Michael Remson

DR. MICHAEL REMSON, was appointed SDYS’ PRESIDENT & CEO in January, 2019, and has over two decades of experience as a working musician, arts administrator, and arts education advocate. At SDYS, his role is to oversee and guide the strategic and artistic direction of one of San Diego’s most treasured arts education organizations that is one of the cultural institutions that make up San Diego’s historic Balboa Park. Prior to his appointment, Dr. Remson served as Executive and Artistic Director of AFA, Houston’s largest non-profit provider of music education programs for young people. During his 17-year tenure, he led AFA’s explosive growth that resulted in serving over 3500 young people annually with more than 50,000 hours of training delivered each year. As a composer and librettist, Dr. Remson has received numerous grants, commissions and fellowships and his operas, choral and chamber music have been performed throughout the U.S. and in Europe. He earned an MM in Music Composition from Carnegie Mellon University, and a Masters of Musicology and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition and Playwriting from the University of Houston Moores School of Music where he studied with esteemed American composer Carlisle Floyd and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Edward Albee. Dr. Remson has more than 20 years teaching experience at the high school and college level, was composer in residence with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast Northern Ireland, and was a 2018 recipient of a Milestone Award for service to Arts Education from the National Guild of Community Arts Education.