Academy Strings & Music the Clubhouse Kaimukī High School Auditorium
Saturday, April 26, 2025 ✿ 2:45 pm
Jazz Program
Studio 909
Sunday, April 27, 2025 ✿ 3:00 pm
Variety of music genres, instruments, and classes
Ensemble levels for all skill stages and ages
Financial aid available
Travel reimbursement for neighbor island students
A Message from the President
Dear HYS Students, Families, and Community Supporters:
From their first strums on the ukulele to mastering symphony orchestras, chamber music, and jazz, our students embark on transformative musical journeys. Thank you for helping shape these long and vibrant trajectories in music. Our studentsʻ desire for individual and collective growth inspire our staff and faculty daily, as we do our best to help find opportunities for them to grow.
I would also like to extend heartfelt thanks to Susan Ochi-Onishi and Elton Masaki, of the Youth Symphony II conducting team, both of whom have devoted decades to nurturing young HYS talent, and to the Arthur & Mae Z. Orvis Foundation for championing the 2nd year of the Orvis-HYS Concerto Competition.
Finally, I invite you to participate in a very special matching gift challenge from the Hirano ʻOhana. Made in memory of their mom Gladys, who was on the HYS board for many years, the Hirano ʻOhana (Riki, Lorrin, Joy, and Gregg) all attended HYS as youth and believe in the transformational power of music for our young people. All gifts made between April 1st and June 30th will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, up to $25,000. With your generosity, we can raise $50,000 in support of our vision of a Hawai‘i, Where Music Is A Right.
Mahalo, Randy Wong President & CEO; HYS ʻ99
Support our programs with a donation today.
Lorrin Hirano ‘77, center right, with HYS board colleagues past and present, and Randy.
Gladys Hirano
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to our community partners, whose generous support and special talents are invaluable to Hawai‘i Youth Symphony.
State of Hawai’i
Dr. Josh Green, Governor
Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts
Karen Ewald, Executive Director
City & County of Honolulu
Rick Blangiardi, Mayor
Accounting
KMH LLP
Evan Yamamoto
Robert Loke
Daniel Lott
Audio Engineers
Duane Padilla
Graphic Design Commuter Industries
Halekulani
Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra
Amy Iwano, President & CEO
Chamber Music Hawaiʻi
James Moffitt, Board President
Christopher Cabrera, General Manager
Dr. Helen Liu, Education and Community Engagement Coordinator
Galliard String Quartet
Honolulu Brass Quintet
Spring Wind Quintet
Honolulu Chamber Music Series
Jonathan Korth, Board President
Amy Mitsuda, Partners in Performance Committee
Ignace Jang, Clara Kim, and Aris Doike, Chamber Music Coaches
Program Design
Mark Nakamura
Printing
Edward Enterprises
Sanford Morioka
Justin You
Public Relations
Becker Communications
Susan Wright
Taryn Wells
Laura Young
Social Media
Vibe Creative Marketing
Erica Mau-Schank
Jessica Nelson
Jasmine Nip-Palmer
University of Hawaiʻi
Music Department
Dr. Laurence Paxton, Chair
William Watson, Facility Coordinator
Kaimukī Middle School
Frank Fernandes, Principal
Niu Valley Middle School
Jeffrey Shitaoka, Principal
Boys and Girls Club of Hawaiʻi
Paddy Kauhane, President & Chief Executive Officer
Abraham “Abe” Lagrimas, Jr., Honolulu Music4Kids Instructor
Veronica Cox, Nānākuli Music4Kids Instructor
Daniel Kawaiʻaeʻa Shaver, Nānākuli Strings Instructor
Pacific Music Institute
Jeremy Lawi, General Manager
Joseph Stepec, Artistic Director
Ignace Jang, Solo & String Quartet Program Director
Richard Scerbo, Orchestral Learning Alliance
Dean Taba, Jazz Intensive Director
Hawai‘i Youth Symphony 1350 South King St., Suite 201 Honolulu, HI 96814
Tel. (808) 941-9706
admin@hiyouthsymphony.org www.HIYouthSymphony.org
Federal Tax ID #99-0119771
About Hawai’i Youth Symphony
Hawaii’s only state-wide music education organization, Hawai’i Youth Symphony reaches over 3,500 youth annually, ages 7–18 of all skill levels and every economic background, brought together from more than 100 schools across the islands. Since 1964, the nonprofit has advanced its mission of fostering fun and creative experiences for youth that inspire a deep appreciation for music and lifelong relationships within the culture of our islands through orchestral music, offering diverse programs including general music, string and band classes, jazz, symphony orchestras, summer intensives, and more. Contributions to HYS go toward its vision of A Hawai’i where Music Is A Right: to break down barriers to music education including financial hardship, geographic barriers, and expanding the reach of HYS in rural and under-resourced communities.
Among the largest youth symphony organizations in the country, HYS ensures that no interested child is turned away from a quality music education because of financial need and awards over $50,000 a year through its financial aid program. HYS also offers assistance for registration fees, instrument loans, private lessons and air and surface travel for neighbor island students. Team HYS is composed of more than a dozen employees and has a roster of nearly a hundred artist-faculty, all of whom are expressly dedicated to music education and its transformative opportunities for Hawaii's youth.
we make through music at our
Aloha Concert Luncheon
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Hilton Hawaiian Village Tapa Ballroom 10:30 AM – 2:45 PM Featuring
• Youth Symphony I with Special Guests from Ohana Arts
• Youth Symphony II
• Jazz I
• Alumni Orchestra
Reserve your seat or table before April 23!
Spring Concert
Sunday, April 13, 2025 ❀ 2:00 pm
Moanalua High School Performing Arts Center
Concert Orchestra
Wayne Fanning, Conductor
Marche Militaire Française from the “Algerian Suite” Camille Saint-Saëns Op. 60 arr. Merle Isaac
Jan Kan Po (World Premier) Byron Yasui
Intermezzo from “Cavalleria Rusticana” Peitro Mascagni
Symphony No. 5 (Finale)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky arr. by Richard Meyer
Selections from “A Chorus Line” Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleben arr. Robert W. Lowden
Youth Symphony II
Elton Masaki & Susan Ochi-Onishi, Conductors
Percussion Ensemble – Geampara Lui Petrescu Petr Pavlinec arr. Erin Duke
Hōkūpaʻa (World Premier) Justin Park
October Eric Whitacre
Symphony No. 2 “Romantic” 2nd and 3rd Mvt. Howard Hanson
Butter Jenna Andrews, Stephen Kirk, Sebastian Garcia, Robert Grimaldi, Ron Perry, Alex Blowitz, and Kim Namjoon arr. Peter Yang
Concert Orchestra
Violin I
Geon Cha
Joseph Ching
Jinghuan Dong
Colin Emerson
Cole Jackson
Olivia Kawashima
Tara Krishnagopalan
Victoria Lu
Mizuki Mau
Noah Tanaka
Elena Tjoeng
Lantana Widana, Concertmaster
Violin II
Vivienne Borrman
Douglas Chan
Lucas Chew
Clara Elham
Shannon Avery Go
Sophia Kawashima
Kaimiloapono KawazuArmstrong
Noah Kim
Kian Jackson, Principal
Sue Lee
Jeff Pitathawatchai
Arianna Zeleen Policarpio
Suriel Wane
YiJia Wang
Abigail Wood
Jeannie Wu
Lillian Yim
Viola
Seoyeon Byun
Ty Dudoit, Principal
Daphne Lawton
Melody Luo
Asa Thompson
Alyson Wong
Cello
Luca Arnone
Rose Bozeman
Audrey Branner
Aria Chan
Madeline Ebisu
Olivia Kim
Rex Lin
Elizabeth Lun
Evelyn Mui
Bronwen Nagayama
Jedi Si Ming Ng
Joseph Perez
Louis Rhee, Principal
Mathayus Scherling
Bass
David Kunihiro
Ian Taira, Principal
Harp
Chloe Chen, Principal
Flute
Zhi Yi Chen
Chloe Choi
Zena Kailani De Vencia
Anna Motohashi, Principal
Brandon Ogimoto
Qinglin Ye
Oboe
Jaslyn Kwock, Principal
Isabelle Quay
Malina Sautter
Ryder Sue
Clarinet
Pyeonggeun Kim
Bonnie Lee
Trinity Louie
Aden Michibata
Yoshiki Yamada, Principal
Bassoon
Leon Nguyen, Principal
Horn
Shoshana EsmondSchadel
Emie Hinazumi
Tanner Millard, Principal
Justin Morikawa
Taeja Takahashi
Trumpet
Aven Kim
Vincent Lassoff
Jaymes Lau
Daniel Son
Heston Wolf, Principal
Erin Wong
Trombone
Hikaru Kikuchi
Landon Magpoc
Justus Shitaoka
Ylang Valencia, Principal
Euphonium
Evan Shiota, Principal
Tuba
Matthew Oshiro
Sara Roper, Principal
Percussion
Makenna Arellano
Atsushi Harada-Collier
Mia Kim
Nanami Mata, Principal
Trinity Vong
About Concert Orchestra
Concert Orchestra (CO) is the third most advanced of HYS’s seven orchestras and the entry point into the Symphony Program. This year, Concert Orchestra is composed of 92 students from 30 public, private and homeschools across ‘Oahu, Kaua’i, and Moloka’i. This season’s concertmaster is Lantana Widana, a seventh grade student from the SEEQS Public Charter School.
Concert Orchestra
Wayne Fanning
Concert Orchestra Conductor
Wayne Fanning is a graduate of Hilo High School and participated in HYS Concert Orchestra and the Pacific Music Institute as a student. He received his Bachelor of Education and Master of Arts from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Fanning has performed with numerous professional and community ensembles throughout Hawai‘i. Prior to his current position at HYS, he served as director of the Music in the Clubhouse Band and a clinician for various HYS Orchestras. He has served as guest conductor for the Maui District High School Massed Band and the Central District Beginning Honor Orchestra, as well as several school bands and orchestras. He has been teaching band and orchestra at Niu Valley Middle School since 1998, where his musical ensembles have performed for music conferences in Honolulu, Denver, and Iowa. Most recently, they performed at Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House.
Alexander Peña
Concert Orchestra String Coach
Mexican-American violist/conductor, Alexander Peña, serves as the Director of Orchestras at ‘Iolani School in Honolulu. A member of the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra, he can be seen performing across the islands with the Kaua‘i Concert Association, Maui Pops Orchestra, and Early Music Hawaii / First Monday Concert Series at Lutheran Church of Honolulu. As an educator, clinician, and chamber musician, Mr. Peña works with programs including the Pacific Music Institute, Hawai‘i Youth Symphony, and University of Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Peña currently serves as the President-elect of the Hawaii-Chapter of the American String Teachers Association and serves on the Board of Directors for the Hawai‘i Music Teachers Association.
