Texarkana lands ASO’s conductor

The Texarkana Symphony Orchestra has named Philip Mann as its new music director and principal conductor.

Mann — outgoing music director and conductor of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in Little Rock — will conduct at the season-opening concert Oct. 5. He’s signed an initial three-year contract to start his duties June 1. Plans call to have Mann in residence for seven weeks out of the year.

Mann’s experience includes guest conductor appearances all over the world with symphony orchestras, operas and music festivals. A Rhodes scholar to Oxford University, he holds degrees from Arizona State University, Indiana University and the University of Sydney, Sydney Conservatory.

He had been serving for nine years leading the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in Little Rock, a post he completes in June, and he now holds the position of director of orchestral studies at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where he lives with his wife.

A Colorado native, he’s also served as assistant conductor for performances with the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra overseas, and Cleveland Orchestra stateside.