The initial episode of the 2025-26 academic year for SOU's Faculty & Staff Spotlight podcast is a conversation with Alexander Gonzalez, an assistant professor of music and director of bands at SOU. He also serves as artistic director of the Rogue Valley Symphonic Band.
Gonzalez will conduct SOU's Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band, and will also teach music applied lessons in trumpet, and courses in music pedagogy.
He served as the assistant director of bands at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he also earned his master's degree in Wind Conducting. His career includes teaching conducting courses at Capital University Conservatory of Music in Ohio, directing the Professional School Orchestra, leading the Middleton Symphony Orchestra's Wind Octet in Wisconsin and educating students in music history at Hillsborough Community College in Florida. His journey began in public schools in Florida and Colorado, where he taught a range of music courses at the middle and high school levels.
Gonzalez is interviewed in this 13th installment of "Faculty & Staff Spotlight," an SOU News podcast series in which a student multi-media host in SOU's Office of Communications shines a light on SOU faculty and staff members who make an impact on students and their campus community. This year's podcast host is Codi Kirksey, a Music Innovation major from Ashland, Oregon.
