Season 49
2000-2001
Roster
Summer 2000 Redwood Camp
Maestro’s Corner: A Renaissance Man at the Podium
The October 2000 issue of Gentry Magazine featured an intimate profile of Maestro Leo Eylar, capturing the essence of the man who led CYS for decades. Affectionately known by his students as "Maestro E," Eylar’s journey to the podium was as rhythmic and varied as the scores he conducted.
From the Hollywood Bowl to Vienna
Growing up in a musical dynasty—with a concert pianist mother and a famous Hollywood composer uncle, Albert Glasser—music was Eylar's native language. Before taking the baton, he was a virtuoso violinist and Co-Concertmaster of the San Jose Symphony. His path eventually led him to Vienna on a prestigious grant to study conducting, bringing a world-class, European-trained precision back to the youth of the Bay Area.
A Philosophy of "First Experiences"
For Maestro Eylar, the magic of CYS lay in the "palpable sense of offering someone a first-time experience of incredible depth." He famously treated his young musicians not as students, but as professional colleagues, pushing them to reach the same heights of intensity and electricity found in professional ensembles.
Beyond the Baton: Stars and Skies
The 2000 profile also revealed Eylar’s life away from the music stand. An avid amateur astronomer, he often spent his nights in the mountains with a telescope, seeking the same harmony in the cosmos that he demanded from the orchestra. From sailing to hang-gliding in Europe after the 2000 tour, his adventurous spirit served as a constant inspiration for his students to live lives of curiosity and passion.
"We have succeeded if one person out there decides to take up an instrument." — Leo Eylar, 2000
International Exchange: CYS & Zurich Youth Orchestra (October 2000)
In a remarkable display of global musical friendship, CYS hosted the Swiss Zurich Youth Orchestra for a joint concert at the Spangenberg Theatre on October 13, 2000. Under the batons of Maestro Leo Eylar and Maestro Marc Kissoczy, the two ensembles shared the stage in a sophisticated program that included Borodin’s Polovetsian Dances and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8.
A true highlight of the evening was the performance of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, featuring the brilliant 18-year-old Swiss soloist Anita Leuzinger. This cultural exchange not only brought world-class youth artistry to Palo Alto but also reinforced CYS’s standing as a key player in the international youth orchestra community.
A Gift to the Community: Annual Holiday Concert (December 2000)
Continuing a beloved Peninsula tradition, CYS presented its Annual Free Holiday Concert in December 2000. This festive afternoon at the Spangenberg Theatre was designed to bring the joy of music to the local community, featuring seasonal favorites like Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride, Christmas Festival, and the timeless White Christmas.
Beyond the full orchestra, the concert provided a special spotlight for the Percussion and Brass Ensembles, showcasing the diverse talents within the organization. We are proud to recognize the featured Palo Alto musicians who performed that afternoon:
Violin/Strings: Lynn Ngai, Katrina Sullivan, Lara Loewenstein, Joyce Pan
Brass/Wind: Anthony DeFrenza, Duke Kim
November 2000 Concert: A Decennial Milestone
The opening of the 49th Season in November 2000 marked a historic chapter for the California Youth Symphony, celebrating Maestro Leo Eylar’s tenth anniversary as Music Director. Performed at the Flint Center in Cupertino and the San Mateo Performing Arts Center, these concerts were described by critics as a transformative experience that redefined the expectations of youth orchestral performance.
Concert Program Overview
The program was a bold showcase of technical mastery and emotional range, featuring works typically reserved for the world’s leading professional stages:
Tchaikovsky | Capriccio Italien The season opened with a brilliant display of orchestral color. The brass section, often considered the most challenging for young performers, earned immediate acclaim for its "pitch-perfect intonation" and commanding presence, setting a high bar for the concerts to follow.
Mendelssohn | Piano Concerto No. 1 in G Minor Serving as the lyrical centerpiece of the afternoon, this work highlighted the seamless collaboration between the orchestra and its featured soloist, bridging the gap between Romantic virtuosity and classical precision.
Ravel | Daphnis and Chloé, Suites 1 and 2 The program concluded with Ravel’s impressionistic masterpiece. Despite its immense complexity, the orchestra delivered a "flawless" rendition, with critics highlighting the exceptional balance of the woodwinds and the profound emotional resonance of the cello section.
Featured Soloist: Akimi Fukuhara
The concerts featured 16-year-old pianist Akimi Fukuhara, winner of the 2000 CYS Youth Artist Competition. A student of Mack McCray at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Fukuhara captivated audiences with her interpretation of Mendelssohn. Her performance was lauded not just for its "dazzling" technique, but for a rare, mature restraint that favored genuine artistry over mere spectacle—a hallmark of the elite talent nurtured within the CYS program.
