Mary Nesvadba

Mary has been playing violin with the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra since the 2000 – 2001 season. Originally from a small town, Gonzales, in south Louisiana, she began her music training studying piano at the age of 7. Further pursuing music as a child, she joined the choir and band in school.

Upon graduating from high school, she attended Louisiana State University. Here she earned a Bachelor of Music in Education, while studying piano, with Micheal Gurt, a graduate from The Juilliard, and playing trumpet in the LSU marching band, “The Golden Band From Tiger Land. In her junior year, she began studying violin with the re-known violin pedagogue, Sally O’Reilly. Only after one year of study, she joined the LSU Symphony Orchestra. Still as an undergrad, she began studying graduate level conducting with James Yestadt. Further pursuing her passion for orchestral conducting, she moved to Texas to study with Anshel Brusilow at SMU. Then continuing studying with him at the University of North Texas.

After earning her Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting, she became Director of Orchestra at University of Texas at Arlington. In Arlington, she founded the Arlington Philharmonic which was a fully professional orchestra that enjoyed 3 successful seasons. Mary then joined the faculty of Tarrant County College as adjunct professor conducting orchestra, teaching music theory, ear training, and music appreciation. In addition to her teaching duties, she accompanied the choirs and opera workshop. At TCC, she and her husband, Marion Francis Nesvadba, produced many musicals and operas.

Presently, she is the titular organist at the Catholic Church of St. Mary The Virgin in Arlington, Texas. There, building a choral program involving adults and children, she and her husband continued collaborating on theatrical productions, including opera, and performances of many major works. In her church work she composed many sacred music compositions, including her Mass in Honor of the Victims of 9-11, Jubilee Mass, her Mass for Children, Solemn Remembrance for Organ among other original organ and choral pieces. In addition to her church work, she “gigged” with her string quartet, Bella Voce Strings and with her husband, 10 Strings Entertainment, a guitar and violin duo.

Her personal life includes spending time with 4 wonderful stepchildren, a daughter- in- law, a son-in-law, and friends. Their hobbies included hiking, playing tennis, flying drones and rockets, model railroading and scooter riding. Her rich life with Marion, a marriage of nearly 30 years, abruptly ended on May 22, 2026, while on vacation in the Rocky Mountains.