Season 27
1978-1979
Roster
Seniors
The 27th Season Premiere: A New Chapter of Excellence (October 1978)
Concert Program Overview
CYS launched its 27th Season with a pair of gala concerts conducted by founding musical director Maestro Aaron Sten. The premiere took place on Sunday, October 29, 1978, at the San Mateo High School Auditorium, with a second performance held on Sunday, November 5, at the De Anza College Flint Auditorium. These performances followed an exceptionally productive summer session at the orchestra's Redwoods Camp near La Honda, where a record number of 90 teenage musicians participated in intensive rehearsals to master the season's demanding repertoire. The concerts also marked a significant milestone with the official introduction of the newly created CYS Auxiliary, a service organization established to provide scholarships, support music camp participation, and fund future international concert tours.
The program opened with Ambroise Thomas’s dramatic Overture to Raymond, followed by the lyrical and haunting Symphony No. 8 in B Minor ("The Unfinished") by Franz Schubert. The first half concluded with the patriotic and powerful tones of Jean Sibelius’s Finlandia, Op. 26, No. 7. After the intermission, the spotlight shifted to a major classical masterwork: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37. The concerto featured piano soloist Matthew Edwards, the winner of the CYS Audition Award, whose performance exemplified the professional standards for which the ensemble had become nationally recognized under Sten's leadership.
Featured Soloist
Matthew Edwards (Piano)
The highlight of the 27th season's first concert was the appearance of Matthew Edwards, the year's CYS Audition Winner. Edwards performed Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3, a work known for its dramatic C-minor intensity and technical demands. His performance followed the CYS tradition of providing a professional-tier platform for the Bay Area's most promising young instrumentalists.
The 27th Season – Second Concert: A Showcase of Youthful Virtuosity (March 1979)
Concert Program Overview
CYS continued its 27th Season with two dynamic performances conducted by Aaron Sten. The first concert took place on Sunday, March 4, 1979, at Canada College, followed by a repeat performance on Sunday, March 11, at the De Anza College Flint Auditorium. The program was notable for its diverse repertoire, ranging from Rossini’s operatic grandeur to contemporary percussion ensembles and lyrical solo masterworks.
The performance opened with Gioachino Rossini’s energetic Overture to William Tell, followed by Josef Haydn’s Concerto No. 2 for French Horn, featuring principal horn Diane Shakes as soloist. The first half concluded with George F. McKay’s Symphonie Miniature and a jazz-influenced piece, Vick Firth’s Encore in Jazz, conducted by Shelley Tosaw. After the intermission, the program featured Frank Bencriscutto’s Rondeau for Percussion, Harl McDonald’s Scenes from Childhood featuring harpist Anna Marie Mendieta, and concluded with the sweeping symphonic poem The Moldau by Bedřich Smetana.
Featured Soloists
Diane Shakes (French Horn): A 17-year-old senior at Menlo-Atherton High School, Shakes had been a member of CYS for five years and served as principal horn. A student of Gail and David Sprung, she also studied piano since age five and was highly active in student government and the California Scholarship Federation.
Anna Marie Mendieta (Harp): Also 17, Mendieta had been studying harp since age seven, including time at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. An award-winning musician, she received the Matz Memorial Award from the Lyon-Healy Harp Company in 1977 and planned to major in harp at San Francisco State University.
The 27th Season Finale: A Legacy of Excellence and a Farewell (May 1979)
Concert Program Overview
CYS concluded its 27th Season with a pair of landmark performances conducted by founding director Maestro Aaron Sten. The gala concerts were held on Sunday, May 13, 1979, at the San Mateo High School Auditorium and on Sunday, May 20, at the De Anza College Flint Auditorium. These performances were historically significant as they served as the retirement concerts for Maestro Sten, who had founded the ensemble in 1952 and led it for 27 years. The program was noted for its "man-size" difficulty, showcasing the orchestra's ability to maintain a professional caliber while navigating the complex emotional and technical demands of works by Beethoven and Saint-Saëns.
