2025 Conductors
Concert Band - Matthew Morse
Dr. Matthew Morse is currently Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music in the School of Music at California State University, Sacramento, where he conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the Concert Band, oversees the Marching Band, and teaches courses in undergraduate and graduate conducting. He is in demand as a clinician and guest conductor throughout California and nationwide and the Sacramento State Symphonic Wind Ensemble has been selected to perform at this year's California All-State Music Education Conference in Fresno in February 2019.
Prior to his appointment at Sacramento State, Dr. Morse graduated in May 2017 with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Wind Conducting from the University of North Texas, where he was a conducting student of Eugene Migliaro Corporon. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in Instrumental Conducting in 2013 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was a student of Dr. Jack Stamp, and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, New Jersey, in 2011.
Concurrent with finishing his undergraduate degree in 2011, Dr. Morse retired as a chief warrant officer four following a 25-year military music career with the United States Army. Early in his career, Dr. Morse served for nearly 12 years as a multi-instrumentalist performing primarily on euphonium and trombone and serving two tours each with the 4th Infantry Division Band at Fort Carson, Colorado, and the United States Army Japan Band, Camp Zama, Japan. In 1997, Dr. Morse was selected to become a warrant officer bandmaster and served as the commander and conductor of the 3rd Infantry Division Band at Fort Stewart, Georgia, the 1st Armored Division Band, then stationed Wiesbaden, Germany, and the 282nd Army “Victory” Band at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He deployed as a band commander to combat zones in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2000 and twice to Iraq during a 15-month period in 2003-04. In 2007, Dr. Morse was selected by competitive audition for his capstone assignment as the associate bandmaster and director of the Jazz Knights of the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, New York, where he shared the stage with numerous name artists and soloists.
Dr. Morse has appeared as a guest conductor with many groups, including the United States Army Field Band, the United States Army Europe Band and Chorus, and the West Point Band. As an instrumentalist, he has performed on bass trombone in recent years with the North Texas Wind Symphony, the Keystone Wind Ensemble, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Wind and Jazz Ensembles, and the Pueblo Symphony Orchestra in Pueblo, Colorado, along with various freelance settings, including an orchestra backing Bernadette Peters in 2012 and a big band backing Doc Severinsen in 2014.
Dr. Morse’s military decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters. Other awards and recognitions include the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands for his work with the 282nd Army Band in 2007, and the South Suburban Conference (Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area) Achievement Award in Fine Arts in 2013. Additionally, Dr. Morse received the Thomas Jefferson High School (Bloomington, Minnesota) Fine Arts Hall of Fame award in 2009. Morse also holds a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do through Young Brothers Tae Kwon Do Associates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Morse’s professional affiliations include the College Band Directors’ National Association, National Band Association, National Association for Music Education and the California Music Educators Association, California Band Director's Association, Northern California Band Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
Prior to his appointment at Sacramento State, Dr. Morse graduated in May 2017 with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Wind Conducting from the University of North Texas, where he was a conducting student of Eugene Migliaro Corporon. He also earned a Master of Arts degree in Instrumental Conducting in 2013 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was a student of Dr. Jack Stamp, and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, New Jersey, in 2011.
Concurrent with finishing his undergraduate degree in 2011, Dr. Morse retired as a chief warrant officer four following a 25-year military music career with the United States Army. Early in his career, Dr. Morse served for nearly 12 years as a multi-instrumentalist performing primarily on euphonium and trombone and serving two tours each with the 4th Infantry Division Band at Fort Carson, Colorado, and the United States Army Japan Band, Camp Zama, Japan. In 1997, Dr. Morse was selected to become a warrant officer bandmaster and served as the commander and conductor of the 3rd Infantry Division Band at Fort Stewart, Georgia, the 1st Armored Division Band, then stationed Wiesbaden, Germany, and the 282nd Army “Victory” Band at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He deployed as a band commander to combat zones in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2000 and twice to Iraq during a 15-month period in 2003-04. In 2007, Dr. Morse was selected by competitive audition for his capstone assignment as the associate bandmaster and director of the Jazz Knights of the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, New York, where he shared the stage with numerous name artists and soloists.
Dr. Morse has appeared as a guest conductor with many groups, including the United States Army Field Band, the United States Army Europe Band and Chorus, and the West Point Band. As an instrumentalist, he has performed on bass trombone in recent years with the North Texas Wind Symphony, the Keystone Wind Ensemble, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Wind and Jazz Ensembles, and the Pueblo Symphony Orchestra in Pueblo, Colorado, along with various freelance settings, including an orchestra backing Bernadette Peters in 2012 and a big band backing Doc Severinsen in 2014.
