Conductors
Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra
Music Director and Conductor of the CYS Symphony Orchestra “the SO” ( this position will be shared by incredible guest conductors during the remainder of the 2024-25 season as we identify the permanent SO Conductor). Dr. Leslie W. Hicken, CYS Conductor Emeritus, will conduct the first concert for the 2024-25 CYS Season.
James F. Kilgus, Conductor of the Concert Orchestra
Mr. Kilgus received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Furman University. He received a dual degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in Conducting and Music Education.
A teacher in the Greenville County School District for 33 years, Mr. Kilgus currently serves as Co-Director of Bands at Mauldin Middle School, one of the largest and most successful band programs in the state of South Carolina. His program is comprised of five individual bands, a drum line, and various chamber ensembles.
Mr. Kilgus has worked with the Carolina Youth Symphony as conductor of the Repertory Orchestra since 1991, and conductor of the newly formed Concert Orchestra since 2007. He is involved as a judge in numerous festivals throughout South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. His professional affiliations include Phi Beta Mu, the National Bandmaster’s Fraternity, Music Educator’s National Convention (MENC), and the South Carolina Band Director’s Association (SCBDA). Mr. Kilgus is also a recipient of the National Band Association’s Citation of Excellence. In 2023, he received the Bandworld Legion of Honor, a special award of the John Philip Sousa Foundation, for his significant contributions to the profession through dedication to bands and band music.
Ginger R. Greer, Conductor of the Repertory Orchestra
Mrs. Greer is a violinist, composer, and conductor from Greenville, South Carolina. A National Board Certified Instrumental Music teacher, Mrs. Greer is the Orchestra Director of Northwest Middle School in the Greenville County School System. Mrs. Greer is a graduate of Boston University where she earned a Masters of Music Education Degree and the University of South Carolina where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education. During her studies at USC, she performed with the University Symphony and Chamber Orchestra and was trained in string pedagogy through the nationally acclaimed String Project, a training program for rising string educators.
She is the recipient of the Yale Distinguished Musician Award and attended the Symposium on Music in Schools at Yale University. She has served on the board of the South Carolina Music Educators Association for most of her 25 years of teaching, served as the Orchestra Division President 2019-2021 and currently serves as the All-State Orchestra Chair. On the SC American String Teachers Association board, Mrs. Greer serves as a Member At Large.
As a violinist and violist, Mrs. Greer has performed with the Asheville Symphony, Brevard Chamber Orchestra, Hendersonville Symphony, Charlotte Philharmonic, Spartanburg Philharmonic, and the Greater Anderson Musical Arts Consortium. She has served as guest conductor and clinician for All Region and All County Orchestras in Anderson, Charleston, Columbia, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, Myrtle Beach and Spartanburg.
Ashley E. Rhoden, Conductor of the Preparatory String Orchestra
Mrs. Ashley Rhoden is a violinist, conductor, teacher, and private instructor of Duncan, South Carolina. Mrs. Rhoden is a Greenville native who grew up in the Greenville County School District, graduated from the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, and attended Furman University where she received a Bachelors of Music in Music Education. In 2018, Mrs. Rhoden completed her Master of Arts in Music Education from North Greenville University. Mrs. Rhoden is a product of the Carolina Youth Symphony where she was a student, collegiate string intern, and now is thrilled to be on staff as a conductor.
Mrs. Rhoden has experience teaching a wide range of ages. She spent the first eight years of her teaching career as an orchestra director in Greenville County where she grew two full time string programs at Eastside and Riverside High Schools. In addition to teaching, Mrs. Rhoden has served as Furman’s Suzuki Institute Intern, Dean of Students for the Furman University Jazz Camp, and violinist for Mitchell Road Presbyterian.
Her professional affiliations include American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA), Music Educator’s National Convention (MENC), Kindermusik International, and Palmetto State Teachers Association. In 2013, she was a recipient of the Greenville County Emerging Teacher of the Year.
In 2019 she received her Kindermusik certification as an instructor and shortly thereafter became a music teacher in Spartanburg District 5 where she currently teaches Kindergarten through 4th grade.
Mrs. Rhoden is passionate about instilling a love for music in children at a young age and helping them to achieve a strong musical foundation.
