Music Director and Conductor

Geoffrey Gallegos was appointed Music Director and Conductor of the Kensington Symphony Orchestra in 2004 following an extensive yearlong search. With his appointment, he became only the third music director in the orchestra's 30 plus year history. During his tenure, he has increased membership, broadened the repertoire and elevated the artistic standards of the KSO exponentially. A San Francisco native and sixth generation Californian, he began his music studies with the trumpet at the age of nine at the San Francisco Community Music Center and later with members of the San Francisco Symphony within the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Preparatory Division. Advanced degrees with honors in conducting and music education were followed at San Francisco State University and The University of Iowa School of Music. Several years he was awarded a fellowship, from a large pool of international applicants, to the prestigious Conductors' Institute.

From 1985 to 1990, Maestro Gallegos served as Associate Conductor of the San Francisco Chamber Players Orchestra. In 1991 he was appointed Principal Conductor of the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra and currently continues his long-standing relationship with the SFCO as a frequent guest conductor. In 2003, he was engaged as Assistant Conductor of the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra (N. CA) and served in that capacity until 2008. Also in 2003, Maestro Gallegos made his debut with Golden Gate Opera in San Francisco conducting I Pagliacci and was subsequently invited to assume the position of Music Director and Conductor. Since this appointment, he has conducted all productions of the company including Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica, The Telephone, Madama Butterfly and Carmen, all performances taking place at the Marin Veterans Auditorium, Marin Center, the new home of the Golden Gate Opera. Maestro Gallegos has guest conducted in Europe and throughout the United States.

Maestro Gallegos has a deep commitment to arts education. In 2001 he was appointed Music Director and Conductor of the Golden Gate Philharmonic, an all-city youth/community orchestra based in San Francisco. Also since 2001, he has participated in the Artist in Residence program at the School of the Arts (S.O.T.A.) in San Francisco where he has served as a guest conductor of the orchestra and wind ensembles, and teaches music theory and sight singing. During the 2000-01 academic year, Mr. Gallegos was appointed Conductor of the San Francisco State University Symphonic Wind Ensemble. In the summer, 2002, he was invited as a Guest Conductor of the Orchestra at Cazadero Music Camp and was reengaged for the 2004 summer session. Mr. Gallegos has appeared with the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Curtis Institute of Music Orchestra, the Chapman College Orchestra and the Carnegie Mellon University Philharmonic. He frequently serves as an adjudicator on instrumental youth competition juries throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Most recently, Maestro Gallegos was appointed Coordinator of Instrumental Music at The Nueva School in Hillsborough where he oversees the prestigious Menuhin/Dowling program. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Community Music Center in San Francisco where he lives with his wife Julie.