Dr. Fagner Magrinelli Rocha

Dr. Fagner Magrinelli Rocha serves as Music Director of the Big Spring Symphony Orchestra and Associate Professor of Music at Angelo State University, where he teaches violin and viola and directs the ASU Symphony Orchestra. Prior to joining Angelo State, Dr. Rocha was Assistant Professor of Violin at the Universidade Federal de Alagoas in Maceió, Brazil. In addition to his work with the Big Spring Symphony and Angelo State University, Dr. Rocha serves as Music Director of the Concho Valley Youth Orchestra and as Concertmaster of the Ballet San Angelo Orchestra and the San Angelo Symphony Orchestra.

An active conductor, violinist, and clinician, Dr. Rocha has appeared in concerts and festivals throughout North and South America and Europe. As a violinist, he performs extensively as a soloist and chamber musician, while his conducting work spans professional, university, and youth ensembles. Deeply committed to music education, he is a frequent guest conductor for Honors, All-Region, and Youth Orchestras and maintains a strong presence in Texas public schools.

Dr. Rocha’s creative output includes original compositions, arrangements, and commercial music projects. Recent highlights include composing and recording original music for Angelo State University’s Centennial Capital Campaign, Leading the Charge, and his work on the feature film Texas Rhapsody, in which he appears with the Big Spring Symphony Orchestra as well as an actor, and violinist. The film is available on Amazon Prime Video.

Dr. Rocha holds a Bachelor of Music in Violin performance from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Porto Alegre, Brazil) and a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Violin Performance from Texas Tech University. He studied conducting with renowned conductor and educator, Dr. David Becker. His major violin teachers include Dr. Fredi Gierling, Prof. Hella Frank, Dr. Kirsten Yon and Prof. Annie Chalex-Boyle.

During the summer, he teaches at the Angelo State Music Camp, Fredericksburg Summer Music Institute and InterHarmony Music estival in Italy. He resides in San Angelo, Texas, with his wife, Emilee, and their daughters, Olivia and Emma. Outside of music, he enjoys reading, home projects, and spending time with his family.