ALEXANDER JIMÉNEZ, Associate Professor of Conducting, serves as Director of Orchestras and Coordinator of Strings at the College of Music at The Florida State University. Dr. Jiménez is Music Director of both the University Symphony Orchestra and the University Philharmonia, and oversees the graduate program in Orchestral Conducting.

Dr. Jiménez is a widely sought clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor throughout the United States and Europe. He has conducted honor orchestras throughout the U.S., including the MENC All-Eastern Orchestra, as well as all-state orchestras in Florida, Kentucky, Wyoming, and Maryland. He has served as a juror with such prestigious events as Festival Disney and the European Music Festival for Young People in Neerpelt, Belgium.

Under his direction, the Florida State University orchestras have solidified their position as one of the premier orchestral training programs in the U.S. In 2006, the University Symphony Orchestra (USO) participated in the PBS special, Peanuts Gallery, which was broadcast throughout the U.S. and was labeled the “Best Performance of 2007” by the National Educational Television Association. The USO may be heard on the Koch and Naxos labels. The University Philharmonia has performed on tour and was invited to perform at the MENC Southern Division Conference in 2007. Both orchestras under Dr. Jiménez have collaborated with artists and composers of international acclaim, including John Harbison, Michael Torke, Jeff Beal, Christopher Theofanidis, Lynn Harrell, Christopher O’Riley, Jeffrey Biegel, and NEXUS.

A charter member of the College Orchestra Directors Association since 2002, Dr. Jiménez now serves as president-elect. In 2006, Dr. Jiménez hosted the first CODA National Conference at FSU. Dr. Jiménez holds memberships in MENC, the Florida Orchestra Association, and the Conductors Guild.

Dr. Jiménez has earned degrees from Baylor University and The Florida State University. His principal conducting teachers were Michael Haithcock and Phillip Spurgeon. Additional studies included work with the late Anton Guadagno, Larry Rachlef, and Christopher Wilkins. Dr. Jiménez has been the music director of the Tallahassee Youth Orchestra since 2000; during his tenure, the TYO has seen unprecedented growth and has become one of the leading youth orchestras in the southeast.