Season 60
2011-2012
Senior Orchestra Roster
String Prep Group Roster
Wind Prep Group Roster
Seniors
Senior Orchestra November 2011 Concert
Concert Overview
The California Youth Symphony proudly opened its spectacular 60th anniversary season on November 20, 2011, with a powerful performance at the Flint Center. Under the brilliant leadership of Music Director Leo Eylar, the Senior Orchestra presented a diverse program that explored the depth of American and British orchestral traditions. The concert opened with Aaron Copland’s famous Billy the Kid ballet suite, which beautifully captures the vast landscapes of the American West by weaving traditional cowboy tunes into modern orchestral textures. Following this classic, the orchestra delivered the world premiere of Stephen Blumberg’s Subterranean River, a fascinating new piece that uses rich instrumental colors to take listeners on an imagined voyage through underground spaces.
The second half of the program shifted toward deep romanticism with William Walton’s elegant Cello Concerto, featuring a stellar performance by our guest soloist. To bring the historic afternoon to a triumphant close, the orchestra performed Leonard Bernstein’s dramatic symphonic suite from On the Waterfront. This concert work transformed Bernstein's legendary film score into a powerful tone poem, moving from mournful jazz melodies to aggressive, high-energy rhythms. It was an unforgettable start to a celebratory music season that will also see our advanced young musicians travel to New Zealand for an international summer concert tour.
Featured Soloist: Naomi Benecasa, Cello
CYS was honored to present eighteen-year-old cellist Naomi Benecasa as the featured soloist for Sir William Walton's lyrical and challenging concerto. Born into a musical family, Naomi has shared a deep passion for the cello for over a decade. Her musical journey has taken her across the country, leading to solo appearances with several prominent ensembles, including the Houston Youth Symphony and the Houston Civic Symphony.
Before arriving in California, Naomi spent two years commuting 200 miles every weekend to study privately in St. Louis, where she served as the co-principal cellist for the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra and debuted the Walton concerto at Powell Hall. Her exceptional talent also earned her a featured performance on National Public Radio’s popular From the Top program. A veteran of prestigious summer music festivals, Naomi was a freshman cello performance major studying under Desmond Hoebig at Rice University at the time of this concert. Her expressive and mature performance with CYS perfectly matched the celebratory spirit of our 60th season.
2012 Bay Area Youth Orchestra Festival (BAYOF) Overview
On Sunday, January 15, 2012, CYS Senior Orchestra proudly took the stage at San Francisco's spectacular Davies Symphony Hall for the annual Bay Area Youth Orchestra Festival (BAYOF). This extraordinary event brought together six of the region's finest youth ensembles in a powerful benefit concert dedicated to supporting homeless youth across our individual communities. Born from a collaborative vision shared by regional orchestra directors, the festival allowed these talented young musicians to use their exceptional skills for the greater good while promoting social awareness and community unity.
Representing CYS during its milestone 60th anniversary season, the Senior Orchestra, under the masterful direction of Maestro Leo Eylar, delivered a captivating performance of Maurice Ravel’s La Valse. Originally intended as a lighthearted tribute to the traditional Viennese waltz, Ravel's piece evolved after the First World War into a dramatic and powerful fantasy. The orchestra brilliantly captured the work's vivid imagery, guiding the audience from its mysterious, swirling cloud beginnings to a breathless, high-energy climax.
The festival featured an incredibly rich program, including Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio espagnol by the Young People's Symphony Orchestra, selections from Borodin's Polovtsian Dances by the El Camino Youth Symphony, and the Finale from Dvořák's New World Symphony by the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra. Following the intermission and the CYS performance, the Oakland Youth Orchestra played Saint-Saëns' Danse Bacchanale. To bring the historic afternoon to a triumphant close, representative members from the other ensembles joined the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra on stage for a massive, unified performance of Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 and The Death of Tybalt from Romeo and Juliet. It was a magnificent showcase of artistic excellence and shared purpose that beautifully defined the spirit of the 2011-2012 season.
March 2012 Senior Orchestra Concert
CYS proudly continued its milestone 60th season with a spectacular "Second Concert" program that brought together early 19th-century wizardry and grand 20th-century Viennese nostalgia. Under the direction of Conductor and Music Director Leo Eylar, the Senior Orchestra - widely praised by journalists as "one of the best of the world's youth symphonies"—took the stage on March 18, 2012, at the Flint Center in Cupertino.
The demanding program opened with Igor Stravinsky’s cheerful, rhythmically vibrant Circus Polka, a 1942 burlesque piece originally choreographed by George Balanchine for a ballet of elephants that playfully incorporates a parody of Schubert's Marche militaire. Following this high-spirited opening, the orchestra performed Niccolò Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 6, providing a massive classical introduction that paved the way for a dazzling displays of technical prowess. After intermission, the concert plunged into a pairing of waltz-driven masterworks celebrating Imperial Vienna. The orchestra first performed Maurice Ravel's La Valse, a piece that moves from traditional waltz structures into a frenzied, cataclysmic musical depiction of the destruction of an entire historical era. The program then reached its grand finale with Richard Strauss’s Suite from Der Rosenkavalier, a 1944 arrangement packed with lush, romantic waltz rhythms, theatrical love-duets, and a newly composed, brilliant coda. This ambitious domestic showcase also served as a major stepping stone for the Senior Orchestra as they prepared to embark on an exciting summer international tour across New Zealand.
