2022 /23
WELCOME TO OUR 60TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON! The 2022-23 Season of the Golden State Youth Orchestra is one of celebration and renewal. We celebrate 60 years of excellence in music education and the inaugural season of our new Music Director, Dr. Yun Song Tay. We continue our tradition of providing the finest music education experience for our young musicians as they return fully to in-person instruction. Please join us for high caliber performances throughout the upcoming season and don’t miss our 60th Anniversary Concert in the spring when our Senior Symphony and acclaimed classical artists collaborate for an unforgettable evening of music and memories. You don’t want to miss this exciting season, a celebration of music education, and our new Maestro. We invite you to travel the musical road before us and look back at a rich, musical history. Come and experience the future of music for yourself. We are Golden State Youth Orchestra.
Sincerely, Dr. Yun Song Tay Music Director
Seth Ducey Executive Director
Christine Kittinger Board President
MUSIC DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR
DR. YUN SONG TAY
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A cheerful, vibrant and musically active conductor.
Recently appointed as the Music Director of the Golden State Youth Orchestra in 2022, Yun Song conducts the Senior Symphony and Camilla Kolchinsky Orchestra. Dr. Tay previously served as the Assistant Conductor for Phoenix —Adam Rozlach, Polish Radio Youth Symphony Orchestras and Arizona State University Orchestra. Other ensembles he has conducted during his vibrant career include Orchestra de Camera Fiorentina, Berlin Sinfonietta, European Youth Wind Orchestra, Dutch Royal Guards Band, Cleveland Heights Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Collective (Singapore), MusicaNova Orchestra, and the US Army Field Band. A strong advocate for contemporary music, Yun Song has also conducted the Cleveland Institute of Music New Music Ensemble in multiple performances. Maestro Tay received his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from Arizona State University under Dr. Jeffery Meyer. He received his Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting at Cleveland Institute of Music and Bachelor’s degree in Wind Conducting at Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where his conducting mentors included Carl Topilow and Danny Oosterman.
SEASON AT A GLANCE OCT. 23: SEASON OPENER CONCERT California Theatre NOV. 12: FALL CLASSIC CONCERT Smithwick Theatre DEC. 3: FALL FESTIVAL CONCERT Spangenberg Theatre DEC. 11: HOLIDAY POPS CONCERT California Theatre
Ashley Huang, Season Finale
MAR. 4: WINTER CELEBRATION CONCERT Carlmont High School Theater MAR. 18: MARCH REVELRY CONCERT Carlmont High School Theater APR. 14: VIOLIN MASTERCLASS St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Directed by David Kim and featuring GSYO Symphony Violinists APR. 15: 60TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT Smithwick Theatre Featuring special guests David Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Catherine Cook, mezzo-soprano, with the Symphony Orchestra. MAY 6: SPRING ENCORE CONCERT Spangenberg Theatre MAY 13: SPRING DANCE CONCERT De Anza Visual & Performing Arts Center JUNE 4: SEASON FINALE CONCERT Cañada College Theater Tickets: $25/$15 (unless otherwise noted) available at gsyomusic.org
SATURDAY, APRIL 15, 2023, 7 PM Smithwick Theatre 12345 El Monte Rd., Los Altos Hills Dr. Yun Song Tay, Conductor CLASSICS WITH THE GREATS Golden State Youth Orchestra celebrates 60 years of musicmaking with world-class performers Catherine Cook and David Kim joining the Symphony in a program featuring a gorgeous selection of Old American Songs by Copland, the beloved Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, and the monumental Second Symphony by Sibelius. Tickets: $40/$25 available at gsyomusic.org
Cathy Cook
BERNSTEIN Overture to Candide COPLAND Selections from Old American Songs, Catherine Cook TCHAIKOVSKY Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, David Kim SIBELIUS Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43
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Kim offered a truly virtuosic performance of the Tchaikovsky, receiving a standing ovation after the first movement. —Dana Oland, Idaho Statesman David Kim
VIOLIN MASTERCLASS WITH DAVID KIM FRIDAY, APRIL 14, 2023, 7 PM St. Mark’s Episcopal Church 600 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto David Kim, Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, will direct a masterclass featuring GSYO Symphony violinists. Tickets: $15 available at gsyomusic.org; Music Teachers are free!
GOLDEN STATE YOUTH
ORCHESTRA CONDUCTORS DR. RICHARD ROPER El Camino Wind Orchestra & Honors Wind Ensemble Dr. Roper holds degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Yale School of Music, and the University of Maryland. Committed to arts education, he also serves on the faculties of the University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Clara University, College of San Mateo, and West Valley College. For many years he taught classes and conducted the brass choir at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College. In addition, he has held positions on the music faculties of the University of Maine and California State University Stanislaus.
