Reynaldo Ramirez is the Co-Founder and Program Director of Soundscapes and has served within the field of music education for over 20 years. Through his programs, he has reached over 100,000 children and in his capacity at Soundscapes, he designs and implements the organization’s music and social change curriculum, works with local and national organizations to create new and innovative partnerships, and helps expand the number of students served. He has held positions with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as Senior Director of Education and Community Engagement and with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra as Director of Education and Community Engagement. Reynaldo was instrumental in establishing a national U.S. network of El Sistema inspired programs known as El Sistema USA (ESUSA), and served as a founding board member and treasurer.

 

Reynaldo is a noted leader within the El Sistema movement. He currently serves as mentor to Buffalo String Works, an El Sistema inspired program in Buffalo, NY, through the ESUSA’s PRESTO Program. He has presented at universities and conferences throughout the country. Some of those presentations include the Abreu Fellowship at the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA, Take a Stand/YOLA National Conference in Los Angeles, CA, and ESUSA National Conference in Durham, NC. Reynaldo has written articles for The Ensemble a national El Sistema publication.

 

In addition to his career as a music educator, he is a classically trained Horn player and received his Master of Music degree from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Texas. He plays regularly with the Virginia Wind Symphony and has played with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and other groups as a freelance musician. Ramirez has created several music arrangements for Soundscapes’ ensembles, but has also created musical arrangements that have been played by the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his musical pursuits, Reynaldo created a backend customer relationship database for El Sistema programs and has delved into the world of animation where he created a media package for a new edition of Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals through Musicians Publications.

 

Rey is an avid gardener and loves to grow summer vegetables and flowers to create cut flower arrangements. He is married to clarinetist, Cynthia Ramirez, with whom he has two amazing and talented children, Samuel and Amelia.