About

Peninsula Symphonic Band is a community concert band which has been in existence since the 1960’s. We rehearse on Monday evenings and perform four concerts a year on Sunday afternoons.

We are a fully instrumental band of experienced players in woodwinds, brass and percussion instruments. We enjoy playing a variety of music ranging from classical to contemporary and traditional to popular.

Music Director/Conductor: Mr. Ted Henderson

Ted Henderson

Mr. Ted Henderson has composition degrees from Southern Illinois University and Mills College and a teaching credential from San Jose State University. He has served on the faculty of Cogswell Polytechnical College, Pala Middle School and the Alum Rock Jazz Band. An excellent tubist, Mr. Henderson has performed all over the country for various professional organizations including Disney. His compositions (both acoustic and electro-acoustic) have been performed all over the Bay Area since the late 1980s.

Summer Conductor: Dr. German Gonzalez

German Gonzalez

Dr. German Gonzalez has conducting experiences that span the country including Arizona, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and California. His involvement in community music has been an integral part of his life since childhood. In the Bay Area he recently directed the Jefferson Union Community band and he was the music director and conductor of the San Francisco Civic Symphony. During his tenure he was recognized as a “mover and shaker” by LAM, a Latino social network of professionals and influencers, for his work with the orchestra. In Oregon, he was the Director of Bands at Oregon State University and directed the Eugene Symphonic Band, and taught instrumental music in the Portland area. He held a one-year Director of Bands position at St. Cloud State in Minnesota. A Bay Area native, Gonzalez grew up in Pacifica and attended Oceana High School. He was featured in the Pacifica Magazine and was named the “Hometown Maestro” in April 2017.

Dr. Gonzalez’s formal education consists of a Bachelor of music degree from San Jose State, a Master’s degree in conducting from Sacramento State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education and Conducting from Arizona State University. Influential conducting mentors were Fredrick Fennell, Robert Halseth, Jack Stamp, and Gary Hill. In 2019, he retired from public school music teaching where his last position was Taylor Middle School in Millbrae. He remains an active trumpet player and conductor in retirement, coaching the brass for the Peninsula Youth Orchestra in Belmont, and directs the SwingMasters, an 18-piece big band in Sacramento.