About the Hillsboro Symphony Orchestra
The Hillsboro Symphony Orchestra provides a family-friendly musical experience for all audience members through entertainment, education, and cultural opportunities, while providing orchestra members a positive creative outlet for their own personal growth.
The orchestra consists of dedicated members who graciously give of their time and talents, and who receive no compensation but take great pride in knowing they are enriching the lives of the Washington County community through a wonderful culture of music.
Our History
Hillsboro Symphony Orchestra performed its debut concert November 16, 2001. Less than 30 musicians arrived for that first rehearsal in September not knowing who would be conducting or what music they would be playing in just two short months.
What brought this amateur group together was a shared passion for playing music. HSO was formed to give amateur musicians from throughout Washington County a place to perform, and give the county an accessible, local opportunity to engage with classical music.
The orchestra included players from high school to retirement age with diverse backgrounds including physicians, engineers, retirees, and stay-at-home parents, all with one common thread: the passion for playing symphonic music.
The newly organized HSO performed their first concert at Thomas Middle School under the direction of conductor Stefan Minde. Although the audience was small, it was the beginning of what is now an ever-growing community orchestra that is nearly 80 members strong.
Today
Since that initial concert, HSO has continued to perform a series of three concerts a year: a Fall, Winter, and Spring program offering local musicians and community members an affordable way to appreciate a variety of symphonic music and enhance the cultural experiences available in the Washington County area. All of the HSO musicians share a passion for playing and performing; however, most would not have the opportunity otherwise to play in an orchestra, as players volunteer their time and talents, while needing to keep their daytime jobs.
The orchestra, which is open to all interested musicians, is still made up of people of all ages and backgrounds, musicians who want to perform and hone their skills, providing an entertaining and enlightening musical experience for a varied audience.
Jeff Hornick was named Hillsboro Symphony Orchestra’s Conductor in December 2022. He has been a school band and orchestra director in the Portland Metro area for the past 25 years. He has taught music at all levels, ranging from 1st grade through college.
A graduate of both Hillsboro High School and Lewis and Clark College, in Portland, Mr. Hornick has spent most of the last 50 years in the Portland area. He credits much of his success in music to the many fine teachers he had while attending school in Hillsboro (Ann Neumann, Jerry McAllister, Darrell Meisenheimer, Al Deck, and Carl Gutmann) and to the faculty in the music department at Lewis and Clark.
A firm believer in the power of life-long music making, Jeff is honored to be conducting the wonderful musicians of the HSO as well as serving as the conductor of the Al Kader Shrine Concert Band for the last ten years. His professional affiliations include membership in the Oregon Music Education Association, the Oregon Band Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, the International Association for Jazz Education, the International Trumpet Guild, and the Portland Brass Society.
Jeff Hornick, Conductor
MEET THE ORCHESTRA:
Anna Herman Trobaugh is a conductor, violinist, and music educator living in Milwaukie, Oregon. She is a string pedagogy specialist who has conducted orchestras for more than 15 years and is currently the music department chairperson and is the director of three orchestras at the Alliance Charter Academy in Oregon City. She has a thriving private studio for students on violin, viola, cello, and bass. Ms. Herman Trobaugh graduated summa cum laude from Portland State University with a Master's Degree in Music Education and studied violin performance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her professional focus is to inspire musicians by choosing repertoire with opportunities for self-expression and to deepen the meaning of the music for musicians and audiences alike by presenting its historical perspective.
Anna Herman Trobaugh currently performs professionally on violin with the Oregon Sinfonietta and the Trillium Baroque Orchestra. Her performance resume includes the Willamette Falls, Tillikum, Pro Arte, Vancouver, Central Oregon, and Kettle Moraine Symphony as well as international performances in Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. Since arriving in Oregon from Wisconsin in 2003, Ms. Herman Trobaugh has directed Oregon school orchestras in Bend, Lake Oswego, Tigard, and Newberg and is the founder of the Sherwood Youth Symphony. She believes in organizing travel experiences with her groups to enrich the worldview of young musicians. These pursuits have included many locations from Vancouver, Canada to New York City,.
Ms. Herman Trobaugh frequents local cultural performances and has spent much time researching art and music history. She is an avid outdoor explorer and travel enthusiast which she enjoys with her husband and two dogs.
Anna Herman Trobaugh,
Associate Conductor
Associate Conductor
