Plano Symphony Orchestra announces assistant conductor, composter-in-residence

Underwritten by Tammy and Charles Miller, PSO announces Alexandra Kovatch as assistant conductor and Paul K. Johnson as composer-in-residence.

Approaching Maestro Héctor Guzmán‘s final season at Plano Symphony Orchestra, Alexandra Kovatch has been named Assistant Conductor, and Paul K. Johnson has been named Composer-in-Residence.

Underwritten by Tammy and Charles Miller, the two positions will supplement the orchestra’s growing programming.

Alexandra Kovatch, a Connecticut native, is a doctoral candidate in orchestral conducting at the University of North Texas, where she studies with Professor David Itkin and serves as Assistant Conductor to the UNT Opera Program. Photo courtesy of Plano Symphony Orchestra.

Connecticut native Kovatch is a doctoral candidate in orchestral conducting at the University of North Texas, where she studies under Professor David Itkin, serves as assistant conductor for the UNT Opera Program and leads the Dull Roar Orchestra for students in UNT’s Texas Academy of Math and Science. She has held conducting positions with the Allentown Symphony Orchestra and Ozark Festival Orchestra and has guest conducted ensembles including the Plano Symphony Orchestra, Allen Philharmonic and Kansas City Civic Orchestra.

An accomplished harpist, Kovatch has performed with orchestras across Kansas, Missouri, Colorado and Texas and teaches at the Elyrica Summer Harp Program. She earned a bachelor’s degree in harp performance from Washburn University and a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from Missouri State University. She is expected to complete her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of North Texas in 2028.

Paul Kelvin Johnson is a Dallas-based composer of concert music for orchestras, wind ensembles and chamber ensembles. Photo courtesy of Plano Symphony Orchestra.

Dallas-based composer Paul Kelvin Johnson writes concert music for orchestras, wind ensembles and chamber ensembles, drawing inspiration from English and Japanese composers while incorporating biblical themes into his work.

A graduate student in composition and music theory pedagogy at Southern Methodist University and recipient of the Meadows Artistic Scholarship, Johnson is currently working on a symphony for strings, music for younger ensembles and original jazz compositions.

Héctor Guzmán commissioned Johnson to compose Overture Celebration, a work honoring Guzmán’s more than four decades as music director that will premiere during the March 20, 2027, concert at St. Andrew Methodist Church. Johnson also was commissioned to arrange holiday music for the symphony’s Home for the Holidays concert in December 2026.