In addition to his work in Hawaii, Mr. Peña is a founding-member and violist with the Lakes Area Music Festival Orchestra where he also directs the Explore Music! program, a day camp for youth that is now celebrating its 16th year in Northern Minnesota. Alexander earned an Arts Leadership Program Certificate, the Robert Oppelt Viola Prize, Bachelor and Master of Music from the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. In 2019, he also received an Executive Graduate Certificate from the Global Leaders Music Program, where he was awarded the Global Humanitarian Entrepreneur Prize from the Hildegard Behrens Foundation.
The Keiko M. Sato New Music Fund
The Keiko M. Sato New Music Fund honors the widely respected pianist, teacher, and arts supporter Keiko Sato, and her brother, painter Tadashi Sato. Keiko Sato was a piano teacher born in Lahaina in 1931 but lived most of her life in Honolulu. The Sato Fund was established by the Board of Directors of the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony, with direction from our president, Randy Wong, in February 2013.
The Keiko Sato Fund is used towards the commission of major new compositions, orchestrations, and arrangements created expressly for performances by Hawai‘i Youth Symphony. Since its inception, the Fund has already supported nearly three dozen commissions from ten composers and orchestrators, with more surely to come. HYS is one of very few youth orchestra organizations with such a commissioning fund.
How Does New Music Create Opportunities for Our Youth?
The Keiko M. Sato New Music Fund allows HYS to serve its students and the community by:
• Giving our youth the opportunity to learn and perform new works specifically created for them.
• Connecting our youth with living composers and engaging them in the compositional process.
• Adding major new works, written, and premiered by HYS, playable by youth, to our music library.
Fostering a Vibrant Musical Community
By supporting contemporary composers, we not only enrich our repertoire with fresh, exciting music but also foster a vibrant musical community. Commissioning new works by living composers is a vital investment in the future of music. By commissioning, we directly support composers whose livelihoods often depend on opportunities to create and share their art. Our commitment to commissioning helps to foster a thriving musical ecosystem, inspiring and nurturing future generations of composers and musicians while introducing Hawai‘i audiences to the exhilarating world of contemporary classical music.
Learn more about the Keiko M. Sato Fund for New Music at: hiyouthsymphony.org/keikosatofund
Jake Shimabukuro and MichaelThomas Foumai (HYS ‘05) holding Foumai’s score for an arrangement of “Hawaii Aloha,” commissioned by the Keiko M. Sato Fund. Foumai’s arrangement was performed by HYS and junior orchestras across Japan during the pandemic.
JAN KEN PO was written for the Hawai’i Youth Symphony on the occasion of its 60th anniversary and commissioned by the Keiko M. Sato Fund of the Hawai’i Youth Symphony.
The piece centers around two thematic ideas that stem from the days of the composer’s youth, growing up in Hawai’i. The main theme is a well-known seven-note pitch pattern that kids in Hawai’i used to chant when taunting a playmate who may have done something wrong. On the mainland, in a similar situation, kids would chant something like, “You’re gonna get it”, represented, for example, by the pitches, G –E A G – E – . The Hawai’i equivalent, at least during the composer’s childhood, was, “Ahana koko lele,” consisting similarly of, for example, the pitches, E G G E A G – E –.
The second thematic idea is the rhythm pattern of a chant used in a game by children to help them make decisions, such as choosing teammates, etc., a game that has roots in Japan. The chant is in two parts, each consisting of four beats. For each of the two parts, the chant accompanies closed-fist hand gestures on beats one and two that end with stylized hand shapes that form either rock, paper, or scissors on beat three (underlined, in the following), followed by silence on beat four. The words of the chant are, “JAN KEN PO – , AI KO de SHO – .” The title of this work derives from the first three words of the chant.
The form of this piece can be described as: Introduction A B C. A brief, slow introduction leads to the main theme (A), a cheerful melody in a bright (allegro) tempo. This is followed by a lyrical waltz in slower tempo (B), and a closing section in faster tempo (C) to end this piece. Part C can be described as music that begins innocently enough, then evolves into organized chaos, a contrapuntal mess, one might say.
The seven-note pattern of “Ahana koko lele” is heard, disguised rhythmically, as the first seven notes of the introduction and, in its original rhythmic form, at the end of the piece in the timpani solo. This pitch pattern permeates the entire piece in each of its four forms: forward, backward, upside-down, and backward/ upside-down, with or without the insertion of one or more passing tones.
The rhythm of JAN KEN PO is reserved for part C, the closing section of the piece. It is heard in the chords of a rhythm pattern that form an ostinato, a musical figure that repeats over and over in the background throughout most of part C. Along with this ostinato can be heard the “Ahana koko lele” pitch pattern, in all of its four forms.
In part B, a solo trumpet is featured in a lyrical waltz. The trumpet melody is a shout out to the composer’s main mentor/double bass instructor/composition teacher and source of inspiration at the University of Hawai’i, Dr. Armand Russell. The first seven notes of the melody are the first seven notes (pitches and rhythm) of a piece by Dr. Russell, Somber Sonatina, for double bass, which the composer played in his bass lessons. Even in this section, the “Ahana koko lele” pitch pattern can be heard in some form.
Dr. Byron Yasui
Composer
Byron Yasui studied music at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa (Bachelor of music education, 1965), and Northwestern University (MM, 1967, and DMA, 1972, both in composition). He has been a music educator all his life, having served on the undergraduate and graduate music theory and composition faculty at UH from 1972 to 2010, retiring as professor emeritus. He also taught applied classical guitar and jazz improvisation, and coached the double bass ensemble at UH.
On the side, he has remained very active as a performer. He taught himself to play three instruments: ‘ukulele in 1954, jazz double bass in 1960, and classical guitar in 1971, and has performed professionally on all three instruments throughout his life.
His contemporary classical orchestral and chamber compositions have been performed and recorded internationally and have also been featured on NPR. In 2015, the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra commissioned him to write an ‘ukulele concerto for Jake Shimabukuro, which premiered that year, with JoAnn Falletta conducting. He has also been very active as an arranger and has had several performances with the Honolulu and Hawai’i Symphony Pops orchestras, the Royal Hawaiian Band, various school bands and orchestras throughout the state, and by professional soloists on ‘ukulele and classical guitar at the international level. During his retirement, he has enjoyed teaching individual and group ‘ukulele lessons.
Youth Symphony II
Violin I
Dominic Chi
Ethan Chow
Alina Evanoff
Hayden Freitas
Vincent Lau
Brian Lim, Concertmaster
Daniel Lin
Shiloh Mitsui
Minh Chau Nguyen
Hayley Okano
Rosalyn Olsen
Tenley Tanigawa
Rylan Terayama
Tri Truong
Keoni Wun
Eileen Zhang
Violin II
Xelhuan AndersonMartinez
Hailee Choi
Airi Choy
Sydney Chung
Elena de Lima
Charles Haring
Elizabeth Huang
Haley Lau
Kira Miyamoto
Cheyna Murakami, Principal
Bryce Nouchi
Lacey Park
Chloe Petilos
Zuri Phung
Kolleen Roessig
Taylor Rogers
Sherry Taguchi
Tobias Watanabe
Kirstin Wee
Shion Yamasaki
Viola
Analise Borrman
Leala Florendo
Rui Han, Principal
Kayla Howard
Sean Lee
Carly Mirafuentes
Cello
Princeton Co
Otto Ferguson
Rika Kamemoto
Kaitlyn Naputo
Paisley Sagadraca
Isabella Santos
Daniel Schoen
Evangeline Tjoeng, Principal
Ty Tokunaga
Harp
Beylih Moani Beale
Piccolo
Jason Okutani
Flute
Eunice Kim
Celine Lee, Co-Principal
David Na, Co-Principal
Jason Okutani
Baiyi Wang
Oboe
Ian Cho
Charlotte Gimber
Kamy Kaneshige
Nainoa Tindle, Co-Principal
Brandalyn Tran, Co-Principal
English Horn
Ian Cho
Clarinet
Nathan Amemiya
Junyu Blas
Lauren Chen
Anna Choi, Co-Principal
Matt Michibata, Co-Principal
Erin Suehisa
Bass Clarinet
Lauren Chen
Bassoon
Jerry Gao, Principal
Ashton Kim
Horn
Maile Judd
Morton Kjos-Hanssen
Samuel McNiel
Matthew Meinert, Co-Principal
Breydi Nuibe, Co-Principal
Kai Takenouchi-Amador
Eva Tramuto
Trumpet
Micah Kim
Jayce Labuguen
Javis Phan, Co-Principal
Akari Takayanagi
Daniel Tanaka, Co-Principal
Trombone
Caleb Chinen, Co-Principal
Cy Kaneshiro, Co-Principal
Melissa Nishihara
Jason Sakata
Alex Shin
Bass Trombone
Cy Kaneshiro
Melissa Nishihara
Tuba
Slayter Kamimura, Principal
Charles Schulberg
Percussion
Keira Ida Ayu
James Kunihiro
Isaac Matsumoto, Co-Principal
Taitum Tanouye, Co-Principal
About Youth Symphony II
Youth Symphony II (YSII) is the second most advanced of HYS’s seven orchestras. For the 2024–2025 season, YSII is composed of 93 students from 25 public, private and homeschools across O‘ahu, Kaua‘i, and the Big Island. Brian Lim, an eleventh grade student from Kalani High School is this season’s concertmaster.
HŌKŪPA‘A, also known as the North Star, holds a place of deep significance in Hawaiian culture and Polynesian voyaging traditions. The Hōkūpa‘a anchors in the night sky and has been a guiding light for Polynesian navigators for centuries, offering both direction and hope during their journeys across the vast ocean.
Hōkūpa‘a is more than a celestial marker; it is a symbol of resilience, continuity, and trust in ancestral knowledge. The North Star serves as a constant, a reminder that even in the uncertainty of open waters, there is always a point of reference to guide you.
This piece was written to capture the essence of Hōkūpa‘a as a beacon of hope and endurance.
Written for the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony, it is dedicated to the students who will one day embark on their own journeys, venturing hundreds and thousands of miles from home to pursue new adventures. Through its textures and harmonies, the music reflects the undying spirit of those who look to the stars for guidance— navigators of both oceans and life. It serves as a tribute to their courage and vision, as they carry the wisdom of their home into uncharted horizons.
May this music serve as a reminder of our own Hōkūpa‘a, the steady light that anchors us amidst life’s uncertainties, and may it encourage us to seek hope, resilience, and connection in our own journeys.
“Hōkūpa‘a” was written for the Hawaii Youth Symphony on its 60th anniversary and commissioned by the Keiko M. Sato Fund of the Hawaii Youth Symphony.
Justin Park Composer
Justin Park (b. 2004) was raised in Mililani, Hawai‘i. As a composer, he strives to create inspiring and thought-provoking works for the contemporary stage and media. Rooted in the classical tradition, his music draws from a diverse range of influences, including contemporary Hawaiian music and experimental electronic music.
