About us

Meet Our Conductor

The 2023-2024 season marks Maestro Clay Couturiaux’s twelfth season as Music Director and Conductor of the Richardson Symphony Orchestra and his twenty-second year as Assistant Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of North Texas.

Maestro Couturiaux has accumulated over two decades of experience conducting professional symphony orchestras and teaching at the university level.  His career has taken him across the United States, Europe, and Asia including concerts with the Milano Classica Orchestra da Camera of Milan, Italy and in Taipei with the National Taiwan Normal University Symphony Orchestra.  Other professional conducting engagements include performances with the Abilene Philharmonic, Arkansas Symphony, Austin Symphony, Ballet Arlington (now Metropolitan Classical Ballet), East Texas Symphony Orchestra, Texas Chamber Orchestra, and Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra.

As Assistant Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of North Texas, Dr. Couturiaux teaches fundamentals of conducting technique, advanced orchestral conducting, administrates the orchestral studies area, and is conductor of the UNT Concert Orchestra.  Additional recent highlights include conducting the UNT Symphony Orchestra in concert for an audience of 37,000 at Cowboys Stadium in a major collaboration with the North Texas XLV Super Bowl Host Committee, NFL Films, and Tim McGraw.  Couturiaux has also recorded with the UNT Chamber Orchestra on the Crystal Records label.

In March 2013 the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council named Maestro Couturiaux the recipient of the Edmund Williamson Artist of the Year Award.  The award is presented to an artist who the selection committee feels has made the most significant contribution to the improvement of the quality of life for Northeast Louisiana.

Raised in Texas, Couturiaux began his musical studies at the age of eight in violoncello and piano.  He holds degrees in both conducting and violoncello performance from the University of North Texas.  In addition, he developed his conducting skills at the world-renowned Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and Orchestra Musicians in Maine and at the National Arts Centre Conductors Programme in Ottawa, Canada. The long list of distinguished conductors with whom Couturiaux studied includes Anshel Brusilow, Jorma Panula, Michael Jinbo, Hugh Wolff, Neal Gittleman, Carl Topilow, and Harold Farberman.

RSO Conductors

Maestro Chris Xeros
Founding Conductor
1961 - 1992

Maestro Anshel Brusilow
Music Director & Conductor
1992 - 2012

Maestro Clay Couturiaux
Music Director & Conductor
2012 - present

Our Mission:

To engage, educate and unite our community with inspiring musical performances.

History of the RSO

Founded in 1961, the Richardson Symphony has grown with the DFW metroplex and is recognized as one of the premier orchestras of the region. It is the resident symphony of the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts and offers a variety of classical and pops concerts each season programmed to appeal to the varied audiences of the area.

Throughout its history, the orchestra has been known for its innovative programming and as a showplace for brilliant up-and-coming talent. Many notable artists have made their DFW symphony debut with the RSO, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Nadia Solaerno-Sonnenberg and pianist Behzod Abduraimov.

In addition to the critically-acclaimed season performances, the Richardson Symphony is also widely regarded as a leader in education and community outreach programs. The Ann & Charles Eisemann International Young Artists Competition draws talented young performers from around the world each year. The orchestra is also actively involved in providing an introduction to classical music for the third grade students of the Richardson Independent School District and in local private schools.

The Richardson Symphony Orchestra is supported by a dedicated Board of Directors, the Richardson Symphony League, RSL Debutantes and Honor Guard, and other community volunteers, all of whom play a vital role in the success of the Richardson Symphony.

Consistent with our belief in the power of music and our mission, we believe that music is something that should be available and accessible to everyone. Therefore, the Richardson Symphony orchestra pledges a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This commitment is a crucial aspect of our mission, not a mere gesture. Our efforts to this end are reflected throughout the organization, ensuring that the RSO is representative of and accessible to our entire community.

Richardson Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Leslie Benson

Board Chairman;
Software Engineer

Cameron Gross

Immediate Past Chairman;
Manufacturing Manager, Texas Instruments

Laurie Garvie

RSO Executive Director &
President

Lisa Kupfer

Secretary;
Membership & Development Manager, The Sixth Floor Museum

Angela Loggenberg

VP Finance;
Finance Director, Texas Instruments

Joe Quirk

VP Board Development; Program Manager, L-3 Communications, Retired

Hank Mulvihill

Member At Large;
Director and Senior Wealth Advisor, Smith Anglin Financial

Monica Scott

VP Special Events;
Owner, Logotology

Cathy Troy

Member At Large;
Preschool Teacher

Jamie Whitesell

VP Education;
IT Program Manager, Mary Kay

DIRECTORS

Gayle Anderson

CFO, Kalkomey Enterprises

Mary Boyter

Community Representative

Catherine Burdette

Video/Audio Producer, Infosys

Sandy Cook

Community Representative

Manasseh Durkin

President, Durkin Enterprises

Sean Flynn

PE, LEED GA, Revolution Developments

James Hayden

Owner, Hayden Pool Service Inc.

Jay Jolly

Director of Commercial Operations, NETSCOUT

Lynn McCoy

Member at Large;
Community Representative

Neil Orleans

Attorney, Ross, Smith & Binford, P.C.

Sharon Snayd

Community Representative

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS

Susan Kassen

Richardson Symphony League Liaison

Sandy Palisch

COR Cultural Arts Commission Liaison

Clay Couturiaux

Conductor/Music Director

Linda Proch

Orchestra Representative

EMERITUS MEMBERS

Bonnie Perry

Community Representative

Richardson Symphony Orchestra Staff

Laurie Garvie

Executive Director & President

Aaron Albin

Director of Audience Development
& Community Engagement

Faith Townsend

Marketing & Development Manager



Jill Burt

 Accounting Manager

Emily Townsend

Music Librarian

David Elias

Production Manager