Department of Fine and Performing Arts

Instructional Associate Professor
FPA 216C

Alison Gaines’ musical activities as bassist and conductor have taken her all over the continental U.S., Italy, Austria, Germany, and the Caribbean. She recently served as Music Director of the Kearney Symphony Orchestra and tenured Associate Professor of Orchestra and Bass for the University of Nebraska in Kearney. She was also interim Director of Orchestra at Iowa State, was interim conductor for Rock Valley College, IL and orchestra conductor and adjunct at Illinois’ largest community college, the College of DuPage.

Other conducting experience includes 10 years of service as conductor of Brass Night for Breckenridge, CO Music Festival and as music director of both the Philharmonia Orchestra in Kansas City and the Atchison/Benedictine Symphony (KS). She served as Assistant Conductor for Elmhurst, IL Symphony, the All-Caribbean Youth Orchestra (summer), cover conductor for Orchestra Iowa, and rehearsal conductor for Chicago Youth Symphony and Fordham University’s orchestras (Manhattan and the Bronx campuses). Guest conducting performances include Rockford, IL Symphony (four times), Central Iowa Symphony, Ft. Collins, CO, a residency at University of Wyoming, Laramie, All-State Middle School Orchestra conductor in Iowa and Nebraska and clinician/adjudicator in 6 states.

Her DMA in orchestral conducting is from the University of Kansas, Lawrence with assistantships in both orchestra (with British conductor and recording artist Brian Priestman) and jazz (from jazz educator, arranger, and composer Dan Gailey). Her master’s degree in bass performance is from U.S.C. where she received the Orchestral Leadership Award and studied with Los Angeles Philharmonic Co-Principal bassist Dennis Trembly. Conducting training includes admission to seminars through the League of American Orchestras, Chorus America (Fellowship), Conductor’s Institutes in South Carolina (Fellowship in opera) and at Bard College, NY. She also won bass auditions at Tanglewood, Spoleto, Italy Opera Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival and New York String Ensemble.