Season 65

2016-2017

Senior Orchestra Roster

Associate Orchestra Roster

Wind Symphony Roster

Wind Ensemble Roster

String Ensemble Roster

Seniors

November 2016 Senior Orchestra Concert

The California Youth Symphony Senior Orchestra launched its historic 65th anniversary season with two magnificent performances on November 13, 2016, at the Flint Center and November 20 at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center. Guided by Music Director Leo Eylar in his 27th year leading CYS, the orchestra presented a rich program featuring orchestral storytelling, a major world premiere, and Russian masterworks.

The afternoon opened with Paul Dukas's vivid symphonic poem, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," bringing Goethe's famous tale of magical brooms and watery chaos to life with sparkling woodwind and brass fanfares. A major highlight of the first half was the CYS-commissioned world premiere of Sunny Knable's Symphony No. 2 "The Great Expanse." Written in two movements titled "...of Dark" and "...of Light," this programmatic piece explores themes of past versus future through colorful leitmotivs and expansive orchestral textures.

Following the intermission, the concert presented Sergei Prokofiev's tender and lyrical Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19, featuring a brilliant young featured soloist. To bring the opening concert series to a triumphant conclusion, the Senior Orchestra performed Sergei Rachmaninov's "Symphonic Dances, Op. 45." Written as the composer's final masterpiece, this retrospective work combines incisive dance rhythms, rich instrumental colors—from the crooning alto saxophone to the dry clatter of the xylophone—and an invigorating balance of emotion and wisdom.

Featured Soloist: James Poe, Violin

CYS was proud to present violinist James Poe as the featured soloist for Prokofiev's First Violin Concerto. A junior at Palo Alto High School, James began studying violin at age five with Li Lin and currently studies with Wei He. He also attends the prestigious Perlman Music Program, where he trains under legendary artists Itzhak Perlman, Catherine Cho, Sean Lee, and Li Lin.

James has compiled an exceptional record of international honors, including First Prizes at the VOCE Junior Strings Competition, the Pacific Musical Society Competition, the Schoenfeld International Violin Competition in Hong Kong, and the 2016 Mondavi Center National Young Artists Competition. During his three years living in Taiwan, he twice won the Taiwan Academy of Strings Competition and performed repeatedly at the National Concert Hall in Taipei. Beyond his competitive success, James is deeply committed to community service, performing regularly at charity hospitals and his local church, for which he earned the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. Also a talented fine artist, he holds a Scholastic Silver National Medal in photography. James’s lyrical tone and technical agility brought out the full beauty of Prokofiev's romantic score.

March 2017 Senior Orchestra Concert

The California Youth Symphony Senior Orchestra continued its 65th anniversary season with two outstanding performances on March 5, 2017, at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center and March 12 at the Flint Center. Guided by Music Director Leo Eylar, the orchestra presented a vibrant, masterfully crafted program featuring French impressionism, Classical warmth, and modern ballet drama.

The program opened with Maurice Ravel’s lively "Alborada del Gracioso" (Morning Song of the Jester). Originally composed for solo piano and orchestrated by Ravel in 1918, this sparkling piece uses crisp Spanish dance rhythms, fast repeated notes, and an exciting coda to paint a colorful musical portrait. The first half continued with Ludwig van Beethoven’s joyful Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19, featuring a featured young soloist. Brimming with classic Viennese humor, lyrical warmth in the Adagio movement, and a high-spirited finale, the concerto showcased a wonderful dialogue between piano and orchestra.

Following the intermission, the Senior Orchestra performed Igor Stravinsky’s landmark ballet score, "Petrouchka" (1947 version). Across four dramatic tableaux, the music vividly portrays the bustling Shrovetide Fair in St. Petersburg and tells the story of three puppets brought to life by a mysterious showman. Combining brilliant orchestral effects, rhythmic ingenuity, and deeply touching melancholy, the orchestra brought Stravinsky's colorful characters to life, culminating in the jeering ghost of Petrouchka appearing above the carnival booth.

Featured Soloist: Parker Van Ostrand, Piano

CYS was proud to feature thirteen-year-old pianist Parker Van Ostrand as the soloist for Beethoven's Second Piano Concerto. Parker earned this performance opportunity after winning the 2016 California Youth Symphony Young Artist Competition. Currently an eighth-grade student at Merryhill School in Sacramento, Parker studies piano under the guidance of Linda Nakagawa and Natsuki Fukasawa.

