CWSO Appoints New Executive Director

[STEVENS POINT, WI] – The Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has appointed Dr. Andy Moran as its Executive Director of the CWSO. Moran has been the Music Director of the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra since 2020, and he will continue serving in this role under the updated title of Music and Executive Director.

In speaking about his recently appointed position, Moran said, “I am truly honored to be stepping into this new role with the CWSO. Since moving to Wisconsin in 2016, I’ve seen first-hand the impact we make in our community and our potential for increased accessibility to great performances and outreach programs. Leading the organization both on-stage and off will be a new challenge that I am eager to undertake."

"Our board was thoroughly impressed with Andy's performance as Interim Executive Director”, said Al Chaney, President of the CWSO’s Board of Directors. “His exceptional organizational, leadership, and financial skills, combined with his ability to foster strong relationships and camaraderie with the staff have contributed significantly to our success this season. He has earned and deserves the title: Music and Executive Director."

Dr. Andy Moran also serves as an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Since arriving in Central Wisconsin in 2016, Moran has quickly established himself as a versatile conductor, having guest conducted the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra and Waupaca BachFest. From 2009 to 2016, Moran was the Resident Conductor of the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and the Music Director and General Manager of the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras. Moran has served as conductor for the Albuquerque Youth Symphony, the Music in the Mountains Festival in Durango, Colorado, the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, and the Fox Valley Youth Symphony. In March 2015, the Detroit Symphony invited Moran to guest conduct DSO’s Civic Youth Orchestra in an all-Russian program during the orchestra’s Tchaikovsky Festival. 

Moran holds degrees from Indiana University (Doctorate of Music, Instrumental Conducting), Southern Methodist University (Master of Music, Orchestral Conducting and Horn Performance), and New Mexico State University (Bachelor of Music Education). Moran’s principal conducting teachers are David Effron, Arthur Fagen, and Paul C. Phillips.

An accomplished horn player, Moran has performed with the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra, Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, El Paso Symphony Orchestra, Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Music Center Orchestra, and the Sarasota Music Festival. In 1999 and 2000, Moran was selected as a finalist in the International Horn Society’s Solo Horn Competition. His horn instructors include Nancy Joy, Gregory Hustis, and Myron Bloom.

The Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra consists of sixty-five professional musicians coming from the central Wisconsin region. The players hold an array of occupations; many are music educators, university professors, students, and full-time professional musicians. The regional orchestra is celebrating 76 years at the heart of the vibrant arts and cultural life of Central Wisconsin. The organizational mission is “To enrich, engage, and educate through the power and performance of live music.”