Richard Floyd

Richard Floyd

Director Emeritus

With ASB 1986-2021

Richard Floyd was a formative figure in the band's growth and development. Under his direction ASB grew in size and quality, hosted a busy season of seven annual performances, and appeared at numerous national music conferences and conventions. It won the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Scroll for outstanding achievement as a community band in 1994, and was named the Official Band of the City of Austin in 1989.

Floyd has been active as a conductor, music educator and administrator since 1962. He has enjoyed a distinguished and highly successful career at virtually every level of wind band performance from beginning band programs through high school and university wind ensembles as well as adult community bands.

Richard Floyd is a Yamaha Master Educator. He is a recognized authority on conducting, the art of wind band rehearsing, concert band repertoire and music advocacy. As such, he has toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe, with engagements in 45 American states and 9 other countries. In 2002 he was the recipient of the prestigious A.A. Harding Award, recognizing significant and lasting contributions to the school band movement. He was named Texas Bandmaster of the Year in 2006, and in 2009 was presented the Texas Music Educators Association Distinguished Service Award. In March 2011 he was inducted into the Music for All Hall of Fame and awarded the prestigious Midwest International Clinic Medal of Honor for distinguished and unique contributions to educational bands and orchestras. Most recently, Floyd was elected to the National Band Association Academy of Wind and Percussion Arts and presented the Kappa Kappa Psi Fraternity Distinguished Service to Music Award.

Retirement Announcement | Clinician | Lecturer

Amanda Pierce

Amanda Pierce

Executive Director

With ASB Since 2015

execdirector@austinsymphonicband.org

Amanda Pierce has served as ASB's Executive Director since 2014. As an arts administrator and fundraiser, she has worked with the Cleveland Orchestra, Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

Mrs. Pierce received her Bachelor of Music Degree in Bassoon Performance from Oberlin Conservatory and Master of Arts in Arts Administration Degree from Florida State University. She has also worked with hundreds of bassoonists as a private music teacher and performed as a freelance musician in Central Texas.

Bill Haehnel

Bill Haehnel

Assistant Music Director

Conductor & Percussion

With ASB Since 1997

asstdirector@austinsymphonicband.org

Bill Haehnel has been been in music education for 45 years and is entering his 23rd year as Assistant Conductor of ASB. He has served on the music faculty at UT Austin and as an instructor of percussion at Texas Lutheran University. Haehnel retired from the classroom in 2013 and now serves in an advisory role to band directors and as a clinician and evaluator throughout the United States.

He is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Band Masters Association, the College Band Directors National Association, and the Percussive Arts Society. His marching bands, concert bands, jazz ensembles, steel drum ensembles, and percussion ensembles consistently earned superior ratings at both state and national contests as well as performance exhibitions.