The Capital Wind Symphony

For more than thirty years, George Etheridge has enjoyed a a varied and distinguished career as a conductor, performer and educator in the metropolitan Washington area.

Educated at the University of Michigan and the Paris Conservatory, Mr. Etheridge first came to the Washington area as Assistant Professor of Saxophone at the University of Maryland. He has performed as Saxophone soloist at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Constitution Hall, The Smithsonian Institution, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

Currently, Mr. Etheridge is conductor of the Capital Wind Symphony, and a staff conductor for the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as Director of Education for the orchestra and is the founding Director for S.C.O.R.E., the symphony’s musical outreach program.

Mr. Etheridge has served as an adjunct faculty member at the Catholic University of America, George Mason University, Federal City College and Howard University. His saxophone students have won the National Symphony Orchestra’s Young Soloist Competition four times, and continue to garner top positions in District and All-State bands.

In addition to his performances and education activities, Mr. Etheridge has been active as a conductor at numerous levels. From 1977 to 1985, he was conductor of the renowned Fort Hunt High School Band, widely recognized as one of the finest student ensembles in the United States. In 1985, Mr. Etheridge was named Conductor of Bands at the College of William and Mary, a position he held until 1991.