Our Conductors
Dr. ghyas zeidieh - artistic director and philharmonic orchestra conductor
Syrian conductor and cellist, Dr. Ghyas Zeidieh is an active musician and educator based in Utah. Currently, Dr. Zeidieh serves as the Mount Logan Symphony and Cache Youth Orchestras Artistic Director, Cache Symphony Orchestra Associate Conductor as well as the Northern Utah Youth Chamber Orchestra conductor. He is also a string faculty member at Utah State University. A winner of the Max Bruch Conducting Competition, the UK International Music Conducting and Choir/ Ensemble Competition, the 2024 European Autumn Music Conducting Competition, and the Universal Stars Music Conducting Competition, he has served as the Assistant Professor of Orchestral Studies at Coe College and as the Music Director at the Cedar Rapids Community Orchestra (IA). Zeidieh earned his Doctor of Musical Arts and master’s degree from the University of Iowa, and has degrees in Music and Dentistry from the Damascus Conservatory and University.
A passionate educator for all ages, Zeidieh has served as Instructor of Cello at Western Illinois University and was a member of the faculty Julstrom String Quartet. He has completed training in the Suzuki Association method in addition to teaching Orchestra in the Iowa City (IA) Community School District. Zeidieh is the former Program Coordinator at the Harmony School of Music, an El Sistema program in Iowa, and has also served as the Music Director for the Dubuque (IA) Symphony Youth String Ensemble and Philharmonia from 2019-2022. An active orchestral musician, Ghyas has played with many orchestras in the Middle East, including the National Syrian Orchestra, Syrian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Arab Youth Orchestra, and the Euro-Med Orchestra, can be heard on several Syrian film scores, and is a member of the Dubuque Symphony cello section. He has performed with numerous American ensembles including the National Geographic Midwestern Tour (MN and IL), Revival Theater Company (IA), Theater Cedar Rapids, Quincy Symphony (IL), and the Dirt Road Ensemble (NH). Since 2010, he has been involved with the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music in NH, serving as a Playing for Peace participant, counselor, and camp director.
Mr. ethan fallis - Crescendo orchestra
Ethan Fallis is an experienced music educator with over ten years of teaching general music, orchestra, and choir in grades K through 9. He currently teaches at Edith Bowen Laboratory School and co-teaches a university level music education course. He holds a Master of Music in Cello Performance and String Pedagogy from the University of Colorado Boulder and a Bachelor of Music Education from Utah State University.
His career has spanned a range of educational settings, from Utah to Boston, where he taught students of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including in classrooms where he navigated language barriers. These experiences led him to develop a peer driven model that encourages collaboration and student ownership. Ethan’s teaching is rooted in a whole child philosophy, combining strong musical instruction with a classroom culture that fosters leadership, reflection, and emotional growth.
Ethan is passionate about building vibrant and inclusive music programs and increasing access to instruments and instruction. His creative approach has included launching school-wide violin initiatives and reimagining what it means to be a successful musician and citizen in his classroom.
Outside of teaching, Ethan enjoys learning new instruments (currently focusing on the drum set), playing in a rock band with his wife, skiing, cycling, and reading science fiction.