Dr. Stephen Rochford – Conductor

     Dr. Stephen Rochford has served as Conductor of the Symphonic Winds of The Pacific (SWOTP) since September 2021. Prior to his appointment as Conductor, he had served four times as a Guest Conductor.During the 2023-2024 Season, he Commissioned Dr. Vera Ivanova to compose Pacifc Overture on behalf of the SWOTP.

Dr. Rochford served as Professor of Music and Director of the Irvine Valley College (IVC) Instrumental Music Area from 1990-2017. He conducted both the Wind Symphony and Orchestra and managed all aspects of the program. He served extensively in faculty governance as Music Department Chair, School of Arts Chair and for 25 years in the Academic Senate. Currently, he served as Professor Emeritus on the Board of Governors of the IVC Foundation from 2015 to 2024. In 2005 he was recognized by the IVC Foundation as Teacher of the Year In Honor of Extraordinary Dedication, Accomplishment and Service.

From 1990 and 2017, IVC Instrumental Music grew from 18 players to include four Ensembles as well asGuitar Courses, Chamber Music and Applied Music. Instrumental Ensembles performed over 50 new compositions and provided close to 100 opportunities for both music major and non-major music students to have their works and excerpts read in rehearsals.

Dr. Rochford serves or has served on various Boards, including the Music Association of California Community Colleges, the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association, the Irvine Music Festival, and from 2020-2022 as College of Arts Alumni Representative for the CSU Fullerton It Takes A Titan Capital Campaign. He also served from 2021-2023 as Project Coordinator and Assistant Conductor for the Pacific Arts Consortium, a recording project that produced the album, Three Novellas for Guitarand Orchestra, composed and performed by Guitarist Toulouse Engelhardt.

Dr. Rochford received his Bachelor of Music Degree in Clarinet Performance, where he was a student of Kalman Bloch, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and his Master of Music Degree in Instrumental Conducting from California State University, Fullerton, and his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Conducting from The Claremont Graduate University. He has also published, “Kalman Bloch: A Tribute”in ‘The Clarinet, Journal of the International Clarinet Association’. He likes cats and dogs, reading history, walking, movies, museums, art galleries and lectures. He loves to travel and has visited all 50 US States and Washington DC, 6 of the 10 Canadian Provinces as well as 22 foreign countries.

Adam Gerling – Associate Conductor

Adam Gerling is an educator, conductor, and trumpet player based in Southern California, where he was born and raised. He holds a B.M. in Music Performance and Instrumental Music from California State University, Long Beach, and an M.M. in Trumpet Performance from the University of New Mexico.

Gerling joined the Santa Ana College music faculty in 2012 as adjunct trumpet instructor, and began conducting the Concert Band in 2022. In 2025, he was appointed Associate Conductor of the Symphonic Winds of the Pacific, a community wind ensemble committed to high-quality performance and engagement.

As a performer, he has appeared with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Southwest, Culver City Symphony, and Disneyland. His early training included participation in the Texas Music Festival Orchestra, Idyllwild Summer Music Festival, Lutheran Summer Music Program, and the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra.

His principal trumpet teachers include Bob Feller, David Evans, Rob Frear, Jim Wilt, Rob Roy McGregor, and John Marchiando. Gerling is dedicated to music education, community building, and providing meaningful performance experiences for musicians at all levels

Past Principal Conductors:

• Dr. Tony Mazzaferro, Conductor Emeritus
• Dr. Jeffrey DeSeriere

Past Associate Conductor:

• James Lytthans

Past Guest Conductors:

• Philip Browne
• Denny Bui
• Jeffrey de Seriere
• Mitchell J. Fennell
• Adam Gerling
• Mathieu Girardet
• William H. Hill
• James Lytthans
• Tony Mazzaferro
• Dean McElroy
• Stephen Rochford
• Richard Stout
• John Swain