Joseph Baird
AYO Philharmonic Conductor

Joseph Baird is Director of Orchestras at Crockett High School and Covington Middle School in the Austin Independent School District. In the spring of 2002, Mr. Baird received his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education along with a Certificate in Tuba Performance from The University of Texas at Austin. Having completed all coursework towards a Master's degree in Orchestral Conducting at Indiana University School of Music, he eagerly returned to Austin in the fall of 2004. In addition to his conducting post with the Austin Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, Mr. Baird has served as the Music Director/Conductor for the Austin Philharmonic Orchestra. One of his greatest aspirations is to share his love and passion for music with the younger generation in order to ensure its legacy for enriching the human spirit.

Anna Macias
AYO Philharmonic Conductor

Anna Macias was appointed as Director of Orchestras for the Lake Travis Independent School District in 1997, where she teaches at Lake Travis High School and Lake Travis Middle School. Ms. Macias has served as organizer for the Texas Music Educators Association High School Region 26 Orchestras for many years. In addition to her work with public schools, she maintains a private double bass studio. Listed in "Who's Who Among American Teachers," Ms. Macias believes that with hard work and dedication, any student can become an excellent musician. A graduate of Southwest Texas State University with a degree in Music, she studied double bass with Xuang Yuan Lu, David Neubert, and Howard Hudiburg. Ms. Macias participated in master classes with Gary Karr and attended the Northwestern Bass Camp, hosted by Jeff Bradetich. She has performed with the Balcones Orchestra, Brazos Valley Symphony, Mid-Texas Symphony, and the Abilene Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Macias currently performs with the Temple Symphony Orchestra. She also enjoys playing the double bass in musical productions and has been involved in several popular productions in the Austin area during the past decade. Ms. Macias is an active freelance bassist who has been a member of two Salsa bands and a Western Swing band. In 1997, she attended the Texas Music Camp, hosted by Johnny Gimble, and fell in love with Texas old time fiddle music and Western Swing. In 2000, she formed the Lake Travis Fiddlers, a group of talented middle and high school students who perform old time fiddle tunes and Western Swing music at various hill country functions.

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

Membership in the Austin Youth Philharmonic Orchestra is open to all interested students in grade six and above who qualify through the audition process. String students from schools with orchestra programs must be a member in good standing in their school orchestra. Wind and percussion students must be members in good standing in their school band programs. Membership in the AYO program is contingent upon return of the membership acceptance form with the school orchestra/band director's signature verifying that the student is a member in good standing in the school orchestra/band program.

TUITION FEES

There is a $100.00 per semester tuition fee for each participating member, which will be collected at the initial rehearsal of each semester to cover operational expenses for the orchestra. Membership in the AYO program is contingent upon payment of the tuition fee. Checks are to be made payable to "AISD." In the event a student decides not to participate in the AYO program after the membership tuition fee has been paid, full reimbursements will be allowed through the month of September (fall semester) and January (spring semester). There will be no reimbursements of the membership tuition fee after September and January.

REHEARSALS

The Philharmonic Orchestra rehearses on Monday evenings of the fall and spring semesters, 7:00–9:00 P.M., at Stephen F. Austin High School, 1715 West Cesar Chavez Street, Austin, TX, 78703.

ATTENDANCE

Prompt attendance is expected of students at all rehearsals and performances. The Administrative Specialist is to be notified in advance via e-mail in the event of an illness, family/personal emergency, or unavoidable conflict that will prevent the student from attending the rehearsal and/or performance. If the absence/tardy is a last-minute unexpected circumstance, you may notify the Administrative Specialist via text message or the Organizer by telephone. More than two absences within each rehearsal period between concerts will not be allowed, and the two absences may not be in succession. More than two absences or two successive absences within a rehearsal period prior to a concert and/or excessive tardiness will result in the student's dismissal from the AYO program for the remainder of the season. Contact information and a rehearsal/performance schedule have been included in the handbook as a reference for your convenience.

CONCERT ATTIRE

Each Philharmonic Orchestra member is required to perform concerts in proper attire. The formal concert attire is as follows:

• Males — Black dress slacks (no black jeans); black long-sleeved shirt; black long tie; black socks; black dress shoes (no sneakers).
• Females — Below-the-knee black dress or black below-the-knee skirt/full-length black dress slacks (no black jeans) with black sleeved blouse; black dress shoes (no sneakers or flip flops). Dresses or blouses may not be sleeveless, shoulderless, or have spaghetti straps.

Failure to comply with the concert attire requirements will result in the student not being allowed to perform in the concert.