Band Directors Association
2017 Honor Band Guest Conductors
Senior Honor Band
Timothy Smith
Timothy M. Smith is a seasoned conductor and veteran
music educator – an Emeritus Professor of Music, who, in
fall of 2016 assumed the position of Artistic and Music
Director of the Sacramento Symphonic Winds, and is in his
tenth season as Music Director and Conductor of the
Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra. Retiring from academia
in 2008, his teaching career included founding the
instrumental music program at Gonzaga University in
Spokane, WA and a twenty-two year tenure as Professor
of Music at California State University, East Bay in
Hayward. In addition to his positions with the Sacramento
Symphonic Winds and the Contra Costa Chamber
Orchestra, Professor Smith is in continuous demand as a
guest conductor, adjudicator and clinician. He has conducted professional, collegiate and community wind bands and orchestras, as well as over 200 high school and junior high school honor bands and orchestras throughout the western, northwestern and mid-western states, and given thousands of clinics to instrumental ensembles in school and festival settings. As an educational conductor, Maestro Smith has conducted All-State level honor bands and orchestras in several states and worked with nearly every regional, county, and district- level honor band and orchestra in California and Nevada. Professor Smith holds degrees in Horn Performance, Conducting and Music Education from the Conservatory of Music at the University of the Pacific, and the prestigious School of Music at Northwestern University. He is a former member of the Stockton, Modesto, and Spokane (WA) Symphonies, continues to work as a freelance horn player in the Bay Area, and has served for several years on the professional coaching and performing staff at the Humboldt Brass Chamber Music Workshop. Involved in music education on several different levels, Maestro Smith was honored by the California Band Directors Association with their highest form of recognition, the “Lifetime Achievement Award” and was named the California Music Educators Association Bay Section’s “Outstanding Music Educator” in 2006. He held positions on the boards of a variety of professional music education organizations throughout California, and served for several years as Music Director of the multi-level Youth Orchestra of Southern Alameda County. Maestro Smith has been guest conductor of both bands and orchestras at the Pacific Music Camp, the Hayward La Honda Music Camp, the Cazadero Performing Arts Camp, and the La Sierra Music Camp. TMS Wind Band Bio: 7/2016
Junior Honor Band
Corey Nordal
This year's guest conductor, Corey Nordal taught music at Sequoia
Junior High School and Sinaloa Middle School in the Simi Valley
Unified School District for 35 years before retiring in 2014. During his
tenure, he has taught Concert Band, Intermediate Band, Beginning
Band, Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Choir, Drum Line and Music
Appreciation. Mr. Nordal was a product of the music program in Hemet,
California, where he was under the expert direction of Melvin Smith &
Larry Mattox. In 1970, he was a member of the inaugural Hemet High
School Jazz Ensemble that through the years has been recognized
internationally for their musical excellence. His undergraduate work
was completed at the University of Redlands (B.M. 1977) and
credential work at California State University at Northridge (1979),
where he also taught Woodwinds Methodology from 2000-2005.
He has performed with a variety of groups on saxophone including
several popular music groups and the Ventura County based Gold
Coast Wind Ensemble. Mr. Nordal has served for 30 years as a Festival, Solo & Ensemble, Sight Reading and Jazz Ensemble judge for the Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association (SCSBOA.) For the past 7 years, he has been the coordinator for the Ventura County Middle School Honor Band and has guest conducted numerous honor groups and community bands. The Sequoia Junior High and Sinaloa Middle School groups have enjoyed a widespread reputation for their musical excellence. The performing ensembles have garnered Superior Performance Awards at a variety of SCSBOA District & Regional Band & Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Solo & Ensemble and Southern California Vocal Association Choir Festivals. In February 2002, the Sinaloa Middle School Concert Band was featured in concert at the California Band Director’s Association State Convention in Fresno, California. In 1996, Mr. Nordal was recognized by the SCSBOA as the Outstanding Ventura County Music Educator and in 2014 for their Veteran Teacher’s Award for career achievement. In 2011, he was the recipient of the Lew Roth Outstanding Educator Award presented by the Simi Valley Education Foundation and recognized in 2014 by the Simi Valley Cultural Art’s Foundation as the district’s Outstanding Teacher. His greatest joy, along with family & friends, has been introducing thousands of young people to the world of music. The support of the students, teachers, parents, administrators and staff of the Simi Valley Unified School District and Ventura County has been a source of pride, joy and inspiration. His wife, Hilary, taught Choral Music at Sequoia Junior High School and Valley View Middle School in Simi Valley for 33 years. They have two sons, Colin(28) and Christian(24.)