He has collaborated with musicians from the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Berklee College of Music, Boston Conservatory, and the New England Conservatory of Music. His work has been recognized by the National Young Composer’s Challenge, the Fromm Music Foundation, and the Playground Ensemble.
In addition to his work as a composer, Justin is an active recording and mix engineer, working with composers and musicians in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Boston.
Justin previously studied music composition and engineering at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He recently earned his bachelor's degree from Berklee College of Music, specializing in music production and audio engineering.
His upcoming works will be performed in 2025 at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the University of Hawai‘i West ‘Oahu, the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony, and the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra.
Youth Symphony II
Susan Ochi-Onishi Youth Symphony II Conductor
Susan Ochi-Onishi has proudly served as a middle and high school music educator in the Hawai‘i State Department of Education since 1988. Prior to teaching at Kaimukī Middle School, she has held music teaching positions at Wai‘anae Intermediate School and Moanalua High School.
Mrs. Ochi-Onishi is in her 32nd year at Kaimukī Middle School where she instructs the beginning, intermediate, and advanced band students and directs the Kaimukī Middle School Symphonic Winds. During her tenure at Kaimukī, she has worked hard to nurture, build and consolidate the KMS Music Department. She provided opportunities for her colleagues to serve as KMS Department Head while she focused on leading the KMS Symphonic Winds to a higher performance level. As the first middle school band from Hawai‘i to receive an invitation, KMS Symphonic Winds have proudly represented the State of Hawai‘i by performing at the 2019 Music for All National Festival. In 2015, KMS Symphonic Winds was the first middle school band from Hawai‘i to perform at Carnegie Hall, where they received the Gold Award for their high adjudication scores. In addition to performing at the ASBDA Convention and traveling to share their music with others, many of our students continue to participate in the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony Programs. .
Mrs. Ochi-Onishi received her Bachelor’s Degree and PDMUS in Music Education and Oboe Performance from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She received her Master’s of Music degree from Northwestern University, where she was an oboe student of Ray Still (CSO) and studied the english horn with Grover Schiltz (CSO). Her past oboe teachers include: Linda Strommen, Jeffrey Rathbun, Thomas Boyd, Margot Golding, and Roy Yanagida. She has performed with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, Royal Hawaiian Band, Maui Symphony, Diamond Head Theater, and various music ensembles. She served as the oboe lecturer at the University of Hawai‘i and continues to serve as the oboe clinician for the Pacific Music Institute. Her professional affiliations include the O‘ahu Band Directors Association and the American School Band Directors Association. Mrs. Ochi-Onishi is Co-Conductor of the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony II and is an alumna of the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony Program where she served as Principal Oboe during her time as a student.
Elton Masaki Youth Symphony II Conductor
Elton Masaki holds a Bachelor of Education Degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in music from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and a Master of Music in Education Degree from Boston University. Mr. Masaki is the current high school orchestra director at Kamehameha School Kapālama Campus and the co-conductor of Youth Symphony II. In the past, he has also taught orchestra at Mid-Pacific Institute, Kamehameha Middle School, and with the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony Academy String Program. In addition to this, Mr. Masaki also serves as an orchestra clinician for a number of different camps and workshops both on and off island and manages the A Major Quartet. When he isn’t teaching, he is active as a community violin/viola player with performances in numerous musical theater productions as well as with other community orchestras such as the Oahu Civic Orchestra, and O‘ahu Chamber Orchestra and has also subbed as a violinist with the Hawaii Pops, Maui Symphony, and Kona Symphony.
Community Collaborator: Hawai‘i Public Radio
Since its establishment in 1981, Hawai‘i Public Radio (HPR) has served our community by sharing essential news, inspiring audiences through the power of music and the arts and connecting people through conversations and convenings. Throughout the years, this trusted non-profit organization has been a proud partner to HYS by advocating for the arts, broadcasting our Symphony and Jazz Program concerts, and hosting the Orvis Concerto auditions at its Atherton Performing Arts Studio.
HPR has several HYS alumni and supporters on staff, including Louise Keali‘iloma King Lanzilotti (1966, cello), Ashley Mizuo (2014, oboe), Krystal Spear (2019, oboe) and Sharene Keli‘ipunilei Lum Taba (1985, harp), who continuously foster the relationship between the organizations. The partnership provides an additional platform for HYS to share its mission, helping to maintain and grow the thriving arts community we have here in Hawai‘i.
Hawai‘i Youth Symphony mahalos Hawai‘i Public Radio for its support of our mission, vision, and programs!
Ashley Mizuo, Louise Keali‘iloma King Lanzilotti, Krystal Spear and Sharene Keli‘ipunilei Lum Taba
Spring Concert
Sunday, April 13, 2025 ❀ 6:00 pm
Moanalua High School Performing Arts Center
Youth Symphony I Joseph Stepec, Conductor
Orbital (World Premier) Takuma Itoh
Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 107
III. Cadenza
IV. Allegro con moto
Lei Yao Chang, Soloist
Percussion Ensemble — Tesserae
Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47
I. Moderato
II. Allegretto
III. Largo
IV. Allegro non troppo
Dmitri Shostakovich
Mason Lynass
Dmitri Shostakovich
2025 Orvis HYS Concerto Winner
Lei Yao Chang ‘Iolani School, Cello
At the age of three, Lei Yao began his musical journey, inspired by the melodies that surrounded him and the music played by his older siblings. They would often play notes on the piano and ask him to identify them, sparking his interest in learning the instrument. Later, he took up the violin, following in the footsteps of his siblings. After a year of violin lessons, he fell in love with the cello at age six, captivated by its rich, deep tone and motivated by his desire to play in a piano trio with his siblings.
Outside of school and music, Lei Yao enjoys hiking, attempting to dunk basketballs, exploring new places, and relaxing at home.
Lei Yao is deeply grateful to Dr. I-Bei Lin, his cello teacher for nearly 10 years, for helping him refine his skills, interpret music, and choose pieces he loves. He also thanks the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony and the ‘Iolani Orchestra for providing him with invaluable opportunities. Joining HYS at age eight profoundly shaped Lei’s life, teaching him to share music with others. He is especially thankful to Maestro Stepec for his encouragement and humor during rehearsals. Lastly, Lei Yao would like to express heartfelt gratitude to his parents for their unwavering support and to his siblings for inspiring his musical journey.
Orvis Foundation
Arthur and Mae Zenke Orvis, originally of New York, built a legacy in Hawai‘i that continues today. Arthur, a stockbroker, and Mae Zenke, an opera singer, visited Hawai‘i frequently, developing close bonds with the community and becoming lifelong supporters of the arts. The Orvises’ philanthropy in Hawai‘i began in 1960, when they donated funds to build the Mae Zenke Orvis Auditorium on the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa campus. The auditorium, with its excellent acoustics and a fine pipe organ donated by the Orvises, remains an important concert venue. Over the years, the Orvises’ generosity fostered a vibrant cultural landscape that delivers innovative, high quality performance and education in the arts to our communities.
Hawaii Youth Symphony would also like to thank the Arthur and Mae Zenke Orvis Foundation for investing in our local art scene through their continued support of various arts organizations in Hawai‘i, including Chamber Music Hawai‘i, the Hawai‘i Opera Theatre, Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra, UH Mānoa Music Department, Honolulu Chamber Music Series, and the Honolulu Museum of Art.
Violin I
Eric Camacho
Preston Chi**
Leia Choi
Ymin Guo
Ashley Jisue Hong
Jayden Kim
Vance Maeshiro**
Aya Okimoto
Max Shinno
Kaitlyn Sim
Sevastyan Swan**
Gwyneth Tenn**
Violin II
Nicholas Chi*
Flora Elham
Elizabeth Fink
Yanling Guo*
Kai Im
Coco Kim
Riya Krishnagopalan
Victor Lee
Lily Nomura
Christopher Oyama
Alexis Phansaithong
Sage Shiroma
Maria Swan
Katherine Wu
Daniel Yoo
Viola
Hyunwoo Chang
Haaon Cho
Eun Ha
Sophie Kaiser
Swan Kim*
Albert Ko*
Hannah Kwak
Kyla Miyamoto
Gray Nauwelaerts
Lulu Wang
Cello
Anson Akemoto
Dylan Kalā Campuspos
Sophia Chan
Leiyao Chang*
Ashlyn Ito*
Ian Jun
Jibhum Lee
Lucas Sanford
Reese Walther
Bryan Wood
Jodie Wung
Taigo Yuen
Youth Symphony I
Bass
Seitaro Kobayashi*
Isabelle Morita*
Joshua Wung
Harp
Arabella Tan
Flute
Hope BayudanS
Flora Liao
Henry Rhee
Jessica-Holly Wiemer
Oboe
Kenton Chan
Maya HokadaS
Sara Inao
Ayaka Yoshii
Clarinet
Yuto Kawaguchi
Jeannie KimS
Ellie Obara
Aiden TaheriS
Bassoon
Daniel Kim
Spencer LyauS
Contrabassoon
Jake Yoshimura, guest performer (HYS 20’)
Horn
Jake Miyakawa
Kobe Miyamasu
Maiah Oba
Nicholas WilliamsS
Nicholas Xu
Kailyn Isobe, guest performer (HYS 22’)
Mckenzee Espiritu, guest performer (HYS 24’)
Trumpet
Kyle EharaS
Grace Hagino
Paige Kawana
Christopher Yara
Trombone
Kolten Hamana
Jae Koo
Andrew LiS
Tuba
Xyon-La'Jount Jury
Percussion
Camden Funai
Mani Kovacich
Carter Nobuhara
Ian Pak
**Co-Concertmaster Students rotate seating for each piece.
*String Section Leaders
SShostakovich Section Leaders
About Youth Symphony I
Youth Symphony I (YSI) is the most advanced of HYS’s seven orchestras and is one of the finest youth symphonies in the country. In its history, YSI has performed with renowned guest artists, was a finalist in the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, and had the special honor of performing on From the Top, a nationally-broadcast radio show. For the 2024–2025 season, YSI is composed of 84 students, grades 9–12, from 18 public, home and independent schools across O’ahu. This year, YSI has four co-concertmasters. Preston Chi, a senior from Punahou, Vance Maeshiro, a senior from ‘Iolani, Sevastyan Swan, an eleventh grade homeschool student, and Gwyneth Tenn, a senior from Punahou.
Youth Symphony I
Joseph Stepec Director of Orchestral Activities & PMI Artistic Director Youth Symphony I Conductor
Joseph Stepec came to Hawai‘i from Cleveland, Ohio in 2016. He is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Orchestras at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s Music Department. Under his direction, the University of Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra has premiered works of new composers, represented underperformed masterworks, and has collaborated with ensembles as diverse as the United States Marine Band and more. He is an active clinician that has guest taught many ensembles visiting Hawai‘i, on the mainland, and abroad in Shanghai, China.
