Conference Orchestra Concert
Conference Program
Conductor: Shannon Houston
Shannon Houston grew up in the Bay Area suburb of Antioch where he began playing violin at the age of 8. With the encouragement of his teachers throughout high school, he decided to pursue a degree in music. He attended Sacramento State where he earned his Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance, followed by his teaching credential. He is now a proud music teacher with Berkeley Unified School District where he teaches beginning strings, and directs the Longfellow Middle School Orchestra. Shannon likes to combine his performance and teaching abilities into his everyday life to create a lively atmosphere around him where he is able to spread his joy of music. He brings experience from performing with the Sacramento Philharmonic, Sacramento Baroque Soloists, Oakland Civic Orchestra, and many other ensembles to the forefront of the classroom to help inspire young musicians.
Upon moving back to the Bay Area, Shannon found in addition to teaching music in the schools that he wanted to lead a youth symphony. What he found lacking were opportunities for underprivileged students and students of color within the community outside of schools. With much support from parents and teachers in the community, and eagerness from students at the idea of creating a group for them, he formed the New Apollo Youth Symphony Orchestra. He now directs both orchestras within the organization, bringing more musical opportunities to local students both in and outside of Berkeley.
Shannon now lives in the heart of Berkeley, where you can often find him exploring the city’s many offerings of food. He continues to find ways to build music into the lives of children both in and out of the classroom, and hopes to expand the New Apollo into a large organization to help young musicians throughout the entire Bay Area.