Kristina Watkins of Gloucester has been named director of the Courthouse Community Orchestra.

The newly-appointed chorus teacher at Gloucester High School, Watkins has connections to the orchestra that go back half a decade. Her mother, Karen Watkins, is a longtime orchestra member, as is her younger sister, Kasey. Watkins herself attended orchestra rehearsals with them while she was home on break from college, and was even invited by former conductor Kathy Tucker to try her hand at conducting.

Last year, fresh out of the Master of Arts in Teaching program at Christopher Newport University and working as the music teacher at Mathews High School, Watkins played in the orchestra herself. When the orchestra’s last conductor stepped down, Watkins filled in while waiting for his replacement to begin, and when his replacement didn’t work out, Watkins was happy to step in.

She said that her primary goal at the moment is to recruit new members to the orchestra. She said she want...