Jerry Gatch
Dr. Jerry Gatch recently retired as Director of Bands at Newberry College. Previously, he was Director of Bands at Lexington High School for twenty years, and conducted the South Carolina Philharmonic Youth Orchestra from 2002 to 2013. Dr. Gatch is active as an adjudicator, clinician, conductor, arranger, and performer. He has been a guest conductor for numerous honor band and orchestra clinics throughout the Southeast and at the Furman, USC, and Northern Arizona University summer music camps.
Dr. Gatch's professional performance experiences include playing horn in the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra, the Augusta Symphony, the Florence Symphony, the Palmetto Concert Band, and with national acts including Rich Little, Johnny Mathis, and Dizzy Gillespie. He has played bass with the Palmetto Concert Band, the Jimmy Farr Orchestra, the Charlie Gatch Big Band, and the Swing Set Dance Band.
He has judged concert and marching band events nationwide. Dr. Gatch has been awarded the National Band Association's Citation of Excellence seven times, was elected to the John Philip Sousa Foundation's BandWorld Legion of Honor, and in 2013 was inducted into the South Carolina Band Directors Hall of Fame.
Sidney Gatch
In addition to being a founding partner of Charleston Music Festival, Sidney Gatch is a group travel coordinator and tour guide with American Travel Consulting, specializing in high school and middle school music groups. This unique experience allows her to navigate all of the venues and attractions of beautiful Charleston, S.C. to ensure a rewarding and fun trip for student groups who attend the Charleston Music Festival.