Dr. Gabe Southard
conductor of the wind ensemble

Dr. Robert “Gabe" Southard joins NMYO as Wind Ensemble Conductor in September 2024. He is currently an Associate Teaching Professor of Music and conductor of both the Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Band at Gordon College. Prior to joining Gordon’s music faculty, Dr. Southard served as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Hope College, MI for fifteen years. Dr. Southard completed his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Conducting at Michigan State University and holds master and bachelor of music degrees from University of Wisconsin Madison and Ithaca College respectively.

Dr. Southard has a long tradition of working with and supporting youth ensembles. In Madison, WI, he was an assistant conductor for the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras and started the brass choir program. Dr. Southard also started the Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble, which he led as Music Director for three years. During that time, Dr. Southard took CYWE on an international tour to England and Scotland where the group took first place at the Bournemouth Musicmakers Competition. As band director at Hope and Gordon, he has run very successful Honors Bands events and is dedicated to supporting high school and middle school students and their band programs.

Dr. Southard is also an active flutist. He was a semi-finalist in the National Flute Association’s Piccolo Artist Competition and winner of the 2016 NFA’s Convention Performers Competition where he performed two new works in San Diego. In 2020, Dr. Southard was named a Pearl Flute Artist, one of less than 70 flutists worldwide. In 2022, he released his first flute CD titled Gold Mosaic: Music for Flute by Dana Wilson. It is currently available on all streaming sites.