Mr. Stepec studied violin with Gregory Fulkerson at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and conducting at the Eastman School of Music with master teacher, Neil Varon. Mr. Stepec additionally studied with Michael Jinbo at the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and pursued doctoral studies at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. In 2017, he was a conducting Fellow at the Menuhin Gstaad Music Festival where he worked closely with Jaap van Zweden, Music Director of the New York Philharmonic and noted conducting pedagogue, Johannes Schlaefli. In 2019, Mr. Stepec premiered a new translation of Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat set in colonial Hawai‘i with members of Chamber Music Hawaii to very favorable reviews.
As the Director of Orchestral Activites at the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony, Mr. Stepec conducts the top orchestra, Youth Symphony I. With that ensemble he has premiered new works by living composers and has worked with countless Hawai‘i based artists. He has toured with the ensemble to the outer islands and has been featured in concert at the Waikīkī Shell and Blaisdell Concert Hall. His work with the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony was recognized in 2024 with an induction to the Pacific Business News magazine’s “40 under 40,” which recognizes leaders in Hawai‘i.
❝I am honored to have been chosen to lead HYS’ symphony program. HYS’ mission and its goals are ones that I deeply resonate with from my own special and formative years playing in a youth symphony: the opportunity to learn to make music together at the highest level and with the greatest commitment is one that shapes lives and forges unbreakable friendships and memories. I am thrilled to be fulfilling this new position alongside my incredibly talented colleagues at HYS and PMI.
—Joseph Stepec
ORBITAL aims to be a fun, dynamic piece that channels the infectious, driving rhythms of Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra. While not directly quoting melodies from the song, I wanted to mirror its invigorating energy built around a steady, built around a constant, driving pulse. I set myself the challenge of maintaining this unyielding four-to-the-floor feel throughout the piece for an orchestra while creating a work that would be both engaging and musically challenging for an ensemble of the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony’s caliber. The result is a short burst of energy designed to highlight the talents of these exceptional young musicians while offering them what I hope to be an exhilarating performance experience. Orbital was commissioned by the Keiko M. Sato Fund of the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony in celebration of its 60th Anniversary.
Dr. Takuma Itoh Composer
Takuma Itoh’s music has been described as “brashly youthful and fresh” (New York Times), and has been featured amongst one of “100 Composers Under 40” on WQXR. Recently, Itoh has been instrumental in creating two innovative education programs, Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds (2018) and the Symphony of the Hawai‘i Forests (2023), which has since brought over 14,000 young students to hear new orchestral compositions alongside original animations to raise awareness of Hawai‘i’s many endangered bird species and forests, respectively. Other recent highlights include a work for Invoke (string quartet with ‘ukulele doubling) American Postcards: Picture Brides (Hawaii 1908–1924) that used photographs collected by historian Barbara Kawakami to tell the story of the first Japanese women immigrants who came to Hawai‘i; Wavelengths for Hub New Music, Faded Aura for Hub New Music and shakuhachi player Kojiro Umezaki, which was performed around Japan on a tour with the Asia American New Music Institute; a collaboration with the American Wild Ensemble for their tour of Hawai‘i, including a performance at the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park; and a harp concertino Koholā Sings for harpist Yolanda Kondonassis. In 2025, a new orchestra arrangement of Faded Aura will be performed with Kojiro Umezaki and the South Bend Orchestra.
Itoh has been the recipient of two Barlow Endowment general commission, Music Alive: New Partnerships grant, the Chamber Music America Classical Commission, the ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell Prize, six ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, the Leo Kaplan Award, and is the Kaulunani Artist in Residence for 2014.
Itoh’s music has been performed by the Albany Symphony, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Symphony Orchestra, Alarm Will Sound, the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, BlueWater Chamber Orchestra, Inscape Chamber Orchestra, the New York Youth Symphony, Symphony in C, the Silesian Philharmonic Orchestra (Poland), the Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra, the Neave Trio, the Shanghai Quartet, the Del Sol Quartet, the St. Lawrence Quartet, the Cassatt Quartet, the Momenta Quartet, American Wild Ensemble, Ensemble Échappé, Ossia New Music, Brightworks New Music, Sara Davis Buechner, Joseph Lin, Syzygy Ensemble (Australia), H2 Quartet, Miolina Duo, Duo Yumeno, Post-Haste Reed Duo, Kyo-Shin-An Arts, the Music from Copland House, the Varied Trio, Pro Musica Nipponia, Yolanda Kondonassis, Patrick Yim, and Linda Chatterton. In addition, his works can be heard on Albany, Azica, and Blue Griffin Records, and is published by Theodore Presser, Resolute Music, and Murphy Music Press.
Itoh has taught at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa since 2012 where he is Professor of Music. He holds degrees from Cornell University, University of Michigan, and Rice University.
HAWAII YOUTH SYMPHONY offers a complete spectrum of out-of-school music programs includingincluding its Symphony Program, Jazz Program, Academy Strings Program, and Music in the Clubhouse program. Through these programs, HYS serves 700 students annually from more than 100 public, charter, independent and home schools across the state.
MUSIC IN THE CLUBHOUSE offers entry-level programs, in collaboration with the Boys & Girls Club of Hawai’i and other community partners, to spark students’ curiosity and provide free or low-cost access to music. HYS provides instruments and materials, and no musical experience is required. Locations include the Spalding Clubhouse which holds beginning ‘ukulele lessons and Nanakuli YET Clubhouse which teaches beginning violin classes for students along the Waianae coast.
THE ACADEMY STRING PROGRAM offers students an opportunity to grow together and sharpen their orchestra string skills. School year and summer violin classes are available for beginning and intermediate players.
THE JAZZ PROGRAM invites students who are looking to learn, improve and elevate their ability to play popular, commercial and jazz styles.
THE SYMPHONY PROGRAM welcomes string, woodwind, brass and percussion students from all islands to audition and take part in full orchestras. Symphony Program students perform classical masterworks, newly commissioned pieces,
At HYS, we envision a Hawaiʻi where music is a right. In order to make progress toward our strategic vision, we bring music education and concerts to underserved communities. Out of over 200 DOE schools in the State of Hawaii, relatively few offer comprehensive music programs. Our nonprofit is a statewide music education organization that seeks to bridge that gap. Here’s how we make an impact!
INTRODUCE
keiki of all demographics & backgrounds to music education early in childhood.
DEVELOP their skills & confidence by providing a pathway of continuous improvement.
GIVE BACK to our Hawai‘i community. Show our students that they can inspire other kids by spreading the joy of music.
OUR CORE VALUES Inspire, Dream Courageously, Grow Together, Have Fun
While it is difficult to recognize all of the people and moments that made our last 60 years possible, here are a few highlights:
1954 – 1958
A youth orchestra was formed as a special project of the Honolulu Junior Chamber of Commerce.
1962
By 1962, the orchestra had been reorganized by the Honolulu Jaycees.
1964
On December 24, 1964, HAWAII YOUTH SYMPHONY is incorporated to provide for the enrichment and cultivation of the minds and spirits of the youth in our community. Peter Mesrobian is founding Music Director.
1965 – 1968
HYS makes its neighbor island debuts with four concerts on Maui and Hawai‘i Island. In 1966, Harold Higa formed the Hawaii Junior Youth Symphony, which eventually becomes the HYS Academy String Program.
1977
HYS and the Honolulu Symphony partnered for “A TASTE OF THE SYMPHONY,” conducted by Sidney Rothstein at McKinley Auditorium and sponsored by Mayor Frank F. Fasi
1979-1984
Grant Okamura joins HYS as Music Director. During this time, Mr. Okamura’s students include future HYS faculty Susan Ochi-Onishi and Dean Taba.
1984
Henry Miyamura makes his debut as Music Director, as HYS articulates a new mission: to foster cultural enrichment of the community through the study of orchestral instruments and to present musical performances designed for youth and performed by youth.
1987
THE PACIFIC MUSIC INSTITUTE, a project of Maestro Miyamura and Maui colleague Lance Jo, was held for the first time at Seabury Hall, Makawao, Maui.
1999
HYS holds its first HE MAKANA O NĀ MELE: THE GIFT OF MUSIC gala.
2008
HYS begins partnership with BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF HAWAII.
2013
HYS makes the final ballot for its first Nā Hōkū Hanohano nomination, “The Golden Ages of Waikiki: Hawaii Youth Symphony with Jimmy Borges and The WAITIKI 7”
2016 – 2017
In Maestro Miyamura’s final season as HYS Music Director, Youth Symphony I accompanies Midori and takes part in her Orchestra Residencies Program (and performs with her), becomes the first full orchestra featured on the nationallybroadcast radio program From The Top, and performs with renowned pianist Conrad Tao
2018 – 2023
HYS launches a new logo and its strategic vision to MAKE MUSIC A RIGHT HAWAII SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA debuts the first of many Side-by-Side collaborative concerts. Music in the Clubhouse expands to Nanakuli, a partnership with National Orchestral Institute is established with PMI, and Super Strings is brought to the windward side in collaboration with Le Jardin Academy Fast Company recognizes HYS for its innovative work in Social Good.
2024 and beyond
Maestro Joseph Stepec is honored in Pacific Business News’ 40 Under 40 and HYS MARKS 60 YEARS OF MUSIC in the islands, continuing to provide access and opportunities for students of all ages and backgrounds.
MusicintheClubhouse - Bucket Drumming
“I grew up on the Big Island in Hilo. As a high schooler, it was exciting to get on a plane and be semi-independent, to come to rehearsal and have this opportunity to meet students from other islands and make music with them. You go back to your own program more inspired. I’m very grateful that students now still have that opportunity, and hopefully it’ll continue so that we can strengthen the programs around the state.”
– WAYNE FANNING, Concert Orchestra Conductor & HYS Alumnus (‘93)
MAKING MUSIC ACROSS HAWAI‘I
We believe music is a right, meaning everyone should have the opportunity to make and listen to music regardless of who they are or where they live. To move towards this vision, we are constantly taking steps to increase access to music education across all islands, encouraging students throughout the entire state to join both our symphony and jazz programs. As of 2024, HYS has served students from every island across Hawai‘i. To ensure no child is turned away from a quality music education because of financial needs, HYS distributes more than $50,000 a year through its financial aid program. HYS offers assistance for:
• Registration fees
• Instrument loans
• Private lessons
• Air and surface travel for neighbor island students
The effects of music on a young person’s life are countless and everlasting. Through participating in HYS, students develop skills that they carry with them forever and are given the ability to create opportunities for themselves that they may not have had otherwise.
Pictured (right): Kaua’i students, Asa (CO) and Naomi (YSII), travel to O‘ahu Pictured (below): Wayne Fanning (’93), Concert Orchestra Conductor, leads PMI Middle School All-State Band.
