PYSO & Occidental College 2025 concert
THORNE HALL
About the PYSO
The Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras (PYSO) have been training tomorrow’s leaders since 1972. Now in its 53rd year, PYSO is considered among the finest youth orchestra programs in the country and is the centerpiece of the Pasadena Symphony Association’s education offerings. PYSO offers 11 ensembles, serving students from 29 cities throughout Los Angeles County and the San Gabriel Valley, 21 school districts and 129 schools. In addition, PYSO provides Pasadena Unified School District with teaching artists to directly support music teachers in the classroom.
PYSO students are immersed in rigorous repertoire, learn the art of ensemble playing, and explore their potential in a supportive environment. Students study a primary instrument and participate in weekly ensemble practice and instrumental sectionals.
Ensemble playing opportunities are available for all PYSO students no matter where they are in their musical studies. Following an audition, students will be placed in an appropriate ensemble based on their age and ability. Students may stay in a rising ensemble for up to 3 years, depending on their level of playing as well as their personal commitment and maturity level. Each ensemble has its pathway from section player to principal, and each student’s journey will be different.
For more information on each ensemble, please visit our website at: bit.ly/pyso_ensembles
About the Occidental Symphony Orchestra
The Occidental Symphony Orchestra, comprised of approximately 50 musicians (take a look at our roster), is dedicated to performing symphonic repertoire from the baroque through the twentieth century, as well as contemporary works of our time. The Symphony Orchestra is directed by Chris Younghoon Kim and presents 3 to 6 concerts per year. The orchestra often collaborates and takes part in world premieres of works by student composers who are working under the guidance of Adam Schoenberg. We welcome both students and community members to be part of the orchestra.
If you would like to learn more, or if you would like to speak to a current member of the orchestra, please contact Chris Kim at ckim2@oxy.edu.
About the Composer
Vivian Le Composer
Vivian Le is a senior composition major at Occidental College. Born and raised in San Jose, California, she draws inspiration from many aspects of her VietnameseAmerican identity. She has composed for various chamber and large ensembles exploring themes of diversity, resilience and cultural heritage while incorporating traditional influences with contemporary classical techniques. Her musical journey began with playing the piano, later expanding to percussion in marching band, which shaped her rhythmic and textural approach to composition. Through her work, she seeks to create music that bridges cultures and perspectives, honoring personal and collective narratives.
Kaitlyn Hong Cello About the Soloist
Kaitlyn Hong is an 18-year-old senior at the Westridge School in Pasadena. Kaitlyn started playing cello at age 4 and currently studies with Ben Hong (since 2016) and assistant coach Xi Yang. She has been a part of PYSO since 2021, Westridge Chamber Orchestra since 2021, and Colburn chamber music since 2022.
Along with performing at Carnegie Hall, she has won cello competitions at SYMF, MTAC, Satori, Salzburg International Music Competition, USIMC, and CalASTA. She played with the Jacobs School of Music summer orchestra as the principal cellist and was selected for the master class and honors recital. Most recently, she was chosen for the 2025 California All-State High School Symphony Orchestra.
Kaitlyn enjoys teaching elementary school kids music and playing cello at nursing homes and hospitals. Outside of music, she loves running, mentoring others as a Westridge speech and debate captain, and training her Bichon-poodle rescue Luckie. Kaitlyn looks forward to continuing her musical journey in college.