Parker began his piano journey at age four and made his debut at Carnegie Hall at just five years old after winning gold in the AADGT Competition. He has since returned to Carnegie Hall twice and performed in recitals across the United States, Singapore, and Japan. Parker has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Stockton Symphony and Merced Symphony, and was named a finalist in the Mondavi Young Artist Competition and the MTAC Concerto Competition. Outside of music, Parker is a distance runner on his school track team, a member of the Pacific Racers Athletic Association, and enjoys swimming, painting, LEGO building, and studying Japanese. His delicate touch, crisp phrasing, and sparkling stage presence brought a captivating energy to Beethoven's masterwork.

2016-2017 Holiday Pops Concert Overview

On December 11, 2016, the California Youth Symphony welcomed audiences to the San Mateo Performing Arts Center for its annual Holiday Pops Concert. The event carried special historical significance, celebrating 65 years since CYS gave its very first public performance in the exact same venue (then the San Mateo High School auditorium). The festive program showcased three CYS ensembles in a spirited, high-energy afternoon of classical and seasonal favorites.

The performance opened with the CYS Associate Orchestra, led by Music Director Leo Eylar, presenting Saint-Saëns’ dramatic Danse Macabre, Hérold’s Zampa Overture, colorful movement selections from Bizet’s L'Arlésienne Suites, and Ted Ricketts’ arrangement of Pirates of the Caribbean. The concert then featured a landmark moment: the debut performance of the newly formed CYS Wind Symphony, conducted by Chris Florio. Offering advanced training for young wind players, the ensemble made a memorable first impression with Pavel Tschesnokoff's sacred Salvation is Created, Gustav Holst's First Suite in E-flat for Military Band, Morten Lauridsen's serene O Magnum Mysterium, and Shostakovich's energetic Folk Dances.

Following the second pause, the CYS Senior Orchestra took the stage under Maestro Eylar to complete the festive celebration. Their program included iconic cinematic themes, featuring John Williams' "Hedwig's Theme" from Harry Potter and the Theme from Jurassic Park, alongside selections from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. The afternoon featured a dazzling solo performance by violin competition winner Andrew Lee, before concluding with Leroy Anderson's cheerful holiday classics, Sleigh Ride and A Christmas Festival.

Featured Artists & Soloist

Chris Florio, Wind Symphony Director

Conductor Chris Florio joined CYS to direct the inaugural season of the new CYS Wind Symphony. A Peninsula native, Chris trained at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division and earned degrees in music and conducting in Los Angeles, studying with Mitchell Peters and wind icon Dr. Thomas Lee at UCLA. Since 2005, he has served as the Director of Instrumental Music at the Harker School in San Jose, growing the Upper School Orchestra from 28 to nearly 90 students and leading performances at prestigious venues across New York, London, Paris, and Chicago. In 2010, he co-founded the Harker Concert Series to bring world-renowned guest artists to collaborate with student musicians. His passion for music education and collaborative student performance made him the perfect leader to launch CYS's newest wind ensemble.

Andrew Lee, Violin Soloist

Seventeen-year-old violinist Andrew Lee was the featured soloist with the Senior Orchestra, performing Pablo de Sarasate’s virtuosic Zigeunerweisen ("Gypsy Airs"). A winner of the 2016 CYS Young Artist Competition and a 2017 National YoungArts Foundation Honorable Mention Winner, Andrew studies with Zhao Wei at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division.

Andrew serves as the concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and previously performed at Carnegie Hall and across Europe as associate concertmaster of the National Youth Orchestra. He has won First Prizes in the Pacific Musical Society and CMTANC competitions and has performed in masterclasses for artists like Wu Han, David Finckel, and Alexander Barantschik. A senior at Los Altos High School, Andrew is also a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo, a USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad qualifier, and a volunteer musician with the "Back to BACH" Project, bringing classical music to local elementary schools.

May 2017 Senior Orchestra Concert

The California Youth Symphony Senior Orchestra brought its historic 65th anniversary season to a triumphant close with performances on May 7, 2017, at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center and May 14 at the Flint Center. Under the leadership of Music Director Leo Eylar in his 27th year with CYS, the afternoon featured a unique program celebrating every instrument family across the orchestra, alongside solo performances by five CYS Senior Soloist Competition winners.