MARIYA BOROZINA Galbraith Honor Strings Mariya Borozina graduated from The Gnessins School of Music and completed a violin performance degree at the Moscow Conservatory. After moving to the US, she earned a postgraduate degree from the Manhattan School of Music. Ms. Borozina plays first violin at the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet orchestras. As an educator, she often coaches chamber groups and orchestras, performs at outreach programs, and teaches privately.
Visit gsyomusic.org for expanded conductor bios.
JORDAN WEBSTER Chamber Players & Camerata Orchestras Jordan Webster earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the Lawrence Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin. She also holds a Master’s in Education from the University of San Francisco. She is the Assistant Director of Instrumental Music at Carlmont High School in Belmont. Previously, she was the director at Ralston Middle School in Belmont for thirteen years where she grew the program to over 400 musicians.
DEBRA GARDNER Assistant Conductor & Director of Winds Debra Gardner received Bachelor’s degrees in Clarinet Performance and Recording Arts from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and her M.M. in Clarinet Performance from DePaul University. As an educator, her varied experiences include working with at-risk youth at the MERIT Music Program in Chicago and teaching chamber music and music theory for the San Francisco Community Music Center’s Comprehensive Musicianship Program.
SEASON OPENER CONCERT SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022, 7 PM California Theatre 345 S. First St., San Jose Dr. Yun Song Tay, Conductor LAUGHTER IS TIMELESS, IMAGINATION HAS NO AGE, DREAMS ARE FOREVER Presenting the nostalgic last symphony of Prokofiev, composer of Peter and The Wolf (1946 Disney Adaptation) and Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Waltz (1959 Disney Adaptation), along with the passionate Violin Concerto No. 3 by Saint-Saëns and Dvorak’s energetic Carnival Overture as the curtain raiser. DVORAK Carnival Overture SAINT-SAËNS Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 63, Mvt. 1, Lisa Saito PROKOFIEV Symphony No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 31 TCHAIKOVSKY Sleeping Beauty Waltz Lisa Saito
FALL CLASSIC CONCERT SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022, 7 PM Smithwick Theatre 12345 El Monte Rd., Los Altos Hills Dr. Yun Song Tay, Conductor VIENNA CONNECTIONS A glimpse into the music scene in 19th century Vienna. A concert encompassing composers who have spent significant amounts of time during their lifetime in Vienna, the world’s Western Classic Music capital. Ariel Chien
MOZART The Abduction from the Seraglio: Overture CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, Mvt. 1, Ariel Chien SCHUBERT Symphony No. 8 in B minor (“Unfinished”) STRAUSS II Frühlingsstimmen Walzer
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Not only has my love for music grown exponentially, but I got the chance to visit countries and make memories that I never would have otherwise. —Arushi Agarwal, Cellist
This past summer, Golden State Youth Orchestra embarked on Tour 2022 to Germany, Czech Republic, and Austria, with performances in Prague, Vienna, and Graz. This trip, nearly three years in the making, was a reminder of how precious every performance is, how much joy and love goes into music-making, and how music truly is a universal language, crossing all borders and touching every heart.
GSYO performs in Smetana Hall, Prague
FALL FESTIVAL CONCERT SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2022, 2:30 PM Spangenberg Theatre 780 Arastradero Rd., Palo Alto CHAMBER PLAYERS & CAMERATA ORCHESTRA Jordan Webster, Conductor GALBRAITH HONOR STRINGS Mariya Borozina, Conductor
Isaac Lee
HOLIDAY POPS CONCERT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2022, 2:30 PM California Theatre 345 S. First St., San Jose Dr. Yun Song Tay & Dr. Richard Roper, Conductors FESTIVE FAVORITES The Symphony Orchestra, Camilla Kolchinsky Orchestra, El Camino Wind Orchestra, and Honors Wind Ensemble celebrate the holiday season with a festive program of dances, overtures, and suites. MASON Christmas Eve Festivities BERLIOZ Le carnaval romain (Roman Carnival), Op. 9 COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Petite Suite de Concert LIU/MAO Dance of the Yao People
HUMMEL Bassoon Concerto in F major, Mvt. 3, Isaac Lee ANDERSON A Christmas Festival
WINTER CELEBRATION CONCERT SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 2023, 2:30 PM Carlmont High School Theater 1400 Alameda De Las Pulgas, Belmont CHAMBER PLAYERS & CAMERATA ORCHESTRA Jordan Webster, Conductor EL CAMINO WIND ORCHESTRA & HONORS WIND ENSEMBLE Dr. Richard Roper, Conductor
SPRING ENCORE CONCERT SATURDAY, MAY 6, 2023, 5 PM Spangenberg Theatre 780 Arastradero Rd., Palo Alto CHAMBER PLAYERS & CAMERATA ORCHESTRA Jordan Webster, Conductor GALBRAITH HONOR STRINGS Mariya Borozina, Conductor EL CAMINO WIND ORCHESTRA & HONORS WIND ENSEMBLE Dr. Richard Roper, Conductor