PYSO Philharmonic & Occidental Symphony Orchestra
Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 4:00pm
Chris Kim, Choi Family Director of Instrumental Music & Occidental Symphony Conductor
Three Black Kings (Les Trois Rois Noirs) Duke Ellington
Jonathan Richards, Occidental Jazz Ensemble Director
Daniel Rotem, tenor saxophone
I. Allegro (King Balthazar: the African King of the Three Magi)
II. Andante (King Solomon)
III. Slow Gospel (Martin Luther King)
Cello Concerto in B minor, Op.104 Antonín Dvořák
Kaitlyn Hong, cello
I. Allegro
Journey to the West (World Premiere) Vivan Le
Symphony No. 1 in D Major "Titan" Gustav Mahler
I. Langsam, schleppend: wie ein Naturlaut
PYSO PHILHAR MONIC
Chris Kim, Conductor
Kayce Lee
Violin 1
Nichole Breanna Aye
Lily Bingham
Sophia Buda
Olivia Chen
Jamie Lee
Audrey Lord
Cathleen Lu
Eyla Najafi
Elizabeth Pak
Julian Rife
Sashya Rucka
Mallika Sheshadri
Madeline Son
Ian Teigen
Nora Wang
Shigeo Yoshida
Violin 2
Roy Amaral
Cadence Chan
Danica Chen
Jeremy Chen
Lucas Hong
Jayden Huang
Anna Hua
Lio Itaya
Claire Jung
Rosetta Li
Fiona Liang
Lauren Poplock
Shelby Sartor
Eluisa Schulitz
Arthur Sparks
Viola
Timothy Feng
Benicio Haro
Yusei Izumi
Jeremy John
Aiden Lee
Meridith Southard
William Zhang
Faith Zhou
Cello
Phoebe Cho
Kaitlyn Hong
Chloe Hsin
Austin Kuo
Judy Ku
Phoebe Lee
Michelle Li
Matthew Mak
Daiju Mori
Rio Navarro
Minju Oh
Connor Pak
Liam Reilly
Madelin
Rentmeester
Antonio Shyu
Shannon Tsai
Zachary Tsai
Matthew Wu
Double Bass
Casey Chen
Josiah Chun
Cameron Huss
Bradley Utomo
Flute
Claire Buda
Aidan Ko
Jolee Kuo
Chloe Lee
Clarinet
Trisha Chakraborty
Jesse Chen
Noah Mukherjee
Eric Yang
French Horn
Nathan Cho
Wilson Jaroch
Itusi Yoshioka
Trumpet
Jackson Kidd
William Meier
Maxwell Shen
Sebastian Thompson
Trombone
Ellis Kopcho
Leander Rajan
Jarvis Zhou
Tuba
Richard Muñoz
Percussion
Katie Hong
Ethan Liu
Harp
Hart LippSmith
Keyboard
Gideon Schneider
OCCIDENTAL SYMPHON Y ORCHESTRA
Chris Kim, Conductor
Violin 1
*Tiffany Chung, Community Member
Sonia Wolgamot ‘27
Ella Bygrave, ‘28
Tessa Calado, ‘26
Yaneth Gutierriez-Meza, ‘28
Kaelen Hoseth, ‘26
Violin 2
Nathaniel Hogan, Computer Science/ CSLC ’25
Maya Johnson, ‘28
Amalia Rimmon, Music ‘27
Sanaa Kuenstle, ‘28
Ben Espinosa, Community Member
Kellie Hsu, Oxy Alum ‘23/ Community Member
Viola
*Aliza Jetha, Economics ‘28
Bob Gutzman, Oxy Alum ’87
Nadine Riddle, Biology ’26
Trisha Bhima, Computer Science ‘27
Bailey Knowles, Community Member
Kimi Arabe, ‘28
Cello
*Florence Lo, Economics ’26
Evelyn Catanzaro, ‘28
Evelyn Kim, ‘27
Francine Ghazarian, ‘27
Colin Field, Community Member
Double Bass
*Will Graham, Geology/ Music Production ’25
Harrison Williams, Economics/Music ’25
Quinn Sidor, MAC ’26
Theodore Wilton, Economics ’27
James Leelayuvat, Music ’27
Isaac Bassett, DWA ‘26
Flute
*Allison Cheng, Computer Science/ Music Performance ’25
Emma McLaughlin, Biology ’26
Clay Carson, (MS1) ‘27
Anastasia Savastio, ‘28
Ava Navales, ‘28
Oboe
*Kai Uyeda, Chemistry ‘25
Rao Rayaan, ‘28
Phia Green, Biology ‘26
Clarinet
Sherwin Zhang, Oxy Alum ‘22/ Community Member
Bass Clarinet
Oliver Prado, ‘28
