Please let us know if you are interested in playing with the San Tan Orchestra and what instrument(s) you play.

Meet Katherine Shields - Director of the San Tan Orchestra

Katherine Shields, conductor, is Adjunct faculty at Chandler-Gilbert Community College and a member of the Arizona Opera Orchestra. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Arizona State University (Tempe) where she was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda.

Katherine began her study of conducting as a high school student in Winnetka, IL. She has worked with youth orchestras in Phoenix and Orlando (FL) and has adjudicated Solo & Ensemble Festival, Regional Orchestra and All-State Orchestra auditions in both states. She has been clinician for Tempe District Honor Orchestra and presented a session entitled “Boot Camp for Band Directors” at the Arizona Music Educators Association annual conference. For the Arizona Department of Education Katherine presented a three-day workshop on “Literacy through Music” for students at Tsaile School on the Navajo Reservation. She has conducted at ASU High School Invitational Strings
Day and Virtuoso Violas Day. Katherine has conducted the Western State College (Gunnison, CO) College/Community Orchestra and is a former Orchestra Director for Tempe Unified High School District.

An avid chamber musician, Katherine is a member of ensembles Seventh Roadrunner and Quartet Sabaku, a group on the Teaching Artists Roster of the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Katherine is faculty for the West Valley Youth Orchestra’s “Chamber Music Camp,” the “Fall Colors Chamber Music Workshop” in Silverton, CO and is Director of the Chamber Music Workshop of Chaparral MusicFest in Prescott.

Katherine’s articles have been published in “The Leading Tone,” the newsletter of the Regional Orchestra Players’ Association (ROPA) and online at AZOOMA.com and Scribd.com. She is a former member of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, The Phoenix Symphony, Florida Symphony Orchestra, and the Chicago String Ensemble. Katherine resides in the East Valley with her family of humans, canines, and assorted musical instruments.

Winter Rehearsal Locations:

Mon. 2/6 - 7-9 pm  --  Jaycee Courtyard (640 N. Center St., Mesa AZ 85201)
Thurs. 2/9 - 7-9 pm -- Our Savior Lutheran Church
Thurs. 2/16 - 7-9 pm -- Our Savior Lutheran Church
Thurs. 2/23 - 7-9 pm -- Our Savior Lutheran Church

Spring Session:
Haydn’s The Seasons Rehearsal Start Date: February 28, 2012 Performance Dates: Saturday – 6:30 pm May 5, 2012  - Sun Lakes United Methodist Church (Sun Lakes) Sunday – 3:00 pm May 6, 2012 - Gold Canyon United Methodist Church (Gold Canyon) CLICK FOR PRINTABLE FLYER!