San Francisco State’s newest music department staff member, Cyrus Ginwala, has his hands full this semester, and it’s not only because of his upcoming debut performance as the University’s newest symphony conductor.

The multi-tasking Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Instrumental Music said he's always had an innate love for classical music. One of his greatest passions is working hard toward attracting young listeners to take an interest in symphony music.

"I caught the music bug while attending a high school music program at Tanglewood in Massachusetts," said Ginwala, which was the summer home of the Boston Symphony.

Although his undergraduate degree is in piano, he also studied singing at Tanglewood, and earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from Peabody Conservatory of Music in Maryland.

Ginwala said that although most of his audience members are middle-aged music-lovers who appreciate classical music, younger listeners may take with them more than just an appreciation for its aural elements.

“Young kids who get excited about music early see benefits in other aspects of life in the form of discipline and seeing the larger picture of what the world is like,” he said.

Before moving to the West Coast, Ginwala led the Symphony of the Mountains orchestra in Tennessee. He also launched grassroots organizations such as Equality Tennessee, and Kingsport Community Foundation. He also expanded music programs in grade schools across the state.

Ginwala organized the summer concert series “Music in the Meadows” at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, along with “Youth for Youth” concerts as a part of his leadership at Symphony of the Mountains. The hardest part was getting people together, he said.

“In Tennessee, there was less traffic, the cost of living was low and there was plenty of free parking. But it was so spread out.
“Moving to San Francisco made attending the Symphony more viable, with easier access for others interested in the performances,” he said.

With a high demand for his work, Ginwala traveled the world sharing his love for classical music, operating as visiting faculty with Peabody at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia, and most recently in the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica.

Many may find it hard to believe that a well-traveled conductor, like Ginwala, would readily plant his roots right here in San Francisco, even if for a short while.

“Its really refreshing to have a conductor with such experience,” said Dana Rigaud, a second-semester music student at SFSU.

A student of Ginwala’s, Thomas Keller, 37, senior, reasoned that Ginwala’s small class size and personal contact with students helps him to focus on exactly what the musicians need to work on.

"He's gotten the most out of our small orchestra in shortest amount of time," said Keller.

While Ginwala's ability to juggle multiple projects seem unusually ambitious, he begged to differ . "That's typical of most conductors nowadays," he said.

On September 28, at Knuth Hall, Ginwala will temporarily leave the classroom and return to what he knows best, symphony conducting, in a Strings-only jazzy ensemble. Ginwala hopes students will catch the “music bug” as he did many years ago.