Our Music Director

Established in 1959 as the Riverside Symphony, the Riverside County Philharmonic is conducted by Tomasz Golka who was appointed music director in June 2010 after a two-year search.

Since winning 1st Prize at the 2003 Eduardo Mata International Conducting Competition, Golka has appeared with orchestras in the Americas and Europe to great critical acclaim. He is Music Director of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra, which has seen a resurgence of growth and vitality under his direction since taking that post in the 2007-2008 season. This past season he guest conducted with the Warsaw Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony, and River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, among others.

A composer himself, Golka, in addition to conducting his own works, regularly commissions and premieres works of other living composers.  With the Lubbock Symphony, he premiered the Symphony of Mathew Fuerst, a work written especially for that orchestra during his inaugural season there as Music Director.  Golka is also a highly accomplished violinist, serving as Concertmaster for the renowned Spoleto USA Festival Orchestra and the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra (1999-2000).

Golka studied conducting with David Effron at Indiana University and Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar at the Peabody Conservatory. He also holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Rice University.  Golka was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1975.