Season Finale - Senior Orchestra

Our season finale is an event you definitely don’t want to miss, as we prepare for our upcoming tour to Japan in late June. On June 7th, CYS will perform four of the seven works planned for the 2026 tour to Japan. We will open with Leonard Bernstein’s Candide Overture, one of his most popular and beloved works.  The orchestra will also be featuring Hedwig’s Theme from the Harry Potter series by John Williams.

Four senior soloists are featured on the season finale concert. Co-Principal flutist Olivia Park will perform the finale from Jacques Ibert’s dazzling (and jazzy!) Flute Concerto, composed in 1933, and Co-Principal violist Michael Deng will be featured in the first movement of Paul Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher. Der Schwanendreher (1935) is a lively and imaginative concerto for viola and orchestra, built on old German folk songs. The title refers to a medieval street musician—literally a “swan turner”—who would entertain crowds while roasting a swan over a spit. Hindemith places the solo violist in this storytelling role, transforming simple, rustic tunes into music that is by turns playful, reflective, and brilliantly virtuosic. The result is a work that feels both ancient and modern, full of character and charm.

Assistant Concertmaster Hannah Lee will perform Vieuxtemps’ Violin Concerto No. 5, a stunning virtuosic work that alternates fierce technical wizardry with soulful melodic writing that is guaranteed to move you. Co-Principal cellist Brandon Kang finishes up with one of the iconic cello works of the 20th century: Sergei Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante. Composed only one year before the composer’s death in 1953, the Sinfonia Concertante is a powerful and deeply expressive showcase for the cello. Originally conceived as a concerto, the work was extensively revised in collaboration with the great cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who helped shape its final, more expansive form. The music ranges from brooding intensity to biting wit and moments of lyrical beauty, all while demanding extraordinary virtuosity from the soloist. Both symphonic in scope and concerto-like in brilliance, the piece stands as one of Prokofiev’s most compelling late works.

We will close with Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture. This work is one of the most beloved musical retellings of Romeo and Juliet. Rather than following the story scene by scene, Tchaikovsky captures its emotional essence: the solemn presence of Friar Laurence, the violent clashes between the feuding families, and, most famously, the soaring love theme representing the doomed young lovers. Sweeping, dramatic, and deeply heartfelt, the work unfolds like a wordless miniature opera, bringing Shakespeare’s tragedy vividly to life through music alone. We even have a very short encore that will be played on the tour–shhhh! Please join us for an unforgettable afternoon of music-making!

Leo Eylar, conductor
Olivia Park, flute
Hannah Lee, violin
Michael Deng, viola
Brandon King, cello

Graduating Senior Concerto Competition Winners

Olivia Park, flute

Olivia Park is a senior at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose. A 2025 National YoungArts Winner with Distinction in Classical Music, she performed at the New World Center in Miami as part of the National YoungArts Week showcase. She was also recognized as a 2025–26 Fellow in NPR’s Learning and Media Lab and appeared on the From the Top radio show and podcast to share her musical journey and passion for the flute.

Olivia currently studies flute with Yubeen Kim (San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the SF Symphony) and previously studied with Jooyoun Shin of the Korean Symphony Orchestra. To further her artistry, she has participated in summer programs at institutions such as the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. On the stage, she has won top honors in the ENKOR International Music Competition and the US Open Music Competition. She is a multi-year award recipient at the Junior Bach Festival. Recently, she performed as a soloist with the KAMSA Orchestra as the winner of their Young Artist Competition, having previously appeared on the same stage in 2023 to perform a duet with internationally renowned soprano Sumi Jo. She is also the leader of the MUSE ensemble, through which she gives back to the community through music.

Beyond the flute, Olivia is a versatile saxophonist, performing with her school’s jazz band, the pit orchestra, and the California Youth Symphony. At Archbishop Mitty, she served as the drum major for the pep band and received the Undergraduate Award in Performing Arts for her contributions to the school's arts community. Olivia was named principal flutist of the California All-State High School Symphony Orchestra in both 2024 and 2025, and she currently serves as a coprincipal flutist of the California Youth Symphony.

Hannah Lee, violin

Hannah Lee is a senior at Archbishop Mitty High School. She began learning violin at the age of 7 and studies violin under Ms. Zhao Wei. Hannah was awarded first place in the instrumental division of the 2019 Pacific Musical Society Competition, grand prize in the 2025 Silicon Valley Music Competition, and 2nd place in the 2025 ENKOR International Music Competition. She was accepted to the California All-State Orchestras in 2022 and 2023 and served as assistant concertmaster for the 2024 High School Symphony Orchestra.

Additionally, Hannah attended the 2023 Bowdoin International Music Festival, where she studied with Peter Winograd and Kurt Sassmannshaus, as well as the 2025 ENCORE Chamber Music Institute. She was also a participant in NYO2 and toured Scotland as part of the 2025 Edinburgh International Festival.

Hannah is the assistant concertmaster of the California Youth Symphony's Senior Orchestra and a member of YCM.

Michael Deng, viola

Michael Deng (17) is a senior at Valley Christian High School and is in his first year with CYS as Co-Principal Viola. He began music at age 9 studying violin with Craig Bate, later transitioning to viola and performing with ensembles including the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra for two years, where he served as Principal Viola for several sets. Michael has also performed with the Cambrian Symphony in the San Jose Nutcracker for the past three years, most recently as Co-Principal Viola, and is Co-Principal Viola in his school’s Honor Strings Ensemble.

Outside of music, Michael is a certified EMT and an American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor who has helped over 100 students earn provider certification. He co-founded and serves as Vice President of his school’s Pre-Med Club, works in In-Home Supportive Services supporting seniors, and competes in business competitions, earning awards in DECA and the Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. He also is a neurodiversity advocate and has conducted neuroscience and social psychology research with Dr. Ali Mahmoodi. In his free time, he enjoys basketball, chess, and photography.

Brandon Kang, cello

Brandon Kang, 18 is a 12th grader at Gunn High School. He has studied cello for ten years and his current teacher is Jonathan Koh. He has also studied with Sarah Koo, a professor at UC Irvine, and Hans Jørgen Jensen a professor at Northwestern University. Brandon was selected to attend the Morningside Music Bridge festival at the New England Conservatory. Brandon was also selected to be the principal cellist in Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra (NYO2) and performed in Carnegie Hall and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Meyerson Symphony Hall under the baton of Teddy Abrams. He is also currently the principal cellist in the California Youth Symphony Senior orchestra and has played with them for over 4 years.

Brandon was selected to participate in the XI International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, was named a National YoungArts Winner, and won first place in USOMC and USIMC several times. He also won the Alvin Docker prize from Fremont Symphony’s 2020 Young Artist Competition. He has performed as a scholarship winner of the Music Teachers’ Scholarship competition and in Berkeley as a winner of the Junior Bach Festival. Brandon has also hosted and performed in fundraiser concerts with different organizations such as the Glide Memorial United Methodist Church and the Bay Area Music Project.  

Graduating Senior Concerto Competition

The CYS Senior Orchestra holds an annual Concerto Competition in December, offering its current graduating seniors an exciting opportunity to showcase their talent on our season finale concerts in May or June.