Alvin Thomas, President

Houston Civic Symphony experience:
President, 2007 - ;Vice President, 2006-07; Treasurer, 2004-06; Assistant Treasurer, 2003-04

Musical background:
I began playing violin at age 11, and viola at age 12. I had a viola scholarship at the University of Oklahoma, and played in the University Orchestra my freshman and sophomore years, leaving the orchestra when it became clear that it was impossible to play in the orchestra and be a varsity swimmer at the same time.

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Cliff Wright, Vice President

Cliff joined Houston Civic Symphony in 2004 after a 31 year "vacation" from musical performance. He attended Memphis State University on a music scholarship, but ending up in electrical engineering. After obtaining his BSEE degree, he spent many years in the geophysical business, traveling around the world, specializing in marine survey systems. He now specializes in Enterprise Compliance Software as an employee of a major software company.

Locally, Cliff has played with Houston Sinfonietta, Fort Bend Symphony, Galveston Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, and the Doctor's Orchestra, now Texas Medical Center Orchestra.

Cliff and his wife Carol, Civic's Principal horn, have known each other since the second grade. Both are active members of the Esprit de Cor de Houston horn ensemble which performs often in the Houston area.

Amy Kraeger, Secretary

The 2011-2012 season marks Amy's fourth with HCSO. Amy started playing violin at the age of 10. She frequently performs with the church band at Salem Lutheran Church in Tomball, TX, and teaches private violin and viola lessons in her home studio. Apart from music, Amy is an ER/ICU nurse.

Jennifer Isadore, Treasurer

Jennifer Isadore received her Bachelor of Music in flute performance from DePaul University and her Master of Music in flute performance from The University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory of Music (U.M.K.C.). She has been the principal flute for the Houston Civic Symphony since 2002 and the principal flute of The Symphony of Southeast Texas since 2004. Jennifer has soloed with the Houston Civic Symphony on two occasions. In 2004 she performed J.S. Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 2 in b minor, BWV 1067. In January 2011, she performed as winner of the first annual Houston Civic Symphony Members Concerto Competition, playing Lowell Liebermann's Concerto for Flute and Orchestra. Jennifer will perform this same piece again with the Symphony of Southeast Texas in October 2011. Outside of orchestral playing, Jennifer maintains a small flute studio in her home and serves as the adjunct faculty member in flute at Lamar University in Beaumont.

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Robert Walp, Director

Robert Walp joined the Houston Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Principal Trumpet in 1983. Originally from Pasadena, California, Mr. Walp studied with Walter Laursen (Principal Trumpet, Pasadena Symphony Orchestra) and Thomas Stevens (Principal Trumpet, Los Angeles Philharmonic) before moving to Chicago to study with Vincent Cichowicz at Northwestern University.

As a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Mr. Walp studied with Adolph Herseth and Arnold Jacobs of the Chicago Symphony. After graduating from Northwestern University in 1982, Mr. Walp worked with Albert Calvayrac in France, and Timofei Dokshizter, Solo Trumpet of the Bolshoi in Moscow.

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Lawrence Rushdi, Director

Michael Barron, Director

Michael Barron is a Board Member and Principal Clarinet for the Houston Civic Symphony. Mr. Barron is also Clarinet Section Leader for the Lone Star Symphonic Band, and served as Executive Vice President of that organization until 2010. He is also President of The Challenger Group, a Houston based Software Company. He holds an MBA from Case Western University, and a B.Sc. in Mathematics from The University of Aberdeen, in Scotland."

Brian Runnels, Music Director & Conductor

Dr. Brian Runnels first conducted the Houston Civic Symphony in 1979 when he served as Apprentice Conductor with the orchestra under Robert Linder. Since that time, he has conducted orchestras, musical theatre, oratorio, and opera in Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, and Kentucky. He returned to Houston in 2005 to serve as Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Houston Baptist University. After earning a degree in music education at that institution he went on to earn a masters degree in church music and choral conducting at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in orchestra conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He has had additional conducting training at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria and in the United States with Max Rudolf and Herbert Blomstedt. He has held teaching positions at Bemidji State University in Minnesota and Murray State University in Kentucky.

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Michael Isadore, Associate Conductor

Michael Alan Isadore came to Houston after graduating with Masters Degrees in conducting and clarinet performance from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, Conservatory of Music. Since moving to Houston, Isadore has built an important career teaching and conducting while maintaining his recognized performance ability on the clarinet. As a conductor, Isadore was appointed the Associate Conductor of the Houston Civic Symphony starting with the 2007 season, was guest conductor of the Brazosport Symphony Orchestra in 2003, The Civic Symphony of Houston in 2004 and the Houston Sinfonietta on two occasions in 2004 and 2005. Recently, Isadore joined the staff of the Houston Youth Symphony as one of their conductors. Isadore has been director of the Dulles High School Orchestra since 1999. Under his leadership, the Dulles Orchestra was chosen to play at the Midwest Convention in Chicago in December 2004 and was chosen as the Runner up for TMEA Honor Orchestra in 2005.

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