Spring Concert
Saturday, April 26, 2024 ❀ 2:45 pm
Kaimukī High School Auditorium
Honolulu Music4Kids
Abe Lagrimas, Jr., Teacher
Program to be announced from stage.
Nānākuli
Music4Kids & Violin
Veronica Cox, Music4Kids Teacher
Daniel Kawaiʻaeʻa Shaver, Violin Teacher
Selections from Essential Elements Book 1
Super Strings
Laurie Shimabukuro, Violin Teacher
Austrian National Anthem Franz Joseph Haydn arr. John O’Reilly
Rakes of Mallow Irish Reel arr. Andrew H. Dabczynski & Bob Phillips
Oh Happy Day Edwin R. Hawkins arr. Laurie Shimabukuro
Concerto in G: Allegro Antonio Vivaldi arr. Steven Frackenpohl
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Traditional arr. Carrie Lane Gruselle
Kingdom Dance
Ridin' the Rails
Alan Menken arr. Robert Longfield
Richard Meyer
Concert String Orchestra
Michael Lim, Conductor
Acrobats
Meditation
Simple Symphony
I. Bourree
II. Playful Pizzicato
IV. Frolicsome Finale
Finale — Mass Ensemble
Kuʻu One Hanau (Hawaiʻi Aloha)
Richard Meyer
Michael Lim
Benjamin Britten
Words by Makua Laiana Music by James McGranahan
Please join the students and sing along.
Hawaiʻi Aloha
Words by Rev. Makua Laiana (Lorenzo Lyons)
Music by James McGranahan
E Hawaiʻi e kuʻu one hānau e O Hawaiʻi, o sands of my birth
Kuʻu home kulaīwi nei My native home
ʻOli nō au i nā pono lani ou I rejoice in the blessings of heaven
E Hawaiʻi, aloha ē O Hawaiʻi, aloha
Hui: Chorus:
E hauʻoli nā ʻōpio o Hawaiʻi nei
Happy youth of Hawaiʻi
ʻOli ē! ʻOli ē! Rejoice! Rejoice!
Mai nā aheahe makani e pā mai nei
Gentle breezes blow
Mau ke aloha, no Hawaiʻi Love always for Hawaiʻi
Kayla Arakaki
Alina Chen
Soraya Cherki
Euan Chung
Music4Kids Honolulu
Isabelle Chung
Kaya Hatzis
Kaimana Lui-Kwan
Addison Paguio
Manu Rao
Zachary Tanuvasa-Wills
Ariel Zhou
Nānākuli Music4Kids & Strings
Madisyn Akana-Cheshire
Bladen Aki-Castro
Terrance Joseph Beckett
Kento Crutchfield
Leimomi Curtis
Anianna Fernandez
Kana‘i Nui HainaCanencia
Kodi Ishikane
Jaime Javier
Chaezton-Bronco
Kekahuna-Logotaeao
Khevy Keopuhiwa
Anthony Nicholson
About Music in the Clubhouse (MITCH)
For over a decade, HYS has partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of Hawai’i to provide low-cost, entry-level classes to Clubhouse youth. Made possible through the generosity of private foundations, public support and contributions to HYS, the classes provide free instrument loans, sheet music, and instruction on a weekly basis throughout the school year. More than 5,000 Honolulu-region youth (largely from Mo’ili’ili, McCully, Ala Wai, Pauoa, and Nu’uanu) have had the chance to play music, thanks to our Music4Kids classes at the Spalding Club.
In 2019, HYS launched its Music in the Clubhouse initiative at the Nānākuli Clubhouse along the Wai’anae coast. Carnegie Hall recognized HYS as Hawai‘i’s first recipient of a PlayUSA grant, a program that supports a wide range of instrumental music education projects across the nation, all with a specific interest in reaching low-income and underserved students on a local level. HYS also works with string students at Kaunakakai Elementary on Moloka’i, and provides travel reimbursements and scholarships to CSO, Symphony Program and PMI students from Kaua‘i, Maui, Lāna‘i, Moloka‘i and the Hawai’i islands.
Music in the Clubhouse
Abe Lagrimas, Jr.
Music4Kids Honolulu Instructor
Abe Lagrimas, Jr. is a professional musician, composer, educator, and author who plays the drums, vibraphone, and ukulele. He studied at Berklee College of Music and competed in the highly prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Drums Competition in 2012. As a solo ukulele artist, Abe is a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award recipient, with his most recent win in 2022 for Ukulele Album of the Year. He has released multiple solo albums internationally, his music has been featured in Hawaiian Airlines and on Japanese television, and his music can even be found circulating in hundreds of thousands of reels on social media. In addition to teaching privately, Abe is currently involved in several music education programs. He is an on-screen instructor and consultant/curriculum developer for Fender Play, a world-wide subscription service that offers virtual music lessons. His involvement with Fender led him to join Lōkahi: The Ukulele Collective, a non-profit whose mission is to provide affordable interdisciplinary and culturallyrelevant ukulele music education to Hawaii's students. Most recently, Abe has become the Ukulele Instructor for the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony Music4Kids Program. He is the author of Jazz Ukulele: Comping, Soloing, Chord Melodies (Berklee Press/Hal Leonard) and 'Elua, a self-published book featuring transcriptions from his 2019 album. He currently endorses Canopus Drums, Paiste Cymbals, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Beato Bags, Ohana Ukuleles, Analysis Plus Cables, Fusion Gig Bags, and Roswell Pro Audio. After a 15-year long stint in Los Angeles, CA, Abe has returned home and is currently based in Honolulu, HI.
Daniel Kawai‘ae‘a Shaver Nānākuli Strings Instructor
Born and raised in Honolulu, Daniel Kawai‘ae‘a Shaver received his Master of Arts degree in Music Education from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where he was advised by Dr. Jennifer Blackwell and studied Orchestral Conducting with Professor Joseph Stepec. Mr. Shaver previously studied at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, where he studied violin and advanced violin pedagogy with Kathryn Lucktenberg and Kevin Lefohn, and Suzuki pedagogy with Lillie Manis. Mr. Shaver is currently employed as the Orchestra Director at Mililani Middle School. Previously, Mr. Shaver was the Orchestra and Band Director at Radford High School and has also worked as the Assistant Orchestra Teacher at the Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Campus. Mr. Shaver also teaches private violin and viola lessons and has worked with schools around the island as a clinician.
Veronica Cox
Librarian, Nānākuli Music4Kids Teacher
Veronica Cox grew up playing saxophone and singing in choirs in Ohio, where she graduated from the University of Akron, receiving a Bachelor of Music in Music Education PreK–12. She also holds a Hawai‘i Teaching License in Music, K–12 and works in Hawai‘i Public Schools. Veronica has been an active member in the National Association for Music Education, American Choral Directors Association, and Ohio Music Education Association since 2017. Throughout her life, Veronica has participated in Concert and Marching Bands, along with Concert and Chamber Choirs, touring around Ohio and Germany. Being surrounded by music her whole life, Veronica is excited to work with HYS to help make music a right!
Super Strings
Rachel Aberilla
Juliette Brownfield
Bridgette Norris
Jake Yess
Juliet Yim
Katerina Yu
About Super Strings
Started in the summer of 2021, Super Strings at Le Jardin Academy is for Windward O‘ahu students who are interested in learning to play the violin and experiencing the joy of music through the violin. Students learn instrumental technique, rhythmic patterns, note reading skills, listening skills, concepts of musicality, basics of group playing, improvisation, and a variety of musical styles. This year, we have students from 6 different public, private and home schools participating in the Super Strings program. Our Super Strings program includes summer violin classes for beginning and intermediate level students, and registration is currently open! Please see our website for more information.
LAURIE SHIMABUKURO
Super Strings, Violin Teacher
Laurie Shimabukuro grew up on O‘ahu studying the violin under the Suzuki Method from age four. She joined her first orchestra ensemble in the seventh grade as the concertmaster of the Punahou Advanced Orchestra and the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony in the eighth grade as the concertmaster of the Youth Symphony II orchestra. As a senior in high school, she was the concertmaster for both the Punahou Symphony and Youth Symphony I orchestras. She was the winner of several awards and competitions, including the Honolulu Symphony’s Talent Pool, Morning Music Scholarship, HMTA, and MTNA competitions in Hawai‘i. She continued her music studies with Daniel Rouslin at Willamette University, where she served as the concertmaster for the University Chamber Orchestra and concertmaster/soloist for the Salem Chamber Orchestra. She graduated with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music and Chemistry from Willamette University and earned a Master of Accounting degree from the University of Hawai‘i.
Music has provided her with several amazing opportunities. She participated in masterclasses/ workshops with Yehudi Menuhin, Kyoko Takezawa, The Emerson String Quartet, Almita Vamos, John Kendall, and other inspiring teachers. She also traveled to Europe with the Ambassadors of Music from Hawai‘i and performed Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Japanese chorus groups in Hawai‘i and Japan. Her musical theater collaborations included the world premier and encore productions of Ohana Arts’ original musical “Peace On Your Wings” in Hawai‘i and other local community plays.
Through her first job as a math tutor in high school and teaching English in Japan and violin from the time she was a college student, Laurie has enjoyed working with students and helping them develop the confidence to succeed in their future endeavors.
Laurie currently teaches violin part-time and enjoys playing chamber music. She performs with the O‘ahu Civic Orchestra and occasionally the Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra while maintaining her career as an accountant.
The HYS Academy Strings is composed of four string ensembles with entry points for students of beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. In proud partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubhouse of Hawaii, the Academy offers children ages 8 and older the opportunity to play violin, viola, cello, or string bass in group settings that emphasize the fundamental skills necessary for musical success.
BSE students learn the basics of how to play an instrument and read music, and no audition is needed to join this class. ISE students also do not need to audition, but have completed at least one year of a beginning class or book. Students in SOE & CSO auditioned back in August to become members of their respective advancing ensembles. This season, we have 126 Academy students representing more than 59 public, independent, and homeschools from ‘Oahu, Kaua’i, and Lana’i.
During the summer, the Academy offers Summer Strings. Students receive daily instruction over a fiveweek session for beginning and intermediate players with no audition required. Registration for Summer Strings is currently open and you can visit our website for more information. All Academy classes are held at the Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii’s Spalding Clubhouse.
ichael Lim is a dedicated music teacher and professional violinist. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai’i, he began his musical career at the age of four with the piano, and started his violin studies at the age of seven. A graduate of Punahou School, Michael was involved in Punahou’s orchestra and string quartet program, and was a member of Hawai’i Youth Symphony’s YSII and YSI orchestras during his middle school and high school years. He is a graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he received his Bachelors and Masters of Music in violin performance. After returning to Hawai’i, he completed his Post-Baccalaureate Certificate of Music Education at the University of Hawai’i Mānoa and was the orchestra and choir teacher at Mid Pacific Institute. He is currently at Punahou School where he teaches orchestra at the elementary and middle school levels. In addition to his music teaching career, Michael is also a full-time member of the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra violin section, teaches private violin and viola lessons, and has served on the board of the Hawai’i Music Educators Association. He is a passionate educator and performer, and hopes to share his love of music with his students and inspire a new generation of musicians to cherish and preserve the art of music.
