Director of Orchestras & Interim Director, School of Music

Conductor of KSU Symphony Orchestra

Michael Alexander is the Director of Orchestral Activities at Kennesaw State University and serves as the Music Director of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra. Active as a guest conductor, he has conducted in Europe, Australia and at various places in the United States, including performances with the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Maikop Symphony Orchestra and the Novgorod String Orchestra in Russia, the Bacau and Ploiesti Philharmonic in Romania and the Catania Music Festival in Italy. In the summer of 2004 and 2009 he served as Music Director for the Madison Savoyards Opera Company. He has also appeared as a guest conductor four times with the Summer Music Clinic Orchestra at the University of Wisconsin and with the 2003-2006 Maud-Powell Music Festival Orchestra in LaSalle, IL. In March 2010 he conducted the 11-12 Georgia All-State Orchestra and in the summer of 2011 was a guest conductor at the Highlands Music Festival.

Under his leadership, the Georgia Symphony has presented many critically acclaimed performances and has seen enormous growth. During his nine year tenure with the GSO, the group has added to its core of professional musicians, removed all of the massive debt it was under, expanded its budget, and created a comprehensive youth orchestra and chorus program with approximately 400 students from across the region.

In the summer of 2003 Dr. Alexander completed his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in orchestral conducting. Prior to his current appointments, he has served on the faculties at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and Ripon College. Dr. Alexander began the orchestra program at Kennesaw State University and under his direction the KSU Orchestra has performed at the 2009 Georgia Music Educators Association Annual In-Service, hosted and performed at the 2010 College Orchestra Directors Association National Conference, and completed a three concert tour of Beijing and Xian, China in January of 2011. He has conducted several District Honor Orchestras and has also presented workshops and sessions for the American String Teachers Association, The Ohio State University String Teacher Workshop, and at the Georgia Music Educators Association Annual In-Service.