Season 42
1993-1994
Roster
Seniors
Summer 1993 Redwood Camp
In August 1993, the California Youth Symphony returned to the redwoods of Redwood Glen in La Honda for an intensive week of musical residency. Competition for the 1993–1994 ensemble reached a peak that summer, with nearly 300 musicians auditioning for just 30 available seats, resulting in an elite 118-member main orchestra. Under the direction of Maestro Leo Eylar, then in his fourth year as conductor, the camp focused on a rigorous repertoire that balanced classical masterworks by Liszt, Brahms, and Mahler with challenging, lesser-known modern compositions. This retreat provided a vital sanctuary for artistic growth, where students traded the routine of daily life for focused practice sessions among the old-growth pines, perfecting their craft in a unique environment of natural serenity and professional-level discipline.
November 1993 Concert
CYS launched its 1993–1994 season under the baton of Music Director Leo Eylar with a program that celebrated the grandeur of the Romantic era. Performing at both the San Mateo Performing Arts Center and the Flint Center, the orchestra demonstrated remarkable technical maturity and emotional depth. The concerts opened with the powerful, sweeping themes of Franz Liszt’s symphonic poem "Les Préludes," followed by a stirring performance of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 featuring soloist Anita Stoneham. The program reached its dramatic peak with Rimsky-Korsakov’s masterpiece "Scheherazade," a work renowned for its lush orchestration and demanding solos. The success of these season-opening performances reaffirmed CYS’s reputation for tackling professional-level repertoire with "panache and bravura," setting a high artistic bar for the year ahead.
Featured Soloist
Karen Shih (Violin)
A defining presence of the 1993–1994 season was Concertmaster Karen Shih, whose journey perfectly encapsulated the "CYS Spirit" of multifaceted excellence. A senior at Notre Dame High School in San Jose and the Valedictorian of her class with a perfect 4.0 GPA, Karen balanced her rigorous musical commitments with elite academic and scientific pursuits. While serving as the first-place winner of the 1994 CYS Young Artist Competition, she was simultaneously engaged in advanced astrophysics research at NASA, studying Martian exploration. In the November performances of Scheherazade, Karen’s lyrical and commanding violin solos provided the narrative voice of the legendary storyteller, earning high praise for their technical precision and soulful expression.
Karen’s ability to move seamlessly between complex mathematical equations and the intricate phrasing of a violin concerto served as an inspiration to her peers. Following her graduation, she headed to Stanford University to pursue a degree in bioengineering, with aspirations of becoming a neurologist. Her story remains a cornerstone of the CYS legacy, illustrating that the discipline, patience, and focus required to master a symphonic work are the same qualities that forge the leaders and scientists of tomorrow.
Picture: Karen Shih and Johnson Louie
Honoring Our Foundation: The Legacy of Aaron Sten (1917–1994)
In February 1994, the California Youth Symphony community mourned the passing of its visionary founder and first conductor, Maestro Aaron Sten, who died at the age of 77. A former concert violinist and a pioneer in music education, Sten founded CYS in 1952 with just 22 string players and led the ensemble with an uncompromising commitment to excellence for 27 years. He famously refused to "babysit" his students, instead treating young musicians as serious artists and pushing them to achieve professional-level mastery—a philosophy that led CYS to become the first American youth orchestra to tour internationally in 1963. His final major appearance with the symphony was a poignant "full circle" moment at the 40th Anniversary Reunion in August 1992, where he witnessed generations of his former students performing together once more. Though he has passed on, Maestro Sten’s spirit remains the bedrock of CYS, and his "Sten Standard" of discipline and passion continues to inspire every musician who takes our stage today.
March 1994 Concert
In March 1994, the California Youth Symphony, led by Music Director Leo Eylar, performed a profoundly moving series of concerts at the Flint Center (March 13) and the San Mateo Performing Arts Center (March 20). Coming just weeks after the passing of CYS founder and first conductor Aaron Sten in February, the program carried a somber yet celebratory weight. The orchestra officially dedicated the series to Sten’s memory, turning the stage into a living tribute to the man who had laid the foundation for the organization’s 42-year history of excellence.
The program was an ambitious display of the 110-member ensemble’s technical and emotional range. It opened with the spirited and witty "Overture to The School for Scandal" by Samuel Barber, followed by the lush, intricate textures of Richard Strauss’s Suite from "Der Rosenkavalier". The second half of the concert featured Brahms’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major—often called his "Pastoral" symphony—whose warm, melodic architecture provided a fitting musical reflection on Sten’s enduring legacy and the hopeful future of the young musicians he had inspired.
The centerpiece of the afternoon was a powerful performance of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat Major, featuring the brilliant 17-year-old soloist Linette Illastron. A student at the San Francisco Conservatory and a resident of Daly City, Illastron had recently won the 1993 CAPMT State Concerto Competition. Her interpretation of Prokofiev’s rhythmically driving and virtuosic work was met with high acclaim, showcasing the "professional-level polish" that had become the hallmark of the Eylar era. Publicity for the concert also highlighted the orchestra’s young talent, such as 14-year-old harpist Katie Buckley, capturing a snapshot of the next generation of artists being nurtured within the CYS ranks.
May 1994 Concert
The May 1994 season finale marked a sophisticated conclusion to the California Youth Symphony’s 42nd season, with performances held at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center and the Flint Center. Under the baton of Maestro Leo Eylar, the orchestra tackled an ambitious program of 20th-century masterworks, including the ethereal, spiritual textures of Alan Hovhaness’s Symphony No. 2 ("Mysterious Mountain") and the technically demanding Symphonic Metamorphosis by Paul Hindemith. The program opened with the vibrant energy of Dvořák’s Carnival Overture, setting the stage for a concert that balanced orchestral precision with the individual brilliance of its student members.
Victory in Vienna: The 1994 International Concert Tour
In July 1994, the California Youth Symphony embarked on its 10th international tour, a high-stakes journey through the musical heart of Central Europe that culminated in a historic victory. Under the baton of Maestro Leo Eylar, a touring party of 143 people—including 102 elite musicians—traveled to Salzburg, Vienna, Prague, and Budapest. The cornerstone of the tour was the orchestra’s participation in the prestigious International Youth and Music Festival in Vienna. Competing against world-class ensembles from numerous countries, CYS delivered a tour-de-force performance of a professional-grade program featuring Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis, and Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the brilliant 19-year-old soloist David Park. Their technical precision and emotional maturity earned CYS the First Prize in the Orchestra Competition, a crowning achievement that solidified the ensemble's reputation on the global stage.
The tour was more than a competitive triumph; it was a diplomatic and cultural odyssey. From performing in the legendary Rudolfinum-Dvořák Hall in Prague to the historic Vigadó Hall in Budapest, the students served as musical ambassadors for the San Francisco Peninsula. The magnitude of their success was recognized back home on August 30, 1994, when Mayor Susan Hammer and the City of San Jose issued a formal Commendation to the orchestra, praising the musicians for their "diligence and hard work" and for bringing a source of immense pride to the entire community. This landmark tour not only honored the foundation laid by our late founder Aaron Sten but also set a new international gold standard for the Eylar era, providing our students with a transformative experience that lasted a lifetime.
