The conductor of Arkansas' Fort Smith Symphony, John Jeter has built the group into one of the top small-city symphonic ensembles in the U.S. He has spearheaded an unusually large group of educational activities on the orchestra's part. Jeter attended the Hartt School of Music in Connecticut as an undergraduate, studying music theory and piano, and graduating magna cum laude. He switched to conducting as a master's student, graduating with distinction from Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University in Indianapolis. Jeter held conducting positions with various university orchestras around Indiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, rising to the position of assistant conductor of the Indianapolis Symphony. That position, he told Entertainment Fort Smith, was "like being the substitute teacher -- leadership without any authority. I absolutely didn't want that ... not to have my own way, but because I prefer to be involved in a total organization." So in 1996 he auditioned for the vacant Fort Smith position, finding a growing orchestra and encouragement from board members to take the ensemble in new directions. "A total organization" came to describe Jeter's relationship with the orchestra. He is both music director and executive director, shaping the orchestra's financial direction, budget, and administrative makeup; that combination is rare among U.S. orchestras. He is also responsible for programming and the contracting of guest artists, chooses the orchestra members (an all-professional group made up of musicians from around Arkansas, nearby Oklahoma, and beyond), serves as the orchestra's media spokesperson, directs marketing, and is heavily involved in fundraising. Jeter has been honored with numerous awards in the Fort Smith area, statewide in Arkansas, and nationally. These include the Helen M. Thompson award from the League of American Orchestras for outstanding artistic leadership in 2002 and the Arkansas Governor's Arts Award Individual Artist Award in 2012; for the latter, Jeter was the first conductor so honored. He lives in Fort Smith with his wife, daughter, and half-Arabian horse. ~ James Manheim, Rovi