Carissa Miyamoto is a passionate music educator, violinist, and trumpet player. She grew up participating in the Hawai’i Youth Symphony program from BSE through YSI. She is a Moanalua High School graduate and recently earned her Bachelor’s in Music Education at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. She was a member of the 2019 Sacramento Mandarins on lead trumpet, placing in the top 12 for DCI finals. In 2021, she aged out as a member of the Santa Clara Vanguard. She currently aspires to serve the communities and organizations that helped her foster her own love for music and education.
Stefanie Lawton
Beginning String Ensemble Cello Instructor
Stefanie Lawton began playing the cello in the 4th grade, enrolled in the Hawai’i Youth Symphony’s Beginning Strings instructed by Louise Ching and Karen Bechtel, both of whom Stefanie later studied with privately. Subsequent private cello instructors included Gregory Dubay and Dr. I-Bei Lin. In addition to private instructors Stefanie counts school and other Hawai‘i Youth Symphony orchestra directors, as well as University of Hawai’i at Mānoa (UHM) orchestra, band, and choir directors, and other music faculty, as major influencers, noting especially Norma Parado (Kalani High School), Michael Nakasone (HYS), Dr. LaVar Krantz (UHM), Thomas Bingham (UHM), Grant Okamura (UHM), Dr. Karen Kennedy (UHM), Gabriel Villasurda (UHM), and Henry Miyamura (HYS and UHM). Stefanie is also very thankful for first years of “on the job” training, working with and observing orchestra directors Derrick Yamane (HYS) and Dr. Robert Hamilton (Kamehameha Schools).
During college Stefanie taught private cello lessons, co-taught the Kalani High School Orchestra, directed church and community choirs, and did substitute and/or assistant teaching for school orchestras on O‘ahu. One school year Stefanie taught band, orchestra, and general music at ‘Āina Haina Elementary School. Through college years and afterwards Stefanie worked extensively for HYS in various capacities.
Stefanie holds a Bachelor of Education in Secondary Instrumental Music from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. Stefanie has performed in community and professional orchestras and small ensembles on the islands of O’ahu, Maui, Kaua’i, Lāna’i, and Hawai’i, as well as in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over two decades, in addition to being a guest clinician at various schools and for the 2016 Central District Beginning and Intermediate Honor Orchestras, Stefanie held the position of Director of Orchestras at St. Andrew’s Priory (now St. Andrew’s Schools), then at Moanalua Elementary School, next working with the orchestra program at Punahou School. Stefanie continues to teach privately and is enjoying a return to roots in HYS’s Beginning Strings and Concert Orchestra ensembles, this time as instructor (BSE) and concert parent (CO). Stefanie enjoys expanding upon instrumental playing skills and conducting, cooking, watching movies, and spending time with daughters..
Sayuri Yamamoto
Beginning String Ensemble Bass Instructor
Sayuri Yamamoto is a member of the bass section of the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra. Born and raised in Japan, she studied bass at Riverside Community College, California State University, Fullerton and the University of Southern California. She was a teaching assistant at USC and on the bass faculty at Biola University. Ms. Yamamoto moved to O‘ahu in 2020. She is a lecturer in Music, Double Bass at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She teaches at ‘Iolani School and Punahou School. She frequently coaches the basses at Moanalua High School, Moanalua Middle School and also gives private lessons. In the summer, Ms. Yamamoto returns to San Diego to teach at the San Diego Bass Fest and the San Diego Summer Institute.
Brent Ramos Academy Coordinator, Office Receptionist
Brent Ramos is a graduate from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Violin Performance. He is an HYS alumni who started in the Academy Strings Program, and in his senior year of high school was concertmaster of Youth Symphony I. After graduating from high school and while in college, Brent was a Teacher’s Assistant for the Moanalua Middle School Summer Orchestra Program for many years. He has been the HYS Academy Strings Program Coordinator since 2021, and started working as the HYS Office Receptionist in 2022. Besides his roles at HYS, Brent is a violinist with the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra, teaches private lessons at the Masaki School of Music, and volunteers his time to help out as a violin coach at several local schools.
Spring Concert
Sunday, April 27, 2025 ❀ 3:00 pm
Studio 909, Musician’s Association of Hawai‘i
Dean Taba, Jazz Program Director
Ryan Howe, Jazz Instructor
Noel Okimoto, Jazz Instructor
Jazz I & Jazz II
Program to be announced from stage.
Jazz I
Saxophone
Maxwell Chin
Electric Guitar
Broderick Nakasone
Eli Wolf
Bass Guitar
Johann Machida
Drum Set
Mani Kovacich
Carter Nobuhara
Saxophones
Verily Coryell
Owen Dennis
Kyle Nakagawa
Trombone
Erin Kawamura
Electric Guitar
Elias Hollenbeck
Jazz II
Bass Guitar
Erin Kawamura
Liam Lihalakha
Keyboard
Rodrigo Del Carpio
Liam Lihalakha
Drum Set
Camden Funai
Isato Kimura
About Jazz Program
A relatively new HYS program, HYS Jazz celebrates its fifth anniversary this year! Under the leadership of HYS Jazz Director Dean Taba, and with the support of our dedicated faculty including Dean, Noel Okimoto and Ryan Howe, HYS Jazz offers two levels for students ages 14–18. Jazz II for students who play an instrument but have little to no experience in jazz, and Jazz I for students who are advancing in their jazz and improvisation skills. HYS Jazz students are taught the skills necessary to play as a rhythm section, accompany others and improvise. We are proud to have guitarists, keyboardists, drummers, saxophonists and brass players among our student body, though HYS Jazz is a wholly inclusive environment and welcomes students from all orchestral instruments.
HYS Jazz frequently collaborates with highly-respected artists, and in its short history has already performed with Jake Shimabukuro, trumpeter Eric Miyashiro, saxophonist Steve Treseler, vocalist Shari Lyn, and John Valentine! Though the focus of HYS Jazz is music performance, many entrepreneurial facets of being a professional musician or working in the music industry are addressed throughout the year. Students have direct access to top audio engineers, influential musicians, and music business gurus. Learn more about all that HYS Jazz has to offer at https://hiyouthsymphony.org/hysjazz/. Registration for HYS Jazz usually begins in early July.
HYS Jazz
Dean Taba
Jazz Program Director
PMI Jazz Intensive Director
Ahighly regarded studio and freelance musician, Dean Taba began his musical studies on the piano at the age of 6 and played French horn in the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony. It was a desire to play in the high school jazz band that introduced him to the bass and improvised music. After extensive studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and a refinement of his skills on both the acoustic and electric bass, Dean relocated in 1984 to Los Angeles to become one of its most in demand musicians.
Also a respected clinician and educator (Los Angeles Music Academy, Musician’s Institute, Cal-Poly Pomona, Grove School of Music) Dean has recently performed/recorded with Jeff Lorber, David Benoit, Mark Murphy, Jake Shimabukuo, Andy Summers, Sadao Watanabe, The San Francisco Symphony, Hiroshima, Rick Braun, The American Jazz Institute Orchestra, Dave Koz, Jeff Richman, Pauline Wilson, The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Daniel Ho, Bill Watrous, and many others as well as playing on countless CDs, TV shows, and movie soundtracks.
Ryan Howe Jazz Instructor
Ryan Howe graduated from Maui High School and completed both his Bachelor’s in Music Education and Master’s in Bassoon Performance at the University of Hawai‘i. He currently teaches middle school band at Moanalua Middle School.
Mr. Howe says: “I have two things that I love to do in life, teach music and cooking. Both are great ways to express one’s self and a great medium to change people's perspectives in life and to teach humanity and good fellowship. Other than music, I like to play sports such as tennis, basketball, and golf. I believe that in order to be a healthy and effective teacher, you must have a balanced life. Mind, Body and Soul. I look forward to working with all students and parents. Please feel free to ask questions, because I believe that everyone is important and they deserve to be heard.”
Noel Okimoto
Jazz Instructor
Born and raised in Honolulu, Noel Okimoto has been playing professionally since the age of ten. Noel’s primary instrument is the drum set, but is also an accomplished orchestral percussionist, vibraphonist, composer and clinician. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Percussion from the University of Hawai‘i. Noel has played in Hawai‘i, the mainland USA, and internationally with Freddie Hubbard, The Woody Herman Orchestra, Stan Getz, Bobby Hutcherson, Richie Cole, Bill Watrous, Ernie Watts, Bud Shank, Barney Kessel, Lew Tabackin, Sadao Watanabe, Wynton Marsalis, Ronnie Cuber, Makoto Ozone, Jeff Richman, Larry Coryell, Nestor Torres, Gene Harris, Take 6, David Benoit, Henry Mancini, Nelson Riddle, Steve Allen, Natalie Cole, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Bob Hope, Rosemary Clooney, Patti Page, Dionne Warwick, and Jake Shimabukuro, among others. He was also a member of the Gabe Baltazar Group for five years. He is also the percussion section leader of the historic Royal Hawaiian Band.
Okimoto recorded an award-winning jazz CD in 2004, entitled ‘Ohana, that received a 4-Star review in Downbeat magazine and positive reviews in other national and international publications.
HYS Administration & Staff
Randy Wong President & CEO
Born and raised in Hawai‘i, Randy Wong is a distinctive voice in arts administration and musical communities. He is among the first of a new generation of orchestra executive directors who bring a unique perspective as alumni of their own youth orchestras, as well as being a professional musician and educator.
As the President & CEO of Hawai‘i Youth Symphony (and a proud alumnus), Randy passionately champions its strategic vision of a Hawai‘i where Music Is A Right. This vision was recognized in 2023 by the international business magazine Fast Company in its list of Best Workplaces for Innovators, and was given top honors in the category of Social Good. Together, Randy and HYS have garnered numerous accolades and honors for executive nonprofit leadership, public relations, marketing, communications, television, and more.
Simultaneous to leading HYS, Randy is also a bassist in the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra. Outside of classical music, he champions ’marginalized’ music, in genres such as Exotica and Open Flow Jazz. His best known side project (which he co-founded with fellow HYS alumnus Abe Lagrimas Jr.) is The WAITIKI 7, an Exotica septet that has been profiled by the LA Times, Boston Globe, NPR Morning Edition, Global Village, Mother Jones, Giant Robot, The Feast (NBC); has performed with orchestras, in Berlin at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, and at Halekulani’s House Without A Key. His other side project—the free jazz trio Red Nova—was featured in the Odesa (Ukraine) Jazz Festival, and was nominated for a Nā Hōkū Hanohano award for its debut album Presence of Mind.
