James Plondke is beginning his eighth year as conductor as Conductor and Music Director of the Ocala Symphony Orchestra. He is Professor of Music at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia. He was formerly the Conductor of the University Symphony Orchestra at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, and the Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. He also taught orchestra and strings at York Community High School in Elmhurst, Illinois, where he served as Department Chairperson.

      Dr. Plondke received the Doctor of Musical Arts in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, where his principal teacher was David Becker. A graduate of the University of Illinois, with degrees in Music Education and Performance, he received the Master of Music Degree in Music History from Northwestern University. His formal education also includes studies in orchestral conducting at the University of Cincinnati, and studies with leading conductors in professional workshops and master classes.

      Dr. Plondke is very active as a guest conductor, adjudicator, and clinician. This past summer, he participated in the State Universities of Georgia summer study abroad program, spending five weeks teaching in the Tuscan town of Montepulciano and conducting student field trips throughout Italy. He has given master classes, clinics and workshops, and has conducted student festivals, professional and community orchestras in sixteen states. He has been Orchestra Division Chair on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Music Educators Association and is Past President of the Georgia Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. His research interests include conducting, string pedagogy, and the symphonies of Joseph Haydn.

      A strong advocate for the symphonic arts, he regularly appears as spokesperson to regional civic and arts groups and in education settings.