MEET THE DIRECTORS

Our directors are all outstanding musicians who donate their time to help ensure the vitality, longevity, and financial stability of the Granite Sr. Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Amber Tuckness

Gary 'Doc' Jensen

Amber Tuckness is currently the Instrumental Music Director of Cottonwood High School and also conductor and co-chair of the Granite Youth Symphony Orchestra.  She has taught in high school for 15 years and privately for 20 years. Outside of school she is a freelance professional French Horn player in Utah.

Gary Jensen, conductor and co-chair, has been a music educator for 40 years, and has taught Instrumental Music at Taylorsville High School for the last 28. He has both Bachelors’ and Masters’ degrees in Music Education. He has been associated with the Granite Youth Symphony Orchestra since 2000 as an assistant conductor, and has served as Co-chairman of the orchestra since 2010.

Jim Thompson is in his 30th year of teaching instrumental music in Utah’s public schools, as well as being one of the conductors of the Granite Youth Symphony. Additionally, Jim has been a conductor of the Jordan Symphony Orchestra, another public-school sponsored youth orchestra, for the past 21 years.  Jim conducts and plays bass in several community symphonies and in three different performing groups of the 23rd Army Band of the Utah National Guard.