For Kathryn Encisco, returning to the Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra is more than a new conducting opportunity. It is a return to a place that helped shape her as a musician, an educator and a person.
Years before she became an orchestra director, Encisco spent six seasons as a cellist in GYSO. Now, she is stepping onto the podium as conductor of GYSO Camerata, bringing with her the experience of a seasoned teacher and the memories of a student who once sat on the other side of the conductor’s stand.
“I’m very excited to give back to GYSO because I had so many years there,” Encisco said. “Some of my lifelong friends are people I met in GYSO.”
Music was always part of Encisco’s life. Her mother played piano, her father played guitar, one sister played oboe and two sisters played violin. Encisco began on piano, but by age nine, she had found the instrument that would become her musical home.
“My ninth birthday present was a cello,” she said.
The choice also fit neatly into the family ensemble. With two violinists already in the house, a cello allowed the sisters to play string quartets together. They performed often, including visits to nursing homes, while their parents joined in on piano and guitar.
But the cello had caught Encisco’s attention even earlier. Growing up, her family attended Atlanta Symphony Orchestra concerts, and she remembers seeing cellist Christopher Rex perform a concerto.
“I wanted to play cello since then,” she said.
As she grew as a musician, Encisco began looking for more challenge than she was finding in her school orchestra. Her private teacher, Sarah Paul, encouraged her to audition for GYSO.
It became Encisco’s first symphony orchestra experience and introduced her to mentors who would remain important throughout her life.
Her first GYSO conductor was Jim Palmer.
“I was such a huge fan,” she said. “He has been an incredible mentor for me, literally since seventh grade.”
That relationship continued long after her GYSO years. Encisco went on to study at Kennesaw State University, and when it came time to student teach, she worked to arrange a placement with Palmer.
Her memories of the music itself are just as strong. Encisco believes her first GYSO concert included Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, a work that remains one of her favorites today.
So beloved, in fact, that she has avoided conducting it.
“We always say, ‘Don’t program your favorite pieces,’” she said. “I specifically haven’t yet, just because it’s so beloved to me.”
Teaching, rather than performing, became Encisco’s path.
At Lassiter High School, she was deeply involved in the orchestra program and served as student president. Her interest in helping other musicians had begun even earlier, when she informally tutored friends in middle school.
At Kennesaw State, that interest grew into a calling. She taught elementary students through the Kennesaw State String Project, assisted with university orchestras and participated in summer programs.
“I just became more and more involved and fell in love with it more as I went,” she said.
Today, Encisco is entering her fourth year as orchestra director at Collins Hill High School in Gwinnett County. Her teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that music education should develop far more than technical skill.
“When I was a middle school teacher, I would tell my kids all the time, ‘I don’t really care if you can play a quarter note correctly when you leave my classroom. I want you to be a better human being when you leave my classroom,’” she said.
For Encisco, confidence, creativity and community matter just as much as musical excellence.
“I want you to have a good relationship with music,” she said. “I want you to have a good relationship with the person sitting next to you. I want the orchestra to be a safe space for you.”
That emphasis on community reflects her own experience as a student. Encisco remembers spending mornings, lunches and afternoons in the orchestra room. It was not simply a classroom; it was where she belonged.
Now, she works to create that same sense of connection for her students.
That philosophy makes her return to GYSO especially meaningful.
Encisco sees Camerata as an important step in a young musician’s development. Students are there because they want to be, and the limited rehearsal schedule requires them to take greater responsibility for preparation and growth.
“They’re choosing to be there,” she said. “A lot of times they’re still curious.”
She also sees Camerata as a place where students can move beyond technique and begin to focus more deeply on musicality, expression and collaboration.
“I want to give them musical experiences that they might not have as many opportunities to experience in the school classroom,” she said.
Just as important, Encisco hopes the experience will help students become leaders when they return to their school programs.
Her goals are not only for the students. She expects to grow alongside them.
“I hope that both of us can learn from each other,” she said. “I’m hoping to grow as a teacher and also help them prepare for the next orchestra level.”
Ultimately, Encisco believes music educators are not simply training future professional musicians. They are creating lifelong music lovers.
“That doesn’t mean that you’re in an orchestra for the rest of your life,” she said. “That means that you support the arts. That means you go watch a cover band on Friday night. It can mean anything. Continue enjoying music.”
That belief aligns closely with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra’s commitment to removing barriers to musical experiences and creating a place where everyone can belong.
Encisco has seen what happens when those opportunities expand. Through the Kennesaw State String Project, she watched a program grow from a small group of students coming to campus into an after-school program serving far more children in their own schools.
“We can always make it happen,” she said. “It might be hard. It might take some maneuvering, but we can.”
That same conviction now comes full circle.
Years ago, Encisco was a young cellist in GYSO, finding challenge, mentorship, friendship and a musical home. This season, she returns to help create those same opportunities for a new generation.
And for the students looking up at the podium, she knows better than most how lasting that experience can be.
About the Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra
The Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra (GYSO), the education division of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, provides exceptional orchestral and jazz education for young musicians throughout metro Atlanta. Through outstanding artistic instruction, performance opportunities, and mentorship, GYSO inspires students to pursue musical excellence while developing confidence, leadership, teamwork, and a lifelong appreciation for music. For more information, visit www.gyso.org.