Tenor Saxophone
Hugh Baldwin, ‘28
French Horn
Stephen Cabell, Community Member
Kirsten Patches Ellis, Community Member
Addison Wieseler, ‘28
Trumpet
Liam Williams, ‘28
Trombone
Hengfu Feng, ‘28
Chris Free, Community Member
Euphonium
Alexandria Wells, ‘27
Tuba
Ryan McWilliams, Community Member
Percussion
*Mason Chesser, Music/English ‘26
Vivian Le, Music ‘25
Sao Mai MacMorran, ‘28
Orchestra Librarian
Vivian Le, Music ‘25
Jazz Ensemble
Jonathan Richards, Bass
Lucas Pan, Alto Sax
Alessandra Nefedenkova, Alto Sax
James Wang, Tenor Sax
Liam Williams, Trumpet
Jessica Zinn, Trumpet
Keita Yamamoto, Trombone
Hengfu Feng, Trombone
James Gardner, Trombone
Rhys Lloyd, Guitar
Ben Langer Weida, Piano
Matan Birnbaum, Piano
Luca Nisimblat, Drums
Ryan Gero, Drums
* Section Leader
CSLC = Comparative Studies in Literature & Culture
DWA = Diplomancy & World Affairs
MAC = Media Arts & Culture
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra gratefully acknowledges our supporters. Your generous gifts ensure that audiences – both today and for generations to come – can experience the power, beauty, and joy of live music. There are a wide range of donor benefits available at various gifting levels. For more information, please call (626) 793-7172 or go to PasadenaSymphony-Pops.org/give. Contribution list is from July 1, 2023, through December 31, 2024. We apologize for any errors or omissions.
$50,000 or more per year
Ralph. M. Parsons Foundation
The Helen & Will Webster Foundation
$10,000 - $49,999
Anonymous
Ann Peppers Foundation
Cathay Bank
Dwight Stuart Youth Foundation
The Green Foundation
Paul Rusnak
$5,000 - $9,999
John Adamick
Meghan & Monte Baier
Devrie Brennan
Gary Carr
Rob Moore
Therese Mosher Beluris
Michael Nissman
Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts
Audrey Prins
Sarita & Booker T. White
Kimberly Winick & Lawrence Chamblee
$2,500 - $4,999
Adele Binder
Gabrielle Brouveris
Gale Kohl
Linda Massey
Maricela Rodriguez-Gutierrez
Shadi & Jennifer Sanbar
Leticia Sanchez
Helga & Gary Sherman
Alyssa Van Dyk
Reginald A. Wilson & English A. Heisser
Henry Yost
$1,000 - $2,499
Keri & Douglas Axel
Marlene R. Konnar & John D. Baldeschwieler
Cheryl & Philip Cannon
Luke Dubord
Walt Fidler
Beth Hansen
Raymond & Cinty Kepner
Gayle Levant
Eden Livingood
DeWayne Nash
Christopher & Noreen Norgaard
Debi & Stan Parkhurst
Elizabeth & Peter Popoff
Keith Renken
Julie Saper
Sara Semel
Rich & Ellyn Semler
Jamie Shaheen
Bill & Susan Shieff
Chelby Crawford & Gregg Smith
Barbara Mann Steinwedell
Lindsay & Bill Tilney
Beatrice Usher
Christine Yu
$500 - $999
Jane & Dan Armel
Dennis Awad
Chantal & Stephen Bennett
Dean & Karen Billman
John Blanchard
Carl W. Cooper & Lynn Van Dam Cooper
Michael Desplaines
Michele Doll
Dr. David Woodley & Dr. Janet Fairley
Mr. & Mrs. George Forbes
Shawn Ingram
Robert & Kimberly Michero
Dr. Anne Rardin
DeMarais & Dennis Riley
Julie Yang
Amy Zakiewicz
$250 - $499
Pat & Jack Beauchamp
John Bird
Doug Brown
Yvonne Green
Hin Ku
Heidi & Steve McLean
Jennifer MacLean
Walter Okitsu
John & Gayle Samore
Eric W. Bell & Susanne Spangler
