Ryan Ross is Music Director and Conductor of the Allen Philharmonic Orchestra in Texas, Director of Orchestras at Plano West Senior High School, and the newly appointed Conductor for the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra Philharmonic. He has led six TMEA Honor Orchestras (both full and string) at Plano West and Jasper High School. His groups have earned national recognition, including performances at The Midwest Clinic and honors from the Mark of Excellence and The American Prize.
Previously, Mr. Ross taught in Lewisville and Rockwall ISDs and served as Music Director of the East Texas Youth Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Dallas Festival of Modern Music. A native of St. Louis, he holds degrees from the University of Illinois and Texas Tech University and has studied with leading conductors including Gary Lewis, Donald Schleicher, Larry Rachleff, Gustav Meier, and Marin Alsop.
An active guest conductor and clinician, he has worked with All-State and All-Region orchestras across Texas and 11 additional states and presented at major conferences such as TMEA, TODA, and The Midwest Clinic. He is also a contributing author to Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra (GIA Publications), volumes 4 and 5.
The Plano West Orchestra is proud to be recognized as one of the most accomplished orchestra programs in America. Plano West is a grade 11 and 12 campus in Plano, TX, a Dallas suburb. The orchestra program currently serves approximately 200 students in six orchestras. Since its inception, Plano West has been recognized as the Texas Honor Orchestra ten time, most recently in 2025. Nationally, it has twice been recognized as an invited orchestra at The Midwest Clinic and been named a National Winner in the Mark of Excellence National Orchestra Honors and The American Prize for Orchestral Performance. The program as a whole routinely earns sweepstakes awards at the annual UIL competition.