All Virginia Guitar Ensemble

Chuck Hulihan, has enjoyed a career as a guitarist, educator, conductor, narrator, arts administrator, and as a classical music radio host. Since 1999 he has directed the internationally recognized guitar program at Glendale Community College, where he conducts the Glendale Guitar Orchestra and leads Guitar Ensembles in concerts that feature world premieres by many of today’s most prominent and prolific guitar composers.

​

Chuck is one of the most active and sought-after conductors for guitar ensembles in the US, including recent performances with Florida, Virginia, New Mexico, and Nevada All-State Guitar Ensembles. His work is highlighted by collaborations with composers who have written new works for guitar ensemble including Andrew York, Mark Houghton, Rex Willis, Jan Bartlema, Adrian Andrei, Frank Wallace, Vito Nicola Paradiso, Taiwo Adegoke, Francisco Munoz, and Aramis Silvereke.

​

Conducting highlights include three tours with the Arizona Guitar Orchestra, including Shingo Fujii’s Concierto de Los Angeles with William Kanengiser, Andrew York’s By Chants with the GRAMMY-award winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, and Brad Richter’s Once We Moved Like the Wind with soloists Jose Luis Puerta and Jonathan Crissman.In 2019, Chuck conducted an exclusive guitar ensemble performance at the Guitar Foundation of America’s International Convention and Competitions of GRAMMY-award winning composer Carlos Rafael Rivera’s score to the Netflix mini-series Godless in close collaboration with the composer.

​

He is the Education Director for the Guitar Foundation of America, where he also directs the Guitar Orchestras and The Bridge: GFA's Teen Academy at the yearly International Convention and Competitions. Chuck has been Guitar Chair for the Arizona Music Educators Association where in 2022 they launched the All-Arizona Guitar Ensemble with a virtual project of music by Mark Houghton. He has served as Western Division Representative for the National Association for Music Education’s Innovations Council and as a board member for the Grand Canyon Guitar Society and Phoenix Guitar Society. He has been a frequent guest conductor for all-state ensembles across the US including Nevada, Florida, New Mexico, and Virginia, and twice served as conductor for the NAfME All National Honor Guitar Ensemble.