Jack Taylor
Mr. Eliot & Dr. Jodie Ullman
Irene Van Blerkom
Jens Weiden
$100 - $249
Donna Arcaro
Dick Asjes
Supervisor Kathryn Barger
Nora Barsuk
Laurel Bossi
Juila Bradsher
Lisa Brault
Andy Brown
Cynthia Cohn
Suzanne Colmenero
Roseline Dauphin
Alec & Emma Druth
Stephen Fluharty
Victoria Gering
Brian & Elizabeth Hall
Greg Holcomb & Todd Nickey
Chris Holden
Michael & Lina Hollis
Deborah B. Lewis
Brenda Baity & Scott Long
Tina Lowenthal
Mary Lyons
Fred Manaster
Leslie Hockett Marble & Baird Marble
Liam McGuiness
Amanda McIntosh
Charles Minsky
Michael Nelson
Arlene & Bob Oltman
Marvin Perer
Cheryl Rigali
Rey & Vivian Rodriguez
Wallace J. Rogozinski
Kathleen Scott
Melanie & Steve Summers
Ben Tam
John Tegtmeyer & Pamela Hillings Tegtmeyer
Georgia Van Cuylenburg
Aaron Walker
Eric Yang
PYSO would like to extend a special thanks to the Pasadena Unified School District, Conductors, Coaches, Staff, Volunteers, Student Managers, and parents! Your dedication, energy, and spirit allow our students to excel to new heights each season.
PYSO Philharmonic & Occidental Symphony Orchestra Program Notes
Three Black Kings
Duke Ellington (1899-1947)
Collaboration, one might say, is the essence of jazz. Even Ellington’s Three Black Kings, his final composition, proves the point in its own way. Ellington had nearly completed the piece before he died. But he rarely wrote the final notes of a composition until the day of the premiere, leaving his son Mercer, a successful bandleader and composer in his own right, to guess how it should ultimately be completed. The great composer and arranger Luther Henderson orchestrated a version that Mercer premiered at a tribute concert for his father in 1976—where First Lady Betty Ford gave the downbeat. Alvin Ailey choreographed a ballet to accompany the piece, which his troupe performed throughout the 1976/77 season. And Ellington’s longtime friend Maurice Peress, an esteemed conductor, eventually rescored it for symphony orchestra. It took many hands to create the piece as we know it today.
Intended (in Mercer’s words) as a “eulogy for Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Three Black Kings continues Ellington’s series of narrative pieces on a grand symphonic scale—a series that includes Black, Brown, and Beige (1943), Harlem (1950), and Night Creature (1955). Traversing centuries, each movement captures the psychological depth of its respective subject. The first, depicting King Balthazar (the black king of the Nativity), features propulsive percussion sounds that explode into ravishing, exotic melodies in the strings. The episodic second, which fluctuates between sultry strings accompanied by harp and upbeat passages reminiscent of Ellington’s jazz orchestra, evokes King Solomon’s taste for love more than his fabled wisdom. The gospelinflected third, complete with subtle tambourine backbeats, is a fitting tribute to the Reverend Doctor King himself—a man who, as Nina Simone put it in her own music eulogy, “had seen the mountaintop, and knew he could not stop, always living with the threat of death ahead.”