In his free time, Randy gives back, serving as Vice Chair for the League of American Orchestras’ Youth Orchestra Division, volunteering as a mentor for first-generation college students in ‘A‘ali‘i Mentoring, and co-chairing the State Foundation on Culture & the Arts’ ARTS FIRST Committee on Advocacy.
Randy is also an alumnus of leadership cohorts at the League of American Orchestras, the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and the American Express Leadership Academy.
Prior to HYS, Randy was program director & information architect for the Music-in-Education National Consortium, and faculty & staff at New England Conservatory. He holds an Ed. M (Arts in Education) from Harvard University, a performance degree (with honors, and a Concentration in Music-in-Education) from New England Conservatory, and is one of just a handful of Certified Fund-Raising Executives in the state of Hawai‘i.
Rachel Schultz Chief Operating Officer
Rachel Schultz brings over a decade of dedicated leadership in music education and community engagement to Hawai‘i Youth Symphony. She joined HYS in July 2024 as its Chief Operating Officer; a newly created role in which she oversees the areas of operational leadership and administration, human resources and staffing, and financial management.
A highly organized professional with a strong work ethic, Rachel blends experience from both the arts/non-profit and commercial/for-profit sectors. Rachel moved to Toledo as a founding member of the Toledo Symphony School of Music (TSSM) in September 2009. From 2010 to 2024, she served in various capacities: piano faculty member, TSSM Director, Director of Education and Community Engagement for the Toledo Symphony, and eventually, as Vice President of Education and Community Engagement for the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA).
A self-motivated leader, Rachel is skilled in identifying and implementing program improvements while streamlining processes. In fall 2018, she was one of 12 orchestra professionals chosen to participate in the Emerging Leaders Program of the League of American Orchestras. During this time, she also played a role in the merger negotiations between the Toledo Symphony and Toledo Ballet, resulting in the formation of TAPA.
As the head of TAPA’s education initiatives, Rachel oversaw education, engagement, and outreach programs for the Toledo Symphony, Toledo Ballet, TSSM, and Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestras. Programs of pride include the innovative Noisy Library Program, Plastic Band Project, Introduction to the Orchestra: A STEAM Experience for Head Start students, work within the Juvenile Court system, and TAPA in the Parks, the first community engagement program of TAPA to feature both music and dance components.
Prior to her time in Toledo, Rachel was a faculty member at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Bowling Green State University, the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City, and the Music Settlement in Cleveland, Ohio, where she served as interim director of the Suzuki Program. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Dalcroze Eurhythmics, a Master of Music, and a Professional Studies Certificate in Collaborative Piano, all from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She has also received extensive training in the Suzuki approach to music education.
Rachel’s drive for change and innovation has strengthened organizational stability and enhanced community impact throughout her career.
Hannah Watanabe Programs Director
Hannah Watanabe works for the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony as Programs Director. She served as the conductor for HYS’s Concert Orchestra from 2006–2023, and conducted the Beginning & Intermediate String Ensembles for the Academy Program from 2024–2025. She is a graduate of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where she earned a Bachelor of Education degree in K–12 Music Education with an emphasis in Secondary Instrumental Music. Ms. Watanabe is an alumnus of the Hawai‘i Youth Symphony where she performed under the direction of Mr. Michael Nakasone and Mr. Henry Miyamura. Prior to working at HYS, she taught orchestra for 16 years at Moanalua Middle School. While at Moanalua Middle School, she took the orchestra on several trips including Boston to work with musicians from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Disney World where the orchestra won Best in Class, the Gold Award, and received a superior rating twice at Festival Disney, to Disneyland to perform and participate in the Disney Workshop, and to the neighbor islands where her students performed and taught elementary school students about music and the instruments in an orchestra. Ms. Watanabe also taught K–6 general music and choir at Hawaii Baptist Academy, orchestra, piano, and music theory at Moanalua High School, and while still in college, she taught orchestra at Kalani High School part time. Ms. Watanabe is a member of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), Hawai‘i Music Educators Association (HMEA), American String Teachers Association (ASTA), and the Hawaii Chapter of the American String Teachers Association (HASTA) where she serves as Webmaster on the board for HASTA.
Lauren Sergent Operations Manager
Lauren Sergent holds a dual Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Public Relations with a Minor in Music from Carthage College. Her experience as a vocalist and percussionist has allowed her to perform for diverse audiences on tours across the U.S., Japan, Italy, Hungary, and Slovenia. Over the past few years, Lauren has been a member of groups such as Master Singers of Milwaukee, Oahu Choral Society, and Windward Choral Society. Committed to promoting youth engagement in music, she has previously made impactful contributions working for Drum Corps International. Outside of HYS, Lauren is a massage therapist with advanced training in treatment and self-care for common musicians’ injuries.
Mahalo to Our Schools
HYS is grateful to the many public, private, and home schools that play their part in helping to advance music’s role in their communities. The following schools are represented in our various HYS programs this year. We are deeply grateful to all the music educators and private music teachers whose expertise, encouragement, and support mean so much to our students. Every attempt has been made to publish a complete listing of schools for the 2024–2025 season, and we regret any errors or omissions have been made.
Ahuimanu Elementary School
‘Aiea Intermediate School
‘Āina Haina Elementary School
Alaka‘i O Kaua‘i PCS
Āliamanu Elementary School
Assets School
Castle High School
Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School
Eckstein Middle School
Einstein Middle School
Enlightium Academy
Ft. Shafter Elementary School
Hanahau‘oli School
Hawaii Baptist Academy
Hawai‘i Technology Academy
Hawaiian Mission Academy
Hickam Elementary School
Highlands Intermediate School
Hilo High School
Hilo Intermediate School
Homeschool
Hongwanji Mission
Honouliuli Middle School
‘Iolani School
Island Pacific Academy
Isobe Junior High School
iUniversity Prep
Jarrett Middle School
Jefferson Elementary School
Juana Briones Elementary School
Ka Waihona o ka Na‘auao PCS
Kāhala Elementary School
Kahuku High School
Kahuku Intermediate School
Kailua High School
Kailua Intermediate School
Kaimuki Christian
Kaimukī Middle School
Kaiser High School
Kalāheo High School
Kalani High School
Kamehameha Schools—Hawai'i
Kamehameha Schools—Kapālama
Kapolei High School
Kapolei Middle School
Kawānanakoa Middle School
King Intermediate School
Kulia Academy
La Pietra
Lanakila Baptist Middle School
Lanikai Elementary School
Le Jardin Academy
Liholiho Elementary School
Lincoln Middle School
Lunalilo Elementary School
Mānoa Elementary School
Mary, Star of the Sea School
Maryknoll School
Maui Waena Middle School
Mauka Lani Elementary School
McKinley High School
Mid-Pacific Institute
Mililani High School
Mililani Ike Elementary School
Mililani Mauka Elementary School
Mililani Middle School
Moanalua Elementary School
Moanalua High School
Moanalua Middle School
Momilani Elementary School
Myron B. Thompson
Nānāikapono Elementary School
Niu Valley Middle School
Noelani Elementary School
Nuuanu Elementary School
Palisades Elementary School
Pauoa Elementary School
Pearl City High School
Pullman High School
Punahou School
Radford High School
Roosevelt High School
Royal Elementary School
Sacred Hearts Academy
Sage Hill School
Saint Louis School
Salt Lake Elementary School
SEEQS
St. Andrew’s Priory
St. George‘s Classical Academy
St. Mark Lutheran School
Stevenson Middle School
The King's Academy
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
University Laboratory PCS
Waiākea High School
Waiākea Intermediate School
Wai‘alae School PCS
Wai‘anae High School
Waikīkī Elementary School
Waimānalo Elementary and Intermediate School
Waipahu High School
Waipahu Intermediate School
Waolani Judd N. School
Washington Middle School
Wilson Elementary School
Mahalo to Our Donors
Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony deeply appreciates these contributions made between January 1, 2024, and January 23, 2025. Gifts of all sizes make a big difference and help us work towards achieving our vision of a Hawaiʻi where Music is A Right. Please let us know if we have made any accidental errors or omissions by emailing our team at development@hiyouthsymphony.org.
$25,000 and above
Altres, Inc.
Cades Foundation
Carnegie Hall (PlayUSA)
Erica & Aaron Mau-Schank
First Hawaiian Bank Foundation
George Mason Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation
Kosasa Foundation / ABC Stores
Lorrin Hirano & Ohana
Maurice and Joanna Sullivan
Family Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
Stephen & Gloria Gainsley
The Al Sherman Foundation
$10,000 to $24,999
Action Realty Corporation
Alan Stockton
Alika & Tanya Mau
Benjamin Cayetano
Brushfire Records, Inc.
Cooke Foundation, Limited
Ginny Tiu
Hawaii Community Foundation
Jean and William K. H. Mau Foundation
Jean Tsukamoto
John R. Halligan Charitable Fund
Johnson Ohana Foundation
Lauren Yoo
Louise and Y.T. Lum Foundation
Serendipity II Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation
Sheridan and Julia Ing Family Foundation
The Arthur and Mae Z. Orvis Foundation
The Vilcek Foundation, INC
Thomas & Mi Kosasa
$5,000 to $9,999
Avalon Commercial, LLC
Carlton & Elsie Gushiken
Cathy Monseur
Steve & Georgia Wong
Halekulani Corporation
Henry and Colene Wong Foundation
Island Insurance Foundation
Jillson Fleener
John & Clifford Mirikitani Foundation
Karl & Alice Blade
Steven & Marilyn Katzman
Martin & Danna Hsia
Pacific Property Group, Inc.
Randy Wong & Dr. Helen Liu
RMA Architects Inc.
Robert Saracco
Kenneth Fink & Robin Kobayashi
Taylor-White Charitable Fund
The Resort Group
$2,500 to $4,999
Alan & JoAnn Arizumi
Aloha United Way
American Resort Development Association
Collin Hoo
David & Nicole Imanaka
Princess Dialta Alliata
Foodland Super Market, Ltd.
Honolulu Chamber Music Series
Island Insurance Companies
Jason Mraz Foundation
Mitchell & Marie Imanaka
Masaki School of Music
Michael J. Y. & Terrina Wong
The Dods Foundation
The Ebbtide Family Fund
$1,000 to $2,499
Anonymous
Allen Murabayashi
Barney Brennan & Autumn Woods
Becker Communications, Inc.
Ron Siu & Beth Tamayose
Bob Hayashi
Chelsea Maeda
Colleen Hanabusa
Cory Beall
D'Addario Foundation
Daniel & Mia Kim
Daniel & Linda Momohara
Darlene Abt
Diane Weissman
Gaylord & Carol Wilcox
Harrison Miyahira
HDG, INC.
