. Jordan is an active performer in the area and has commissioned new solo works for tuba and percussion ensemble, and for band and orchestra.