Notes by: Douglas Shadle
Cello Concerto, mvt I Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)
Antonin Dvořák’s cello concerto involves a cast of several characters. First, we should consider Jeanette Thurber, a Paris- trained American violinist who married a New York wholesale grocer. Building a conservatory along European lines, she aimed to recruit a top-level composer who could lead American classical music towards a distinctly American style, directing a new National Conservatory. She invited Dvořák, who was settling into a faculty position in Prague, to be that leader. He was disinclined, but Mrs. Thurber’s offer was $15,000 annually (a princely sum in 1891, and 25 times his Prague salary). Dvořák’s wife, Anna, along with Dvořák’s children, overruled Antonin, and they traveled forthwith to New York. While in New York he became acquainted with African American musicians (who, along with women, were educated at the conservatory), and encouraged American composers to compose music incorporating spirituals and music of Native Americans. With summers free, he composed seven works, including the New World Symphony, the Te Deum, and finally, this concerto. Dvořák’s teaching staff of talented Americans included the composer Victor Herbert, an Irish-born cellist (formerly principal of the Metropolitan Opera), and also a conductor: Herbert would
soon leave New York temporarily to direct the Pittsburgh Symphony. Before doing so, he premiered his second cello concerto, soloing with the New York Philharmonic and conductor Anton Seidl. (These days, Herbert is better known for his light music, with The March of the Toys from Babes in Toyland a perennial favorite.)
Before hearing Herbert’s concerto, Dvořák was resistant to composing a cello concerto, probably fearing a Romantic-era orchestra’s lower brass would overwhelm the soloist. Hearing Herbert convinced him to begin the concerto. Back in Bohemia, Dvořák had a friend, Prof. Hanuš Wihan, who had campaigned for a concerto from Dvořák for several years, premiering other works Dvořák wrote for him. Wihan was a significant Czech musician, collaborating with Dvořák and Smetana, and was a co-founder of the Bohemian quartet along with Joseph Suk. Dvořák dedicated the concerto to Wihan.
Notes by: Reuben Blundell
Symphony No. 1 in D Mjaor “Titan”, mvt I Gustav Mahler (1860-1911)
During his lifetime, a majority of Mahler’s fame and fortune came from his great skill as a conductor. Following a few short years of apprenticeship among the provincial opera houses of Europe, he quickly emerged as one of the foremost conductors of his time — and eventually became music director of the Vienna State Opera and conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic, and then chief conductor in New York at the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic.
It took the world far longer to accept Mahler’s genius as a composer. Indeed, a number of his late works were not premiered until after his death — and it was well into the second half of the 20th century before his symphonies became standard fare at concerts throughout the world.
The First Symphony is a product of Mahler’s “wandering years” as a young composer. Like the hero of his first great song cycle, Songs of a Wayfarer, he could be considered a wayfarer in the 1880s, moving from city to city and from conducting job to conducting job until, finally, in 1888, he landed his first important post as director of the Royal Opera in Budapest at the age of 28.
Mahler’s outward success as a conductor, however, did not translate into understanding for his First Symphony, which was especially poorly received at its early performances. Audiences in Budapest (1889), Hamburg and Weimar (1893), and Vienna (1900) were equally bewildered by what they heard as total musical chaos and an unacceptable mixture of conflicting emotions and ideas. This might surprise us today, given the great popularity of Mahler’s music in our time, but 100 years ago, Mahler’s departures from classical form were too great — or too unexpected — for his contemporaries to grasp hold of immediately.
The first performance of this work was given under the title “Symphonic Poem in Two Parts” (with five movements grouped together into two halves). This title alluded to the existence of a literary or dramatic inspiration, but Mahler did not reveal the source. When the symphony was performed again in 1893, Mahler gave it a new title, “Titan,” after a novel by a German Romantic writer named Jean Paul (1763–1825). After 1896,
however, he removed the title, eliminated one movement, and arranged the others as we know them today.
The symphony’s first movement utilizes the basic melody of one of Mahler’s early songs, from his Songs of a Wayfarer group. This song, Ging heut’ morgen über’s Feld (I Walked This Morning Through the Field), depicts a happy summer morning with flowers blooming and birds singing. We understand that the entire movement can be seen to describe the gradual awakening of spring. We hear the musical interval of a perfect fourth (Mahler called it “a sound of nature” in the score) — and everything grows out of this one interval, like a tree from a small seed. Even the call of the cuckoo bird, evoked by the clarinet, is a perfect fourth (although real cuckoos sing an interval closer to a third).
Notes by: Peter Laki
About Daniel Rotem
Daniel Rotem is a saxophonist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator.
