Karles McQuade, Intermezzo Conductor

Karles McQuade, Intermezzo Conductor

Karles McQuade leads our Intermezzo String Orchestra. He holds a double Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance and Violin Pedagogy, magna cum laude, from the University of New Mexico, as well as a BA in physics from Oberlin College. He is a certified Suzuki violin teacher and a certified IB World School teacher. Karles’ involvement with the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association started at its founding in 1994. He spent seven of his student years in the Youth Symphony Orchestra and later as Artistic Director, Director of Elementary Strings, and a Board member.

He is the Intermezzo group’s longest-serving conductor, returning after a hiatus for his sixth season with that ensemble. A Santa Fe native, Karles has taught violin all across New Mexico, from Farmington to Hobbs. He’s also in locations scattered across the nation—from the Hawaiian Islands to the Virgin Islands. His violin and viola students have been accepted into prestigious institutions including the New Mexico School for the Arts, New Mexico All-State Orchestras, and the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program, as well as the Sphinx Performance Academy at Oberlin Conservatory. In addition to his work in music, Karles teaches mathematics at El Camino Real Academy.