The program opened with a "fairy softness" in Carl Maria von Weber’s Oberon Overture, followed by the first movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, featuring soloist Philip Dworsky. The first half concluded with four movements from Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 ("Pastoral"), which allowed every section of the orchestra to shine. After the intermission, the second half featured Frank Bencriscutto’s Rondeau for Percussion, led by Shelley Tosaw, and Camille Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, featuring soloist Richard Andaya. The season reached its grand conclusion with a spirited performance of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien, Op. 45.
Critical reviews hailed the concert as a powerful statement of Aaron Sten’s legacy with the youth of the Peninsula. Reviewer Dorothy Nichols highlighted the orchestra’s refined balance and tone, particularly in the quietest passages of the Beethoven symphony. Despite the inherent poignancy of members graduating and the founder retiring, the ensemble was described as being in "top form," delivering controlled brass fanfares and a robust, professional sound throughout the demanding repertoire.
Featured Soloists
Philip Dworsky (Piano), a 17-year-old senior at Menlo School and the orchestra’s co-concertmaster, had performed with the ensemble for six years. Dworsky, who also studied violin, planned to attend Princeton University to major in Engineering and Mathematics following his graduation.
Richard Andaya (Cello), an 18-year-old native of San Francisco, was a scholarship student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Irene Sharp. Andaya’s interpretation of the Saint-Saëns concerto was particularly lauded by critics for its "Starker sweetness of tone" and "brilliant" technical execution.
The End of an Era: Maestro Aaron Sten’s Retirement and Legacy
The conclusion of the 27th season marked a historic turning point for CYS as its founder and musical director, Maestro Aaron Sten, retired after twenty-seven years of leadership. To honor his extraordinary service, a grand garden reception was held on July 1, 1979, at the Atherton home of Dr. and Mrs. William Dworsky. The event was attended by approximately 175 guests, including CYS alumni, patrons, and association members who gathered for an afternoon of sentimental recollections and a fond farewell to the Sten family. As a token of appreciation, alumni and patrons presented Sten with a memento gift check, which he intended to use to purchase a custom saddle and cowboy hat for his new life raising horses in Sutter Creek.
Maestro Sten’s legacy is defined by the remarkable growth of the orchestra, which he transformed from a small group of 22 violinists in 1952 into a premier symphonic entity of 100 young musicians representing over 60 communities. Under his guidance, the CYS became the longest-enduring youth symphony in the United States and achieved international acclaim through invitational concert tours in Japan, Australia, Mexico, and Europe. His uncompromising "Sten the Stern" approach pushed nearly 2,900 graduates to perform professional-level masterworks, with many alumni going on to careers in national orchestras. Even in retirement, Sten remained active in the musical community, continuing his role as director of the Peninsula Symphony and tutoring private students.
In July 1979, CYS announced the appointment of Dr. Lauren Jakey as the second musical director in the orchestra’s 27-year history. A resident of Los Gatos and a professor at San Jose State University, Dr. Jakey arrived with an impressive pedigree as both an accomplished violinist and a conductor. He had previously served as the concertmaster for the San Jose Symphony and held first violin positions with the Baltimore and Houston symphonies. His educational background included degrees from Oberlin College, Peabody Conservatory, and a Doctorate from Indiana University, where he studied under legendary masters such as Josef Gingold.
Dr. Jakey brought significant conducting experience to the CYS, having founded the San Jose Sinfonietta in 1976 and directed the Nova Vista Symphony since 1977. He had also studied conducting under the tutelage of figures like Leonard Bernstein and George Szell. Dr. Jakey commenced his duties during the youth orchestra’s summer rehearsals at the Redwood Glen camp in Loma Mar, where he worked alongside newly appointed assistant director Robert Schwab, a clarinet specialist, and percussion supervisor Shelley Tosaw. This new leadership team sought to maintain the high standards established by Sten while opening the doors to a new generation of instrumentalists from across the San Francisco Bay Area.
