Our mission

The Denton Symphony Orchestra enriches and educates the Denton and greater North Texas community through thoughtful, meaningful performances while upholding the region’s strong artistic tradition.

Our vision

The Denton Symphony Orchestra strives to serve as a cultural hub for North Texas through diverse, engaging, and educational programming that celebrates music of the past and present across a variety of genres.

Artistic Leadership

Dax Anthony Stokes
Founding Music Director and Conductor

Dax Anthony Stokes is an American orchestral conductor with more than two decades of experience leading orchestral, operatic, and large-scale ensemble performances across the United States and internationally. He has served as Music Director of the Chamber Orchestra of Denton and currently holds the post of Music Director of the St. Kassiani Chorale, while maintaining an active orchestral guest conducting schedule. Recently, he was awarded the First Grand Prize in the 2nd International Conducting Competition sponsored by the Capital Symphony Orchestra in Moscow, and recently competed in Phase 2 of the Orchestra’s Conductor Competition 2026 in Vratsa, Bulgaria.
Recent orchestral engagements include guest conducting appearances with the North Texas Symphony Orchestra, The Pops Orchestra of Bradenton and Sarasota, and the McHenry County College Wind Ensemble, in addition to his role as a Conducting Fellow with the University of North Texas Concert Orchestra. His work is marked by rehearsal efficiency, stylistic clarity, and a repertoire-driven approach that supports both artistic depth and audience engagement.
Stokes’s musical background spans orchestral, operatic, and choral traditions, including international conducting experience in Russia, where he has led professional choirs in Moscow and participated in advanced conducting studies at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. This breadth informs a podium style grounded in structural precision, vocal awareness, and long-range musical architecture.
He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from the University of North Texas, where his principal teachers included Anshel Brusilow, Clay Couturiaux, and Stephen Dubberly. In addition to his conducting career, he is active as an educator and clinician, regularly invited to lead workshops and masterclasses throughout the United States.
Dax is an Endorsed artist, EAM Classical Artist Registry — Eva Artistic Management.

John Norine, Jr.
Associate Music Director

John Norine Jr. is an accomplished musician, conductor, and theatrical designer with extensive experience spanning educational, community, and professional performance venues across the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and the Capital Region of New York State.
As a conductor and music director, Norine has held numerous notable positions, including Staff Conductor of the Dallas Asian American Youth Orchestra (2006-2008), Associate Music Director of the Chamber Orchestra of Denton (2003-2005), and Music Director of the UNT Repertoire Orchestra (2006–2008). He is also an active performer, regularly appearing as a cellist in orchestra pits throughout the region.
Norine has earned significant recognition as an arranger and orchestrator. In 2005, he produced a new orchestration of Paul Kletzki's Piano Concerto, Op. 22 for a recording by pianist Joseph Banowetz on the Naxos label — a recording that received a Grammy Award nomination in 2010 for Best Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra. His most recent work includes arrangements and orchestrations for the 2024 world premiere of Come On, Get Tappy! in Seattle, WA.
His conducting mentors include Anshel Brusilow, Clay Couturiaux, Christopher Lanz, and Michael Jinbo. Norine holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the University of North Texas, as well as a Bachelor of Music in Music Theory and History from SUNY Potsdam. He pursued advanced study in orchestration and arranging with Cindy McTee at the University of North Texas and Paul Siskind at SUNY Potsdam.
Currently, Norine serves as Technical Production Specialist at Texas Woman's University. He previously served as an Artistic Associate at Fort Salem Theater, where his responsibilities encompassed technical direction, design, and music direction. He additionally contributes to the Denton Dance Conservatory as a technical director and stage manager.
A native of Utica, NY, Norine resides in Denton, Texas, with his wife, Olivia.

Musician Spotlight

Coming soon...

Board of Directors

Dr. Jeffrey Snider

president

Baritone; Retired Associate Professor of Voice, University of North Texas; Choral Director, First Presbyterian Church, Plano; Executive Director, DFW Opera Underground