Olympia Youth Orchestra

The Olympia Youth Orchestra (OYO), conducted by Mr. Fung Ho, has been in existence since 2000 and presents 2 free concerts annually at the historic San Gabriel Mission Playhouse in the City of San Gabriel. They perform music from the standard repertoire as well as present compositions of contemporary composers. OYO has performed world premieres of composers such as Hong Diep, Dr. John Kennedy, Dr. Daniel Kessner and Masatoshi Mitsumoto. This coming Spring, they will be presenting the North American premiere of the Viola Concerto by Amanda Harberg with violist Brett Deubner, Professor of Viola at Temple University. Besides presenting local young musicians as soloists, the orchestra also brings world class soloists to perform with the orchestra, including pianist Rueibin Chen, violinists Nai-Yuan Hu, Chuanyun Li and Jay Zhong, guitarist Pepe Romero; and cellist Dr. Amy Leung.

Mr. Ho says, "We also try our best to train the young musicians with original music instead of simplified arrangements".

Look who nominated this orchestra? Juli Drindak, Tiffany Liu, Daisy Mendez, Jesse Huang, Chi Yuet Ho, Jack Lee, Justine Huang, Jody He, Claire Lee, Samuel Chen, Samantha Wang, Matthew Allan, Celene Chang, Andrew Mecum, Connie Lee.

What did they have to say about their orchestra?
My favorite part of being in orchestra is that I can enjoy all of the wonderful feelings and sounds around me..... Justin     
My favorite memory is when we played with Chuanyun Li (soloist for Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto).... Jody
I learned that no matter how good a person is - that person can contribute to the orchestra in some way....Claire
Playing with talented soloists encourages me to continue practicing and striving for excellence....Samuel
My favorite part of orchestra is when every individual part fits together and coalesces into one big sound....Samantha
I've most enjoyed working on Beethoven's fifth because it was rewarding to play such a complicated and famous piece....Andrew
Playing beautiful music allows me to escape my hectic life for a few hours and keeps me on the brink of sanity....Celene
I most enjoyed playing Beethoven Symphonies 5 and 7 which are very complex and goes in directions you'd least expect....Matthew.
I enjoy rehearsal so much that time literally flies by - where hours feel like minutes because I melt inside the music....Daisy
Orchestra has given me a purpose to practicing: simply to produce music that sounds good and literally feels good....Jack
My favorite part of being in this orchestra is that we get to play wonderful music, socialize, and get to know more people....Chi
I've learned that teamwork is a key point of being in an orchestra.....Jesse
After a performance, I feel absolutely wonderful. It makes me proud of myself to help create such great music ....Connie

Prelude Chamber Strings

The Prelude Chamber Strings is conducted by Helen Weed.

Look who nominated this orchestra? Kelly Zhou, Patrick McBrien, Emily Peng, Amara Miranda

What did they have to say about their orchestra?
I enjoyed working on "Postcards from Russia" where I had to play some very high notes in tune in thumb position....Kelly
I have performed concerts at a church, a university, a retirement home, and at Disneyland.... Patrick
During our rehearsals, we have a stretch break where we all stand up, stretch, and share jokes...Emily
Being in the orchestra improves my musicianship and introduces me to a wider repertoire of music...Amara

 

Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra

The Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra is conducted by Maxim Eshkenazy.

Look who nominated this orchestra? Melanie Cebula, Janelle Francisco, Philip Sheegog, Matthew Gustafson, Matthew Jaimes, Thomas Seo, Ryan Song, Nicholas Yoon, Jessica Lim,

What did they have to say about the orchestra?
My favorite memory was going on tour in Bulgaria and playing for king....Melanie
Bulgaria was an experience unlike any other. We were treated like rockstars.... Janelle
Our conductor, Maxim, is brilliant, charismatic, and hilarious...Philip
Being a member of the PSYO has taught me responsibility; to seriously practice my part so as not to let others down...Matthew G.
My favorite part of being in the orchestra is playing with other musicians my age who care as much about music as I do...Matthew J.
During a performance, we give it our all, and we create a moment in time where we share an experience with the audience that can't be felt anywhere else....Thomas
Touring Bulgaria, we became something really special, a single unit all working towards a single goal - to share our musical experiences with the rest of the world. The orchestra has shown me that music is not simply about playing notes - it is a mode of connection, to reach out and express the most poignant messages to others....Ryan
We perform at a high level making me proud to be in such a prestigious youth orchestra....Nicholas
The Bulgaria trip opened my eyes to a country that appreciates music so much and showed me a new culture quite different from the life in the United States....Jessica

Young Peoples Symphony Orchestra

The Young Peoples Symphony Orchestra is conducted by David Ramadanoff

Look who nominated this orchestra? Roxanne Spring, Alexander Chen, Beverly Fu, Sophie Phillips, Clio Goldstein, Scott Marvin, Maureen Sides, Sharon Yau, Daniel Neyshloss, Luther Kuefner, Clarissa Sutton, Eric Hu

What did they have to say about the orchestra?
I like the camaraderie and friendship of playing music together and learning about the compositions....Roxanne
I enjoy The Barber Symphony Number 1 and John Adam's Lolapalooza because I wouldn't normally listen to them....Alexander
The world of music seems to be of another dimension, an escape from the stresses and turmoil of a hectic teenager's life. Here, we can finally let loose and immerse ourselves in a melodious world of Prokofiev, Beethoven, Rimsky-Korsakov, Stravinsky, and beyond....Beverly
Every few months we hold a free public concert at a local church where anybody can come and experience the music....Sophie
I love watching pieces come together as struggling players and sections rise to the occasion to create something wonderful....Clio
My opportunites with YPSO has encouraged me to look for a university that offers an excellent music program....Scott
Music has taught me how to work well in groups, stay focused, play in tune, stay organized, and the importance of practicing....Maureen
I feel proud after a concert knowing the work that went into perfecting the the music....Sharon
By participating in this orchestra, I have developed a very strong connection with music that defines me as a person....Daniel
It's nice to be in an environment where music is taken seriously in a open-minded manner....Luther
I think the best repertoire we have played was Stravinsky's Firebird. It was a difficult, but in the end, an excellent performance....Clarissa
EVERY single person matters to the orchestra, and we all need to work together as an ensemble to sound our best....Eric.

Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra

The Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra is conducted by Roger Samuel

Look who nominated this orchestra? Irene Liou, Jessie Wang, Naomi Lin, Matthew Lin

What did they have to say about the orchestra?
My favorite part is the annual retreat in the mountains of Yucaipa where we play music all day, surrounded by nature and talented guest conductors. It is one of the most amazing and magical experiences....Irene
My favorite venue is Disneyland where we can reach out to others and spread the word about this orchestra... Jessie
At the final concert of each year, our orchestra directors announce the colleges and majors of the graduating musicians. The percentage of people majoring in music increases every year....Naomi
My favorite part about this orchestra is that all of its members are exceptionally passionate and talented young musicians...Matthew

Verdugo Youth Orchestra

The Verdugo Youth Orchestra is conducted by Samvel Chilingarian

Look who nominated this orchestra? Sorab (Soli) Ghandhi, Daniel Mariscal, Emily Inaba, Eli lewis

What did they have to say about the orchestra?
I have learned that teamwork is not only very challenging, but also rewarding....Soli
We played "LET'S GET LOUD" by Gloria Estefan and Kiki Santander. With its latin beat, I was really able to play my drums to it....Daniel
I love the orchestra's summer camp where I made many life-long friends and worked hard to get better at the violin....Emily
Being part of this orchestra will affect my future in a positive way by helping me get into college....Eli