Kevin

Kevin Garcia-Hettinger served as the head director of the Brandeis High School Orchestra in the Northside Independent School District (San Antonio, Texas) for the last 16 years. He began his violin studies at the age of ten and was concertmaster of the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra of San Antonio.

Mr. Garcia-Hettinger graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin, receiving a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Performance in 1997, where he served as concertmaster of the UT Symphony Orchestra. In 2011, he received his Master's Degree in Violin Performance from the University of Texas at San Antonio. From 2019 to 2022, he served as violin professor at the University of The Incarnate Word.

He remains an active violinist, having performed with the San Antonio Symphony (now the San Antonio Philharmonic) and serving as the assistant concertmaster of the Mozart Festival, Texas, and the San Antonio Sinfonietta. His students have received numerous awards and have performed at international festivals and competitions. His orchestras have won the National Orchestra Cup at Lincoln Center, and both the string and symphony orchestras have performed at the Midwest Clinic.

In 2022, he served as President for the Texas Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. Mr. Garcia-Hettinger was selected as Teacher of the Year for Brandeis High School in 2018, and the Brandeis Orchestra was recognized as the top fine arts program in the Northside Independent School District that same year. He also serves as a prescreener and pre-interviewer for the national radio show *From The Top*.

Mr. Garcia-Hettinger’s wife, Jennifer, is a professional violinist/violist and string pedagogue. Their two sons, Nicholas (violin) and Vincent (cello), both attended Brandeis High School and now attend The Eastman School of Music and The Curtis Institute of Music.