Mariana Garcia –
Director of Orchestras at
Plano East Senior High School
Mariana Garcia began her music career within the East Side Cluster of the Plano Independent School District as a beginner bassist. After graduating from Plano East Senior High School, she continued her musical studies and graduated with a degree in Music Education and a minor in Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, continuing her studies on double bass in the studios of Dr. Jack Unzicker and Professor Tyler Shepherd.
While studying her undergraduate degree at UT Arlington, Mariana served the UTA Symphony as principal bassist under Dr. Clifton Evans, and had the honor to perform with the Invited University Orchestra at the 2022 Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Convention in San Antonio. Upon leaving the University she was awarded with the Outstanding Instrumental Music Educator Award.
She is an active member of TMEA and the Texas Orchestra Directors Association (TODA), and proudly serves at her alma mater, Plano East Senior HIgh School.
Szemőke Jobbágy-Vu
Associate Director of Orchestras at
Plano East Senior High School
Szemőke Jobbágy-Vu has performed as a soloist, orchestra member, and chamber musician across Europe, Asia, North America, and South America, with a repertoire spanning from early baroque to contemporary music. A native of Hungary, Ms. Jobbágy began studying the violin at the age of six. At 14, she was admitted to the Bartók Conservatory of Music in Budapest, where she studied for four years. During this time, she won first prize at the János Koncz National Violin Competition in Hungary.
She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees with highest honors from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. Ms. Jobbágy completed her Doctorate majoring in Violin Performance at the University of North Texas under the mentorship of Professor Julia Bushkova, where she was awarded both a Doctoral Fellowship and a Teaching Fellowship in Violin and Chamber Music. Her minor field of study was orchestral conducting. While at the University of North Texas, she won the concerto competition and participated in the Concertmaster Study program with Emanuel Borok, as well as studied Baroque Violin with Professor Cynthia Roberts. Ms. Jobbágy has also performed in master classes for artists including György Pauk, Sylvie Gazeau, and Pinchas Zukerman.
Ms. Jobbágy was concertmaster of the MAV Symphony Orchestra and a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and the Budapest Strings Chamber Orchestra. She has performed at prestigious venues such as Musikverein in Vienna, Royal Albert Hall in London, Tonhalle in Zurich, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Sala Sao Paulo. As a soloist, she has appeared with the University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra, the University of Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Béla Bartók Conservatory’s Symphony Orchestra, the Miskolc Symphony Orchestra, and the MAV Symphony Orchestra. Since 2008, she has served as the Associate Concertmaster of the Plano Symphony Orchestra. Beginning in 2026, Ms. Jobbagy will serve as the Assistant Orchestra Director at Plano East Senior High School. Ms. Jobbagy lives in Plano with her husband, violinist Chuong Vu, and their three children.