Dr. Morse’s military decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters. Other awards and recognitions include the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands for his work with the 282nd Army Band in 2007, and the South Suburban Conference (Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area) Achievement Award in Fine Arts in 2013. Additionally, Dr. Morse received the Thomas Jefferson High School (Bloomington, Minnesota) Fine Arts Hall of Fame award in 2009. Morse also holds a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do through Young Brothers Tae Kwon Do Associates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Morse’s professional affiliations include the College Band Directors’ National Association, National Band Association, National Association for Music Education and the California Music Educators Association, California Band Director's Association, Northern California Band Association, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
Concert Choir - John Tebay
John Tebay began his career in 1981 as the director of choral activities at El Dorado High School in Placentia, California. In 1985, he became the director of choral studies at Fullerton College in Southern California, served as the Dean of Fine Arts, and has recently retired from Fullerton College. During his tenure as Director of Choral Activities, he has conducted the 110-voice Concert Choir, the Chamber Singers, the Collegiate Chorale, the Men’s Chorale, the Women’s Chorale, the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and the song and dance troupe, Bravo. Mr. Tebay’s choirs have performed throughout the United States and Canada. They have performed at ACDA, CASMEC, CMEA and NCCO Conventions, and they have been a guest choir in Mainland China, performing with the Beijing University Symphony and the Shanghi University Symphony. In addition, the choir has competed in the International Eisteddfod Choral Competition in Llangollen Wales, the Seghizzi International Choral Competition in Gorizia, Italy, and the Singkreis Porcia Spittal Choral Competition in Spittal, Austria. Mr. Tebay has conducted regional and all-state honor choirs, and has been a choral adjudicator, clinician and competition judge throughout the Western United States.
Jazz Band - Mike Galisatus
Michael Galisatus is the director of the Stanford University Jazz Orchestra, the Stanford Jazz Workshop “Miles Ahead” Big Band, and professor emeritus at the College of San Mateo. Mr. Galisatus has produced award winning jazz and symphonic groups since 1980 and has been the recipient of various teaching honors including the California Music Educators Association (CMEA) Jazz Educator of the year, The CMEA Bay Section Outstanding Jazz Educator Award, The Peninsula Arts Council Arts Educator of the Year, the Otter Distributors 2004 Jazz Educator Award for the state of California, the California PTA Honorary Service Award, and the CMEA Bay Section Gil Freitas Memorial Award for music education.
Mr. Galisatus is in demand as a guest conductor and clinician throughout the western United States, including organizations such as the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Stanford Jazz Workshop, California Alliance for Jazz, and a host of others. In addition, Mr. Galisatus has presented workshops abroad, including Japan, China, Norway, Mexico, and Canada. He is currently the conductor of the Stanford Live Orchestra and has conducted orchestra concerts for Gregory Porter, Rufus Wainwright, and Ann Hampton Callaway.
As a freelance trumpeter in the San Francisco Bay Area, Michael has studied under William Adam (Indiana University), John Coppola (Stan Kenton, Woody Herman), Joe Alessi (SFSU), and Chris Bogios (SF Symphony). Mr. Galisatus has recorded with Pete Escovedo, and Queen Ida, and has performed with a variety of artists including Tito Puente, Sheila E., Louis Bellson, Kenny Washington, Paula West, Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis, Michael Feinstein, Mel Tormé, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The O’Jays, and many others.
Mr. Galisatus is in demand as a guest conductor and clinician throughout the western United States, including organizations such as the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Stanford Jazz Workshop, California Alliance for Jazz, and a host of others. In addition, Mr. Galisatus has presented workshops abroad, including Japan, China, Norway, Mexico, and Canada. He is currently the conductor of the Stanford Live Orchestra and has conducted orchestra concerts for Gregory Porter, Rufus Wainwright, and Ann Hampton Callaway.
As a freelance trumpeter in the San Francisco Bay Area, Michael has studied under William Adam (Indiana University), John Coppola (Stan Kenton, Woody Herman), Joe Alessi (SFSU), and Chris Bogios (SF Symphony). Mr. Galisatus has recorded with Pete Escovedo, and Queen Ida, and has performed with a variety of artists including Tito Puente, Sheila E., Louis Bellson, Kenny Washington, Paula West, Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis, Michael Feinstein, Mel Tormé, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The O’Jays, and many others.
Jazz Choir - Jeremy Fox
Grammy nominated Dr. Jeremy Fox is a Professor of Choral/Vocal Jazz at Mt. San Antonio College, directing vocal jazz ensembles, teaching jazz voice lessons, as well as Audio Arts classes. For 14 years, Dr. Fox taught full - time at the School for Music Vocations program, for many years conducting vocal and instrumental ensembles alongside renowned arranger Phil Mattson. He is excited to help craft a newly - created jazz certificate program at Mt. San Antonio College to go hand - in - hand with their phenomenal award - winning ensembles. The new certificate is being designed to serve to empower musicians with skills not taught at most traditional collegiate programs.
He is in demand as a festival and conference clinician, and has served as guest conductor for fifteen All - State ensembles throughout the U.S. and Canada. His ensembles have been invited numerous times to prestigious conference such as the Jazz Education Network ’ s Annual Conference – and his ensemble was the only collegiate group to represent vocal jazz at the most recent American Choral Directors Association National Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Fox earned his Bachelors degree in Piano -Jazz Studies from Western Michigan University, and his Masters and Doctorate in Jazz Compositon from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. As a student, he was the recipient of 11 awards from Downbeat Magazine, including ones for: Jazz Song, Jazz Arrangement, Studio Engineering, and for the Vocal Jazz Group he conducted as an undergraduate student.