Featured Soloist: Ethan Tsai
The absolute highlight of the March concert was an exceptional solo appearance by violinist Ethan Tsai, the grand prize winner of the 2011 CYS Young Artist Competition. Currently a junior at Crystal Springs Uplands School, Tsai performed the first movement (Allegro maestoso) of Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1. He fearlessly commanded the movement's fiendishly difficult pyrotechnics—navigating rapid arpeggios, extreme high registers, and finger-twisting chordal passages designed to challenge the finest string players.
Tsai, who began his violin studies at the age of six under the tutelage of Li Lin, brought an incredible international performance background to the CYS stage. He had already claimed the Menuhin/Dowling Young Musician's Award, won first place at the CMTANC Youth Music Competition, and was named a multi-year State Winner for String Solo by the California Music Teachers Association (VOCE) in both 2006 and 2011. An active member of the San Francisco Youth Orchestra since 2008, Ethan made his international concert debut in China with the Guangzhou Philharmonic in 2008 and was invited as a featured soloist with the Hong Kong Youth Symphony in 2009. Beyond his outstanding musical pedigree, Ethan proved to be a highly versatile student, serving as the team captain of his school’s badminton team and being named the most valuable player on the junior varsity soccer team.
Media and Institutional Impact
CYS Board President Dave Morley highlighted that the 60th season was a period of both profound artistic success and immense economic resilience for the organization. While the orchestra continued to draw top-tier recognition from regional journalists for maintaining a world-class youth music standard, the organization faced sudden financial pressures due to the loss of a major funding source caused by the struggling economy. In response, the media and program booklets heavily emphasized the vital role of community volunteers and parental support working behind the scenes. The public success of Ethan Tsai's virtuosic solo alongside the orchestra's seamless navigation of complex works by Ravel and Strauss ultimately served as a powerful rallying point, reinforcing CYS's regional reputation as a premier, volunteer-driven cultural pillar.
2011-2012 Wind Ensembles Season Finale Overview
On June 3, 2012, CYS celebrated the conclusion of its 60th season with the Wind Ensembles Season Finale Concert at the Smithwick Theatre in Foothill College. Under the dedicated leadership of Director Rosita Amador, the performance featured our talented young musicians from the Introductory Winds, Wind Ensemble One, and Wind Ensemble Two. The afternoon offered an exceptional variety of music, taking the audience on a wonderful journey from early classical masterpieces to the grand themes of modern cinema.
The concert began with the Introductory Winds, who brought a bright energy to the stage with Mouret’s elegant Rondeau and a Bach Little Fugue, followed by pieces from Gustav Holst and John Philip Sousa. Wind Ensemble One kept the momentum going with a colorful selection of classical and theatrical standards, including an arrangement of Gershwin’s popular Prelude I, Puccini’s lovely opera aria O Mio Babbino Caro, and a lively movement from a Vivaldi concerto.
To close out the 11-12 season in spectacular style, Wind Ensemble Two delivered a grand, high-energy program. They filled the theater with Rossini’s dramatic Semiramide Overture, Steven Reineke’s powerful River of Life, and a adventurous musical story by Robert W. Smith. The afternoon reached its thrilling peak with a medley of cinematic favorites titled Soaring with John Williams, sending our audiences home with a wonderful reminder of the vital role CYS plays in nurturing community arts.
2011-2012 String Ensembles Season Finale Overview
On June 3, 2012, CYS presented its String Ensembles Season Finale Concert at the Smithwick Theatre in Foothill College. Under the masterful direction of Conductor Kati Kyme, the afternoon performance celebrated the incredible progress and talent of our young string players. Divided into two major parts, the concert offered a beautiful selection of standard classical works that spans across generations of great composers.
The concert opened with the Junior String Ensemble, delivering a bright and engaging series of short masterpieces. They treated the audience to Tchaikovsky's rhythmic Little Russian March, followed by the graceful Allegretto Grazioso from Dvořák's Symphony No. 8. They continued their performance with two lively movements from Schubert's Quartet No. 2 in C Major and concluded their set with a crisp, elegant rendition of the Allegro Moderato from Mozart's Symphony No. 29.
The second half of the program featured the Intermediate String Ensemble, beginning with the spirited sounds of Rossini's Allegro Spiritoso. This half of the concert featured a truly special highlight, as the ensemble performed Mozart's Quartet in F Major, K. 590 under the batons of our student conductor competition winners. Shea Ketsdever led the orchestra through the expressive Allegro moderato, while Tyler Hsieh stepped up to conduct the fast-paced Finale. To bring the entire concert and the 11-12 season to a dramatic and successful close, the ensemble delivered a powerful performance of the Allegro from Verdi's Quartet in E minor, leaving the audience with a wonderful reminder of the dedication built here at CYS.
