The Orchestra for the community in Manatee and Sarasota Counties!

Kenneth Bowermeister, Music Director and Conductor

Maestro Bowermeister is the former conductor of the Florida West Coast Youth Symphony, the Florida West Coast Symphonic Strings and College Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared as guest conductor with the Florida West Coast Sympony Orchestra, The Florida Chamber Orchestra and the International Festival Orchestra or Oxford, England. In 2002, he directed the Florida All-State Seventh and Eighth Grade Orchestra and has served as conductor for many All-County Honors Orchstras throughout Florida as well as the Florida State University Summer Music Camp Orchestras.

Mr. Bowermeister retired as Director of Orchestras at Pine View School for the Gifted in Sarasota at the close of the 1999-2000 school year. During his 30 years at Pine View he developed an award-winning string program which included more than 300 students in five orchestras. The Pine View Chamber Symphony received 16 consecutive years of Superior ratings at the annual Florida Orchestra State Festival.

The recipient of many honors, Mr. Bowermeister was selected as the Teacher of the Year at Pine View School on three occasions, was twice voted Sarasota County Music Educator of the Year, and in 1998 was chosen as the Sarasota County Middle School Teacher of the Year.In 1999, he was presented with the Sarasota County Arts Council Award for Outstanding Educational Leadership in the Arts.

Mr. Bowermeister perfomed for many years as a violinist with the Florida West Coast Symphony Orchestra, where he served as Assistant-Concertmaster for over 20 years. He is a pupil of the internationally renowned Hungarian violinist Kato Havas and is a well-known teacher of her exciting and revolutionary new approach to string playing. In addition to working with the students of his extensive private studio, Mr. Bowermeister has been the instructor for the Adult String Program of the Florida West Coast Symphony Music Education classes for the past six years.

A graduate of New College, the Honors College of the State of Florida, Mr. Bowermeister is a member the National Music Educators conference, the Florida Music Educators Association, the Florida Orchestra Association and the American String Teachers / National School Orchestra Association.