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artistic staff :: terrance oliveras-gray, associate conductor

Terrance Oliveras-Gray's career as a violinist and conductor has garnered him national and international recognition. Born in Wisconsin, he began studying the violin with Elizabeth Grabow Mueller at the age of eight. Mr. Gray went on to study with Marc Zinger and Victor Aitay at DePaul University and later studied with Ruben Gonzalez.

He served as concertmaster of the DePaul University Orchestra from 1984 through 1986 and as concertmaster of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago from 1987 through 1990. In 1987 Mr. Gray became a founding member of the internationally acclaimed Chicago Sinfonietta as well as embarking on the study of conducting.

In 1992, He became Music Director of the South Side Family Chamber Orchestra and in 1994 became principal conductor of the Chicago Youth Concert Orchestra, which led to engagements at the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago as well as the Rocky Ridge Music Festival in Colorado. In 1999 Mr. Gray became the principal conductor of the Illinois Chamber Sy mp hony and during 2002 was Music Director/Conductor and Professor of Violin at Kalamazoo College in Michigan.

As a chamber musician, he has performed as a member of the American Arts Trio, the Tower Ensemble and Connoisseur Musica; he also has performed with such jazz greats as Edward Wilkerson, Mwata Bowden, Ari Brown and Orbert Davis. Mr. Gray has performed at the Musikverien and Kozerthaus in Vienna, the Gewandhaus in Leipzeg, the Tonnehalle in Geneva and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. His touring has also taken him to Switzerland, Germany, Spain, China and Japan.