Maggie King - Full Article - San Luis Obispo Symphony

September 2026

Maggie King Takes the Baton for a Dream Come True

Article by Rebecca Juretic

A special guest conductor will be taking the stage at the September 5th Pops by the Sea concert in Avila Beach. San Luis Obispo resident Maggie King will take the baton for the first time – although it’s a moment many years in the making.

Maggie won the opportunity to conduct The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa when she was top bidder at the Gala auction on May 2. A longtime SLO Symphony audience member and supporter, she came with every intention of winning the item, which includes a VIP table of 10, as well as food and wine. “I love and contribute to the SLO Symphony,” she said. “I would’ve kept bidding as long as it took.”

Maggie, who is a retired nurse practitioner, was raised in a musical family. Her mother was a violinist and vocalist, and her brothers played in the school marching band. She remembers her childhood home as being filled with music. “We got together and sang or played our instruments as often as possible,” she said.

Some of her happiest memories were watching her brothers march in parades. Her favorite marching band piece of all time is The Stars and Stripes Forever. “I can’t hear that piece of music without reminiscing, humming along and pretending to conduct an orchestra,” she said.

Each year at Pops by the Sea, Maggie imagined the thrill of standing at the conductor’s podium. “I long ago decided that that very activity was on my bucket list,” she said. Since the auction, her excitement over the event has continued to grow. “I have the opportunity to not only conduct one of my favorite pieces of music,” she said, “but also to share the experience with the people I love.”