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Conservatory Leadership

John Reynolds, D.M.A.

Senior Director, Instrumental Music Conservatory

Dr. John Reynolds is a highly sought-after educator, clinician, and trumpeter. He holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in jazz studies from USC as well as degrees from San Diego State University (SDSU) and Point Loma Nazarene University. Dr. Reynolds is well versed in instrumental conducting as he is a student of Larry Livingston (USC Thornton School of Music) and Sharon Lavery (Downey Symphony). He has conducted numerous wind ensembles, orchestras, and pit orchestras for various musical productions over the last 15 years.

Dr. Reynolds performs frequently with his own groups, the John Reynolds Jazz Quintet and the Gaslamp Quarter Jazz Orchestra. He has performed with jazz legends including John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, Gerald Clayton, Rickey Woodard, Graham Dechter, Jackie Ryan, Bob Mintzer, Peter Erskine, Bobby Shew, Frank Mantooth, Gilbert Castellanos, Marshall Hawkins, and many others. In 2016, the SoCal Jazz Society recognized Dr. Reynolds as the “Jazz Educator of the Year,” and SDSU awarded him “Outstanding Alumnus of the Year.”

Dr. Reynolds created and directed the jazz studies program at San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, where he was presented with the Artistic Growth Award in recognition of his exceptional work. Dr. Reynolds is a consultant for Jazz at Lincoln Center, where he serves as a guest artist, clinician, and adjudicator for regional Essentially Ellington festivals across the country.

Thomas Idzinski

Coordinator, Frederick Fennell Wind Studies Program

thomas.idzinski@ocsarts.net

Thomas Idzinski is a Southern California-based conductor, educator, and performer whose career spans music education, professional performance, and arts leadership. Since joining the OCSA faculty in 2016, he has served in a variety of instructional and leadership roles within the Wind Studies Program, teaching chamber music, music theory, career development, brass techniques, and master classes. He also serves as Professor of Tuba and Euphonium at California Baptist University and will join the faculty at UC Riverside in Fall 2026. An accomplished performer, Mr. Idzinski is Principal Tubist of the Santa Monica Symphony and is dedicated to developing the next generation of musicians through exceptional musical training and mentorship.

Advisory Board

Dr. R. Anderson Collinsworth

Director of Bands at Sonoma State University

Dr. R. Anderson “Andy” Collinsworth is the Director of Bands at Sonoma State University (SSU), where he leads the university Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Concert Band. Now in year 33 of teaching, Dr. Collinsworth brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the ensembles he leads and the courses he teaches in conducting pedagogy and music education. In addition to teaching duties, he serves as Chair of the Department of Music at SSU.

Dr. Collinsworth maintains an active schedule as a guest conductor, adjudicator, and rehearsal clinician throughout the western states. He is conductor and artistic director for the Saint Helena Community Band, an ensemble established and sponsored by director Francis Ford Coppola. He is the founder and director of the Sonoma Summer Wind Band Conducting Symposium, an annual weeklong conducting seminar for music educators. Dr. Collinsworth is the artistic director and coordinator of the Sonoma Invitational Wind Band and Orchestra Festival, a signature three-day event that brings over 2,500 high school and community college students to campus each year. He received the Outstanding Music Educator from California Music Educators Association (CMEA) Bay Section in 2022 and was previously recognized as the John Swain Outstanding University Music Educator Award for outstanding contributions to music education at the collegiate level by the CMEA in 2014. He is a current nominee for membership in the American Bandmasters Association.

Dr. Collinsworth earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting at Arizona State University, where he studied with Gary W. Hill. He holds a Master of Music degree in saxophone performance and Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Nevada at Reno.