The concert opened with Richard Strauss’s majestic Feierlicher Einzug, reuniting the CYS Brass Section with CYS Brass Alumni and members of the Associate Orchestra. The spotlight then turned to the double reeds, featuring bassoonists Allan Zhao and Gregor Dairaghi in the opening movement of Vanhal's Concerto for Two Bassoons. Violinist Morgan Wu followed with Sarasate’s fiery Introduction and Tarantella, after which the CYS Woodwind Section took center stage for Strauss’s classic Serenade for Winds, Op. 7. The first half concluded on a lively note as marimbist Kyle Jung performed the "Despedida" finale from Ney Rosauro's Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra No. 1.

Following the intermission, Percussion Director Artie Storch led the CYS Percussion Section in Nathan Daughtrey’s energetic work Sizzle!, which blends voice whispers with rhythmic membrane, metal, and wood instruments. Violinist Elvin Hsieh then delivered a passionate performance of the "Finale" from Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Next, the CYS String Section displayed their rich tone in the opening "Pezzo in forma di Sonatina" from Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings. To bring the entire concert and the 65th season to a festive conclusion, the full orchestra joined together to perform George Enescu’s world-famous Romanian Rhapsody No. 1, filling the hall with spirited folk dances, stomping rhythms, and gypsy warmth.

Featured Soloists

Allan Zhao & Gregor Dairaghi, Bassoons

Bassoonists Allan Zhao and Gregor Dairaghi joined forces to perform the Allegro Moderato from Vanhal’s Concerto for Two Bassoons.

• Allan Zhao began playing bassoon at age 11 after studying piano and saxophone. He joined CYS in fifth grade and played in the Senior Orchestra throughout high school. Allan served as first bassoon in the Santa Clara County Honor Band for four consecutive years, won second prize at the 2016 AFAF International Concerto Competition, and was a concerto winner with the Stanford Youth Orchestra. A senior at Milpitas High School, he also served as varsity swim captain, Tri-M Music Honor Society president, and marching band Drum Major. He will attend Stanford University in the fall.

• Gregor Dairaghi, 17, began bassoon at age 12 with Yueh Chou and celebrated his second year as co-principal bassoonist in the Senior Orchestra during his fifth year with CYS. A senior at Palo Alto High School, he participated in the California All-State Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra, the SFCM Summer Music West program, and the Mid Peninsula Recorder Orchestra. Outside of music, Gregor served as co-president of his school’s Science Olympiad team and competed in cross country and track. He plans to study chemistry in college.

Morgan Wu, Violin

Co-concertmaster Morgan Wu performed Sarasate’s Introduction and Tarantella. A senior at Lynbrook High School, Morgan studied violin with Diane Egli and Danielle Tarley. She was a dedicated member of CYS for 11 seasons, including seven in the Senior Orchestra. Alongside her musical leadership, Morgan was a four-year starter on her school’s varsity volleyball team, helping her club teams win seven League and Regional Championships, and served as Senior Class Treasurer. Morgan will attend Johns Hopkins University to major in Public Health, minor in music, and play varsity volleyball.

Kyle Jung, Marimba

Marimbist Kyle Jung performed the "Despedida" finale from Ney Rosauro’s Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra No. 1. Kyle began percussion at age nine and studied under CYS Percussion Director Artie Storch. A senior at Carlmont High School in Belmont, he served as principal percussionist of his school symphony and captain of the drumline, while also performing with the Peninsula Youth Orchestra and Peninsula Symphony. Kyle was active as a varsity shot put and discus thrower, Robotics team member, and president of both the Ukulele Club and Friends of Millard Fillmore trivia hunt. He will study Aerospace Engineering at UC Davis.

Elvin Hsieh, Violin

Violinist Elvin Hsieh performed the "Finale" from Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Elvin began violin at age five with Xiaoli Chen and studied with Li Lin, Ian Swensen, and Chen Zhao. His accolades include First Prizes at the 2016 American Protégé International Concerto Competition and U.S. Open Music Competition, two-time selection for the Junior Bach Festival, and winning the SCVFA Fiddle Tune Contest six times. At Mountain View High School, he served as concertmaster of the symphony orchestra, vice president of Key Club, and PR officer for Interact Club. Elvin will attend UCLA to major in Violin Performance.

Fall & Winter Concerts Series Summary

Spring Spectacular & Season Finale Series