In the Media
The November series solidified CYS's reputation as a cultural beacon in the Bay Area. The San Mateo County Times famously remarked that the group had become the "premier orchestral group south of the professional San Francisco Symphony," noting that the maturity of the ensemble made the "youth" label feel "almost absurd." This milestone concert stood as a testament to a decade of growth under Maestro Eylar’s leadership and the enduring excellence of our young musicians.
January 2001 Spotlight: A New Beat for the Percussion Ensemble
January 2001 marked the beginning of a vibrant new era for the CYS Percussion Ensemble with the debut of its new Director, Arthur "Artie" Storch. A distinguished graduate of The Juilliard School with decades of experience performing with the San Francisco and Oakland Symphonies, Storch brought what critics described as the "gravitas of a classically trained musician" combined with an infectious passion for his craft.
The Debut Performance
On January 20, 2001, at Foothill College’s Smithwick Theater, the ensemble delivered a captivating free concert that showcased their remarkable range. The program was a "musical melange," seamlessly traversing from the intricate masterpieces of Bach to the rhythmic vitality of South American melodies. Under Storch's leadership, the 11-member ensemble demonstrated that even the smallest kernel of the symphony could produce a world-class sound, proving that "there really is a right way to play a triangle."
March 2001: A Season of Regional Pride and Artistic Mastery
Concert Program Overview
The spring of 2001 marked a triumphant high point for the California Youth Symphony’s 49th Season. Under the visionary leadership of Maestro Leo Eylar, the orchestra’s March concert series at the Flint Center and the San Mateo Performing Arts Center served as a powerful reminder of CYS’s deep roots within the Bay Area. Drawing 100 gifted musicians from 39 different schools - spanning from San Francisco to Morgan Hill - the ensemble demonstrated a level of technical precision that critics claimed rivaled the professional ranks of the San Francisco and San Jose Symphonies. This series was more than just a performance; it was a celebration of community, featuring dozens of young artists who were highlighted in their local papers in Saratoga, Los Altos, Campbell, and San Mateo.
Featured Soloist: Lana Lee
The program was an ambitious journey through exoticism and Romantic virtuosity, opening with the vibrant folk rhythms of Enesco’s Romanian Rhapsody No. 1. The centerpiece of the afternoon was a profound interpretation of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, featuring soloist Lana Lee. An 18-year-old winner of the CYS Young Artist Competition and a student at The Juilliard School, Lee was praised for a "thoughtful and mature reading" that eschewed youthful flash for genuine professional artistry. The concert concluded with the monumental Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov, a work so richly orchestrated that it laid bare the immense talent of the orchestra’s principal chairs.
In the Media
The critical response was nothing short of spectacular. Reviewers were particularly struck by the "exquisite tone" of Concertmaster Danny Suh and the "powerful projection" of principal flutist Carolyn Nohejl. Perhaps most surprising was the exceptional quality of the French horn section, which conquered the notoriously difficult score with a stability rarely seen in a youth ensemble. As the Los Altos Town Crier noted, CYS had firmly established itself as the regional benchmark for orchestral excellence, proving that with dedicated mentorship and parental support, these young musicians could achieve a "prime time" sound that continues to amaze audiences decades later.
May 2001 Concerts
Concert Program Overview
The May 2001 season finale served as a triumphant conclusion to the 49th Season, providing a stage where the California Youth Symphony "shattered stereotypes," according to the San Mateo County Times. Performed on May 13 at the Flint Center and May 20 at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center, the program was an ambitious triptych of concertos and sweeping orchestral masterworks. From the lush, demanding textures of Wagner’s Tannhäuser to the treacherous, syncopated rhythms of Copland’s Billy the Kid, the orchestra demonstrated a level of dynamic control and technical precision that led critics to remark that the ensemble’s musicianship was "in the running" with professional standards.
Featured Soloists
The spotlight of the finale belonged to three extraordinary student soloists, each a winner of the 2001 Senior Soloist Competition. 15-year-old trombonist Cathy O’Shaughnessy delivered a powerful performance of Gordon Jacob’s Concerto for Trombone, a feat of "lung power and tone quality" that challenged traditional perceptions of brass soloists. She was joined by flutist Vincent Yau, a standout student from Bellarmine College Prep and future Stanford University scholar, who dazzled the audience with Vivaldi’s Concerto for Piccolo. His ability to bounce "extreme high notes off the ceiling" with effortless grace was hailed as a display of pure virtuosity.
The evening was further elevated by 17-year-old violinist Kathy (Sooyoun) Kwon, a student of the famed Jenny Rudin. Performing Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3, Kathy commanded the stage with a "powerful bowing arm" and impeccable intonation, producing a timbre so exquisite that reviewers suggested the work felt as though it had been written specifically for her. As these seniors prepared to graduate and head to prestigious institutions like Stanford, their final performances stood as a testament to the elite caliber of artistry fostered at CYS, leaving a "pool of talent" that would continue to inspire the orchestra for years to come.