Herbert & Nancy Conley
Hyunjong Koo
Janet Cooke
Jason Tokunaga
Jean McIntosh
Kenneth Matsuura
Kerry Kim
Lee Oung
LPL Financial
Malcolm S. & Carol Koga
Patti Look
Peter Grossman & Cathy Ching
Pikake Foundation
Richard & Susan Ing
Richard Malins
Ritchie & Sunny Mudd
Roselle Chin
Ross Murakami
Schwab Charitable Fund
Steven & Pamela Nishi
Takumi Family Fund
Terrence White
U.S Charitable Gift Trust
Wendy Umino
Dr. & Mrs. Wilfred Miyasaki
Yan Yang Gao
$500 to $999
Anonymous (3)
Amy A. Taniguchi
Audrey Mueh
Ayako Iwata
Bill Holowecki
Carmen Di Amore-Siah
Chad Sakumoto
Chris & Jadine Nielsen
Foodland Give Aloha
FundDevelopment Group
George I. Nagao
George Wellington, Jr.
Heidi Hahn
Izumi Rhee
Jaewon Choi
John Noland
John Yamano
Joyce Torrey
Justin V. Redona
Karen Stockton
Karen Takemoto
Mark Verrey
Maylani Chang
Michael & Amy Onofrietti
Milton & Cathy Liu
Monica Chan
Monsicha Dinh
Nina Hayashi
Rachel Schultz
Sharelle Ito
Sharon R. Himeno & Warren
Price III
Stephen Ko
Steven and Izumi Rhee
Thomas & Maureen Shimabuku
Thomas Shigeta
Valerie Yee
Wade Nobuhara & Cecile Sebastian
Walter Nobuhara
Yi-Chuan Ching
Yong Li Li
$100 to $499
Anonymous (5)
Alfred E. Makino
Alicia Moy
Alison Lihalakha
Allen Won
Donald & Amanda Pump
America's Charities
Amy H. Mitsuda
Andrea Snyder
Ann Botticelli
Ann Castelfranco
Ann Doike
April K. Y. Leong
Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund
Barbara J. Cargill
Ben Gutierrez & Christopher Korsak
Benjamin Marx
Bob Fissell
Bonny Amemiya
Brenda Tang
Brenda Teranishi
Brennan Wong
Brian & Tammy Walther
Burr McCutcheon
Byron Kelly
Carl Matsuura
Carl Yee & Mary Wong
Carol Aki
Carol S. Heape
Carolann Biederman
Carolyn Hong
Carolyn Ing
Castle & Cooke Resorts, LLC
Keola Warren & Chanel Shiraishi
Cheryl Kojima
Chester J. Malins
Chester Kaneshiro
Clara Kim
Clifford Char
Cori Mackie
Craigside Retirement Residence
Cyrinthia Richards
Daniel Chun
David & Annette Jackson
David Lum
David Masunaga
David Miyasaki
David Nako
David Yang
Dean & Sharene Taba
Deanna Oda
Dennis Higashiguchi
Dennis K. Toyama
Dennis Kohara
Dennis W. Randall
Diana Choy
DJ Wong
Donald R. Womack
Dorette Luke
Doris Ogawa
Dr. Richard Kennedy & Mr. Steven Prieto
Earl Kim
Edward Masunaga
Elaine Chang
Elizabeth Hale
Elton Masaki
Ernest Hanaumi
Esther Cartoon
Eugenia W. Ng
Eujeania Hwang
Evan Yamamoto
Fidelity Charitable
Frances E. Oshita
Frank Hook
Frederick Harris
Fumiko Wellington
Gary Batungbacal
Hannah Watanabe
Helen K. Higa
Henry Miyamura & Elizabeth Coraggio
Henry O'Neill
Henry Tokunaga
Howard Jr & Jayne Kim
Ignace & Chris Jang
Iris Huang
James F. Moffitt
James Joyner
James Lin
James S. Howard
James Sakata
Jane Say Wei
Janna Wong
Jean Kirschenmann
Jean Toma
Jennie Lau
Jennifer Battle
Jennifer Lau
Jennifer Miyahira
Jennifer Oyer
Jim Elsea
Jim Guss
Jim J. Wong
Jingjing Wang
Joan Carlson
Joanne Na
Joannne Huber
Jodi Goh
Joe Stepec
John and Carol Lynch
John & Camile Devlin
John Kovacich
Jonathan Cabagbag
Jonathan Wung
Jonn Saruwatari
Joseph Conyers
Josephine Kaiser
Joyce Wong
Jung Nam Lee
Kamuela Kahoano
Kapiolani Street
Karyn Komatsu
Kathleen (Kay) Mattos
Kathryn Inouye
Kathryn MacDowell
Kathyrnn Raymond
Kay J. Newnam
Keita Hirashima
Keith Muraoka
Kendrick Y. Au
Kenneth Jim
Kenneth Sumiye
Kent Koike
Kevin Yamasaki
Kim Taira
Kimi Ide-Foster
Kirk Shitaoka
Kurtis Im
Lana Au
Lance Oba
Larry T. Takumi
Laura Baker
Laura Peterson
Lauren Chun
Laurene Taira
Leah Chun
Leah Lee
Lealei Magat-Hino
Leo Nakano
Leslie Baxter Eaton
Leslie Ikawa
Lila Yee
Louise Y. Wong
Lucky Tree Fund
Ly Nguyen
Lynne Aki-Steele
Lynne Johnson
Marc Isobe
Marcia Isenberger
Marie Tai
Marvin Taba
Mary Ann Kobayashi
Melvin K. Wong
Meredith & Norma Maeda
Merle N. Bratlie
Merwyn Lee
Michael Hee
Michael Miyahira
Mike Kobayashi
Mildred E. Uegawachi
Ming Peng
Mitch Blaisdell
Miyeko S. Hashimoto
Dr. Mohamed Wong
Mr. Grant Ito & Ms. JoAnn Yosemori
Myrtle Kaneshiro
Nancy D. White
Nancy K. Sonoda
Nate Lam
Noe Baladad
Noel Okimoto
One Kalakaua Senior Living
Owen Fukumoto
Owen Sekimura
Pamela Yee
Patricia Chang Moad
Paul Komeiji
Paula Ho
Peter & Juli Shaindlin
Phyllis Wong
Pranita Suvarna
R. Dougal Crowe
Randall Hee
Richard Cundy
The Hon. Richard Perkins
Robert E. Black Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation
Dr. & Mrs. Robert G. Peters
Robert Schornstheimer
Robert Shinoda
Robert Weiner
Robert Wong
Robin Chun Hunter
Robyn Fong
Robyn Weber
Rochelle Uchibori
Roland Thom
Roy E. King, Jr.
Ruth Oshiro
Sandi Kwee
Sara Lin
Sarah Miyahira
Sarah Nanbu
Scott B. Gomes
Scott Simon
Seth Markow
Sheryl Nicholson
Shinnyo-En Hawaii
Stella Anderson
Stephanie Laws
Stephen Ly
Steven Casano
Su-Jie (Nam) Hong
Suellen Barton
Suji Cho
Sylvia Flores
Tamae Shiraishi
Tami Leong Ho
Tammi Okamura
Target Foundation
Tilden Osako
Todd Seeber
Tom & Maria Stepec
Tricia Matsukawa
Valerie Coryell
Van Lu
Van M. Goto
Velma C. Akinaka
Velma Lee
Vivien Tham
Wayne Kawamura
William E. Seehafer
William T. Oshima
Yumiko Ueda
Yuxuan Yang
$1 to $99
Anonymous (2)
Aileen Gushiken
Alan Nakasone
Alyssa Kawamura
Andrew S. Tanji
Anthony Wong
Ayari Tochika
Barry & Wendy Kikuno
Betty Ohigashi
Brandon Kamigaki
Brent F. Ramos
C. Mike Kido
Calvin Fujikawa
Calvin T. Hamada
Catherine Camp
Christina Hines
Christine Ewing
Claire Sakai-Hazzard
Clifford Okumoto
David Anderson
David De Witt
David Y. Cho
Diane Morimoto
Doris S. Oshiro
Dr. George Chu & Ms. Diane Wong
Dustin Ebesu
E. Richard Bartosik
Evan Dobelle
Gail Maida
Gaye Humphrey
Gerald Young
Gladys H. Young
Glenn Fernandez
Gregg Abe
Harold M. Chang
Ira Tagawa
James Moffitt
James K. Michishima
Jared Perez
Jasmine Nip Palmer
Jason Poplin
Jean Adair-Leland
Jeffrey Mishler
Jennie Li
Jeremy Lawi
Jerry Ono
Jessica Nelson
Joni Freitas
Judith A. Mick
Julia Fujioka
Jungsheng Lee
Kaimana Lui-Kwan
Karyn Lau
Kenneth H. Burtness
Kenneth Hashi
Kevin Nazal
Kevin Sumida
Kimberly Schneider
LaSaundra Belcher
Lauren Sergent
Lawrence Lau
Leona Kamoku
Leslie G. Crandall
Lily Chu
Lloyd Lim
Lynn Hokama
Marissa Ross
Thom & Mary Ellen E. Williams
Mary Lou Chai
Michael Lyman
Michelle N. Ige
Mike Boomsma
Mitzi Maeshiro
Nainoa Mau
Nancy Halevi
Nelson Lau
Nicole Ward
Patti Horio
Philip Brown
Pledgeling Foundation
Rachel Odo
Rafael Borges Amaral
Robert Boruchowitz
Rosanna Lucero
Ruby Arii
Shinogu Sato
Susan Imai
Tertia Freas
Thu Nguyen
Vicki Soo Hoo
Tributes
In Memory of Geoffrey Au By Kendrick & Joy Au By Randy Wong & Helen Liu
In Memory of Gladys Hirano By Lorrin Hirano & Ohana By Kathyrnn Raymond By Randy Wong & Helen Liu
In Memory of Yujen E. Hsia By Martin Hsia
In Honor of Andrew Li By Yong Li Li
In Honor of Bradley T. Hamada by Calvin T. Hamada
In Honor of Chelsea Maeda By Meredith & Norma Maeda
In Honor of Dean K. Taba By Noel Okimoto By Robert Shinoda
In Honor of Gray Nauwelaerts By Joan Carlson
In Honor of Hannah Watanabe By Jennifer Oyer
In Honor of Jaymes Lau By Karyn Lau
In Honor of Kenton Chan By Monica Chan
In Honor of Kyle Ehara By Kenneth Sumiye
In Honor of Lauren Dods By The Dods Foundation
In Honor of Lorrin Hirano By Colleen Hanabusa
In Honor of Mari Kohara By Dennis Kohara
In Honor of Matthew K. Meinert By Roslyn Meinert
In Honor of Sophie Kaiser By Josephine Kaiser
In Honor of Randy Wong By Patricia Takemoto By Rochelle Uchibori
In Honor of Sarah M. Wilson By Daniel Wilson
In Honor of The Class of 2024 By Randy Wong & Helen Liu
