Leadership 2011-12
“A New Season”

Conductor:  Kory Vrieze

Kory Vrieze, band director at Riverside High School in Greenville County, received his B.M. in Music Education from Berry College and did his graduate studies at University of South Dakota in History of Musical Instruments where he studied at the Shrine to Music Museum. Prior to Riverside High School, Mr. Vrieze spent four years teaching at Chamberlain High School in South Dakota, as well as in schools in Georgia and North Carolina. Since his arrival at Riverside in 2004, the band program has more than doubled in size and scope, adding jazz band, winter guard and winter drumline, while growing a top rate concert program. They have participated in Disney Magic Music Days and the Gator Bowl as well as receiving superior ratings at home.

In addition to teaching, Mr. Vrieze was Manager of Education at the New Jersey Symphony which included working with the Greater Newark Youth Orchestra, the Newark Early Strings Program and the North Star Program. After several summers on faculty at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, he was promoted to Festival Coordinator for the 2002 and 2003 seasons.

Mr. Vrieze has enjoyed performing as well as teaching by playing principal clarinet in the Huron Symphony, the Golden Isles Symphony, and the Cherokee Symphony. He spent several summers playing in the Sewanee Festival Orchestra.

As a clinician and adjudicator, Mr. Vrieze has worked in Georgia, Texas, South Dakota, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Tennessee and Iowa. Recently, he was guest conductor of the Florence All City Orchestra and Greenville Middle School Orchestra Festival. He holds memberships in the Music Educators National Conference, South Carolina Band Directors Association and has been the local president for the National Education Association in Chamberlain, South Dakota.