MARCH REVELRY CONCERT SATURDAY, MARCH 18, 2023, 7 PM Carlmont High School Theater 1400 Alameda De Las Pulgas, Belmont Dr. Yun Song Tay & Mariya Borozina, Conductors FROM THE HIGHLANDS TO THE HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING From the Elgars’ memorable summer vacation in the Bavarian Highlands to Ibsen’s Norwegian anti-hero Peer Gynt (music by Edvard Grieg), whose adventures take him to the hall of the troll-king, travel inspired the works central to this program. BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37, Mvt. 1, Dylan Pu GRIEG Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 ELGAR Three Bavarian Dances Constance Kuan, Spring Dance
SPRING DANCE CONCERT SATURDAY, MAY 13, 2023, 7 PM De Anza Visual & Performing Arts Center 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino Dr. Yun Song Tay, Conductor PASTORAL MEMOIR Most at ease when walking through the fields and woods, Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony evokes scenes from the countryside, the composer’s beloved retreat. The concert opens with a rare Viola Concerto composed by Henri Casadesus written in the style of J.C. Bach, and alongside it is the famous Piano Concerto by Grieg. CASADESUS Viola Concerto in C minor, Mvts. 1 & 3, Bryan Im GRIEG Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16, Mvt. 1, Constance Kuan BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 (“Pastoral Symphony”)
Bryan Im
SEASON FINALE CONCERT SUNDAY, JUNE 4, 2023, 7 PM Cañada College Theater 4200 Farm Hill Rd., Redwood City Dr. Yun Song Tay, Conductor ASPIRATIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD Headlined by William Grant Still’s Afro-American Symphony, whose final movement is titled “Aspirations,” the Season Finale consists of bright, hopeful, and exuberant musical styles and features composers from around the world. BACEWICZ Overture for Orchestra LALO Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op. 21, Mvt. 1, Ashley Huang PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26, Mvt. 1, Ziyue Zeng
Ziyue Zeng
STILL Symphony No. 1 in A flat major (“Afro-American”) MARQUEZ Danzon No. 2
HOW TO JOIN Open auditions for membership are heard in March and April. At a minimum, candidates must study with a private teacher and should have had at least one year of lessons to be considered for placement. Auditions will be heard outside the March/April audition period only to fill remaining positions in the program. For a list of current openings, to check audition expectations, or to apply for membership, visit gsyomusic.org.
SOLO COMPETITION & PERFORMANCE PROGRAM Every year, GSYO holds two solo competitions for highly motivated musicians. All participants benefit from the challenge, developing talent and leadership skills. Winners are chosen to perform with the Senior Symphony and Camilla Kolchinsky Orchestra, as well as the Beginning and Intermediate Ensembles, as appropriate. The All-Orchestra Concerto Competition is for all orchestral instruments, excluding piano, and is open only to current GSYO members. The Piano Concerto Competition is open to all pianists ages 6-18 (for the 2023-24 season). Registration opens in January. Applications are due March 7, 2023. Learn more at gsyomusic.org
SUMMER MUSIC CONSERVATORY JULY 10-21, 2023, WEEKDAYS ONLY Stay tuned up over the summer! For musicians ages 6-14! Beginning Strings: A class for young string players with at least one year of private lessons and limited orchestra experience; an introduction to orchestral playing and following a conductor. Chamber Orchestra: Intermediate-level chamber ensemble for string players with two to three years of lessons. Repertoire includes arrangements of works by Mozart, Bach, Haydn, and more! Chamber Winds: Intermediate to advanced small ensemble repertoire for flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and French horn. Other instruments may be accepted on a case-by-case basis. A placement audition is required for the conservatory program. Older students may be accepted with faculty approval. All classes will perform in an evening concert on July 21, 2023. Learn more at gsyomusic.org/summer
Lisa Saito, Season Opener
Bryan Im, Spring Dance
SUPPORTING OUR MISSION Since Golden State Youth Orchestra was established in 1963, more than 10,000 aspiring musicians have been trained, encouraged and inspired by our program. Our members receive outstanding instruction, and experience the thrill of playing in front of large audiences in the finest concert halls. Please consider supporting our long tradition of music education with a taxdeductible gift to help our young artists grow, thrive, and benefit from the enriching musical development that GSYO fosters. Additionally, we invite you to support our scholarship fund, which ensures that no child who loves music is ever turned away for financial need. Golden State Youth Orchestra provides the financial and administrative support necessary to maintain valuable music education and performance programs. Our Board of Directors is composed of dedicated parents and community members who volunteer their time and effort. Your gift will help us provide our students a path to musical excellence. Thank you for supporting Golden State Youth Orchestra. You may donate online or send your donation to: 4055 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303 650.665.9046 info@gsyomusic.org www.gsyomusic.org
GOLDEN STATE YOUTH ORCHESTRA 4055 Fabian Way Palo Alto, CA 94303
Celebrating our 60th Season!