Larry H. Lang is the Executive Director of the Amarillo Symphony. He has a distinguished career as a music executive, military commander, conductor, producer, and educator. During his 29-year military career, Colonel Lang led five Air Force bands, culminating as Commander and Conductor of the United States Air Force’s premier musical organization in Washington, DC, from 2012 to 2019. He has led events for five U.S. Presidents, numerous foreign dignitaries, Congressional leaders, senior Department of Defense officials, and served as a key advisor to Air Force senior leaders on the use of music to demonstrate excellence and build positive community and diplomatic relations around the globe.
Originally from El Paso, Texas, Lang is a graduate of New Mexico State University, where he received degrees in Music Performance (Trombone) and Music Education in 1980. He received his master’s degree in Music Education from the University of New Hampshire in 1982 and joined the faculty there the same year. He went on to serve as the Assistant Director of Bands at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA from 1983 to 1989. Lang was commissioned as an officer and bandleader in the U.S. Air Force in 1990 and served across the globe, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan to support U.S. and allied troops and develop positive international relationships.
Lang has produced and performed in multiple Emmy and Telly Award-winning productions for NBC, PBS, and many other broadcast organizations. Known for his innovation, he created numerous online music videos, including the Air Force Band’s popular holiday “flashmobs” that became viral sensations and reached over 75 million viewers worldwide. He has also been the Executive Producer for over 50 recordings in almost every music genre, released on several major labels and widely distributed on commercial streaming services.
In 2005, he was honored with membership in the prestigious American Bandmasters Association, the professional association of master conductors and composers; considered the highest honor achievable by an American bandsman. His musical leadership has been recognized three times by The John Philip Sousa Foundation with a Colonel George S. Howard Citation Award for Musical Excellence, the highest international award for military concert bands and conductors. He is in high demand as a conductor-clinician, conducting music ensembles around the globe, and has been a clinician for the New England Conservatory of Music Conductor’s Forum, Shenandoah Conservatory Instrumental Conducting Symposium, and the National Band Association Young Conductors and Composers Mentor Project.
In 2007, Lang was presented the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, given to a select group of individuals whose accomplishments in their field and inspired service to our nation are cause for celebration. The Medal has been officially recognized by both Houses of Congress as one of our nation’s most prestigious awards and is annually memorialized in the Congressional Record. In 2008, he was presented the Distinguished Alumni Award by New Mexico State University and inducted into the Faculty Hall of Fame at McNeese State University.
Lang joins the Amarillo Symphony after a highly successful tenure as Executive Director of the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra in Flagstaff, AZ.
larry@amarillosymphony.org