As an instructor, his ensembles have been recognized by Downbeat Magazine as “Best Community College Small Vocal Jazz Ensemble ” 3 times, while earning Outstanding Performance 3 other occasions. For 20 years, Jeremy led the SMV Vocal Jazz Camps in the U.S. and Canada, and has led 15 annual Jazz Harmony Retreats – empowering educational workshop for choral educators who have simply may have never had the opportunity to learn the nuts and bolts of jazz arranging and accompanying. Dr. Fox publishes his compositions through his own website, and is a member of ASCAP. His arrangements are also published by Anchor Music Publications, UNC Jazz Press, with JazzMusic, Alfred Music , and Sheet Music Plus. He has been commissioned by dozens of high schools and colleges to write pieces for their vocal jazz ensembles, concert/chamber choirs, big bands, and studio orchestras. His music has been written for or performed by: Take 6, The Real Group, New York Voices, m-pact, Cadence, Theo Bleckmann, Terence Blanchard, John Secada, and Metropolitan Opera singers Eric Owens and Denyce Graves. He is the Musical Director of Bossa Nova Sinfónico with a Brazilian quartet including singer Rose Max, and with this group has conducted the National Symphonic Orchestra of Cuba, and twice conducted the Costa Rican National Orchestra. Audio from the concert in Costa Rica earned a Latin Grammy Award, and videos have yielded over 15 millions views on YouTube. He has also twice been invited to guest conduct the f med Henry Mancini Institute Jazz Orchestra in Miami, Florida. His inaugural album was entitled “With Love” and features his big band and orchestral arrangements for a phenomenal line - up of singers, including Rose Max and Ramatis Moraes, Kate Reid, Kate McGarry, Lauren Kinhan and Peter Eldridge (from the New York Voices ), Anders Edenroth (from The Real Group ), Derek Fawcett, Wendy Pedersen, Sunny Wilkinson, and Kevin Mahogany. His arrangement of “All My Tomorrows ” featuring Kate McGarry was nominated for “ Best Arrangement – Instruments and Vocals” at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.
He is in demand as a festival and conference clinician, and has served as guest conductor for fifteen All - State ensembles throughout the U.S. and Canada. His ensembles have been invited numerous times to prestigious conference such as the Jazz Education Network ’ s Annual Conference – and his ensemble was the only collegiate group to represent vocal jazz at the most recent American Choral Directors Association National Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Fox earned his Bachelors degree in Piano -Jazz Studies from Western Michigan University, and his Masters and Doctorate in Jazz Compositon from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. As a student, he was the recipient of 11 awards from Downbeat Magazine, including ones for: Jazz Song, Jazz Arrangement, Studio Engineering, and for the Vocal Jazz Group he conducted as an undergraduate student.
As an instructor, his ensembles have been recognized by Downbeat Magazine as “Best Community College Small Vocal Jazz Ensemble ” 3 times, while earning Outstanding Performance 3 other occasions. For 20 years, Jeremy led the SMV Vocal Jazz Camps in the U.S. and Canada, and has led 15 annual Jazz Harmony Retreats – empowering educational workshop for choral educators who have simply may have never had the opportunity to learn the nuts and bolts of jazz arranging and accompanying. Dr. Fox publishes his compositions through his own website, and is a member of ASCAP. His arrangements are also published by Anchor Music Publications, UNC Jazz Press, with JazzMusic, Alfred Music , and Sheet Music Plus. He has been commissioned by dozens of high schools and colleges to write pieces for their vocal jazz ensembles, concert/chamber choirs, big bands, and studio orchestras. His music has been written for or performed by: Take 6, The Real Group, New York Voices, m-pact, Cadence, Theo Bleckmann, Terence Blanchard, John Secada, and Metropolitan Opera singers Eric Owens and Denyce Graves. He is the Musical Director of Bossa Nova Sinfónico with a Brazilian quartet including singer Rose Max, and with this group has conducted the National Symphonic Orchestra of Cuba, and twice conducted the Costa Rican National Orchestra. Audio from the concert in Costa Rica earned a Latin Grammy Award, and videos have yielded over 15 millions views on YouTube. He has also twice been invited to guest conduct the f med Henry Mancini Institute Jazz Orchestra in Miami, Florida. His inaugural album was entitled “With Love” and features his big band and orchestral arrangements for a phenomenal line - up of singers, including Rose Max and Ramatis Moraes, Kate Reid, Kate McGarry, Lauren Kinhan and Peter Eldridge (from the New York Voices ), Anders Edenroth (from The Real Group ), Derek Fawcett, Wendy Pedersen, Sunny Wilkinson, and Kevin Mahogany. His arrangement of “All My Tomorrows ” featuring Kate McGarry was nominated for “ Best Arrangement – Instruments and Vocals” at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.