Conroe symphony fetes first female conductor
Athens native to lead suburban Houston volunteer music group for its 24th season as it looks to restart after COVID-19 pause
CONROE — Conroe history hit a high note when it welcomed its first female conductor to the Conroe Symphony Orchestra last week.
Anna-Maria Gkouni takes the reins as the symphony’s new conductor and music director. Gkouni is set to lead the all-volunteer symphony in its 24th season. The group hopes to begin performing again this summer after a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Spirit, passion of music’
Gkouni is a Greek orchestral conductor, pianist and piano instructor. A native of Athens, she holds a piano performance and a music theory degree from Philippos Nakas Conservatory. After graduating with her bachelor of arts from Ionian University in Corfu, a Greek island, Gkouni moved to Nebraska to pursue her master of arts in orchestral conducting from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is now pursuing her doctorate of musical arts in orchestral conducting at the University of Houston.
“She also holds something that you would only hope for in a music conductor/director, and that is the very spirit and passion of music. Anna-Maria is intent on this 24th season of the Conroe Symphony Orchestra standing out from all past sessions as she brings a love for various art forms — including theater — to the concert performances,” said Judge Kathleen Hamilton, chair of the board of directors. “She can’t wait to innovatively guide the amazing music of the Conroe Symphony Orchestra to tell beautiful, poetic things to all of our hearts.”
Gkouni began playing piano when she was 6. At age 11, she found out about a special high school that concentrated on music education and begged her parents to send her there.
“Music was moving something inside me that I could not consciously understand,” she said.
She next set her sights on the National Youth Choir of Greek radio. She auditioned three times and didn’t give up until the conductor finally accepted her to the choir.
She was able to collaborate often with the National Symphony Orchestra of Greece and its various symphony conductors.
Eventually she saw herself standing on the podium, instead of singing in the choir.
These dreams led her to America: first Nebraska, then Houston and now Conroe.
“To lead the Conroe Symphony Orchestra is a dream come true,” Gkouni said. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to conduct this exceptionally talented group of musicians. My greatest aspiration for the future is to create innovative shows that will combine multiple forms of art such as theater, which is my second passion. We are all very much looking forward to bringing music back to the city of Conroe.”
‘Fresh new talent’
Don Hutson, who led the search for the new conductor and served as the music director for 13 years, said of Gkouni: “She’s precisely the fresh new talent that is needed to take the Conroe Symphony Orchestra in a bold new direction. As board members our desire is to create experiential new works of art that help expand the reach of the orchestra. I believe that AnnaMaria will take us there.”
At the conclusion of a reception in her honor Tuesday, Hutson handed Gkouni a bouquet of yellow roses officially welcoming her to Texas and to Conroe.
The Conroe Symphony Orchestra has not yet announced its first performance date, but the group hopes to perform with a patriotic theme around July 4.
For information and concert dates visit conroesymphony.org or follow the CSO on Facebook @Con roe Symphony Orchestra.