FRANCISCO MAIA

Francisco R. Maia is a Portuguese conductor and music educator who holds the position of  Conducting Fellow of the Mesquite Symphony Orchestra.

Francisco holds a Licenciatura degree in Musicology (2016) from FCSH-Nova, in Portugal, as well as a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting (2021) from West Texas A&M University, where he studied conducting under Mark Bartley and music theory from BJ Brooks. Highlights from Francisco’s collegiate career include the Musical Direction of the 2020/21 WTAMU Opera, where he conducted Gilbert & Suillivan’s “HMS Pinafore”.

Before moving to the United States, Francisco furthered his studies at the Atlantic Coast Conducting Academy in his native Portugal. He studied conducting under Luis Clemente, Colin Metters and John Trail, and orchestration & score studying under Nuno Peixoto de Pinho and Roberto Fiore.

In addition to his duties at the MSO, Francisco is the Director of Orchestras at Boulter Middle School and Tyler High School, in Tyler, TX. He takes pride in involving himself in the surrounding orchestral community, working occasionally with Maestro Felix Torres at the East Texas Youth Orchestra as a cover conductor.