Growing up in Israel by the Mediterranean Sea, Daniel fell in love with the freedom and potential for expression he found in Jazz after starting to play saxophone as a teenager. His musical beginnings in Israel’s Thelma Yellin High School for the Arts and the Rimon School of Music instilled in Daniel a deep reverence and love for the tradition and history of jazz, and a yearning to travel far and wide to receive the best musical education he could, on and off the bandstand. He was fortunate to experience both: He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance (now the Herbie Hancock Institute), and also had the privilege to perform and record with artists such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Billy Childs, Terri Lyne Carrington, Stevie Wonder, Jeff Parker, Darek Oles, Lionel Loueke, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Josh Nelson, Anat Cohen, Sara Gazarek, and many more.
As a member of the Monk Institute Ensemble, Daniel went on a U.S. State Department Tour to Morocco and got to lead and narrate a jazz history masterclass and performance at the White House hosted by Mrs. Michelle Obama, as part of International Jazz Day in 2016. Daniel has performed around the world at acclaimed festivals including the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Playboy Jazz Festival, the Red Sea Jazz Festival, the Montalcino Jazz Festival, and at famed venues such as the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Hollywood Bowl, the Microsoft Theater in LA, and many more.
He released four albums of his compositions and arrangements: his debut Be Nice was released independently in February 2017; the anticipated tour-de-force second double album Serenading the Future was released on September 28, 2018 to praising reviews, and in December 2018 an album he recorded with a quartet co-led with alto saxophonist Josh Johnson entitled Sweet Stuff was released by Fresh Sound Records. In December 2021, Daniel released a solo saxophone record reflecting on the year of isolation as a result of Covid-19, and “as an expression of yearning for the musical reunions to come.” Daniel can be heard on releases and scores by Alain Mallet, Christian Euman, Kris Bowers, Kuba Stankiewitcz, as well as with Chilean artist Mon Laferte on her 2019 Latin
GRAMMY Award winning album Norma
Daniel has taught at the Stanford Jazz Summer Camp and Jazz Institute, and has been a teaching artist at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) since 2016. In August 2020 he was commissioned to compose a piece for a chamber ensemble by the Los Angeles Jazz Society as part of the “New Note” project, and has completed his first film score for the film Mentally Al. In March 2021 he was selected as a Finalist in the International Songwriting Competition for his song “The Fittest and the Survival of the Unfit”, which will be released on his next studio album.
About Johnathan Richards
Jonathan Richards is a Los Angeles-based bassist, composer, and educator known for his versatility across a wide range of musical styles. Raised in a musical family, he was exposed to diverse genres from an early age, shaping his ability to collaborate with artists across the musical spectrum. His career has led him to perform alongside esteemed musicians such as Joe LaBarbera, David Foster, Khalid, Patti LaBelle, Alan Pasqua, Snuffy Walden, and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.
As a sought-after studio musician, Jonathan has recorded on albums and soundtracks for artists including Beyoncé, Kris Bowers, Laufey, Nnenna Freelon, Jacob Mann, and Sara Niemetz. His television performance credits include Demi Lovato’s Holiday Special, Katharine McPhee’s PBS Soundstage, The Academy Awards, and The American Music Awards.
With a strong foundation in classical music, Jonathan has performed with regional orchestras throughout Southern California. In 2022, he was a guest performer on Wild Up’s Grammy-nominated album Julius Eastman Vol. 3: If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich? Most recently, in 2024, he served as the bassist for the Pasadena Playhouse productions of Jelly’s Last Jam and La Cage Aux Folles.
As a composer, Jonathan continues to write for his own ensembles and various creative projects. In 2022, he was commissioned by the Seattle Symphony to compose a new work for Hocket, an LA-based piano duo. The piece, Resilience, premiered at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, with encore performances in Los Angeles and New York City. In 2023, he received a commission from Oxy Arts to compose Dark Illumination, a musical work accompanying the visual art of Kenturah Davis.
Jonathan is a graduate of the USC Thornton School of Music and holds a master’s degree from CalArts. He has studied privately with John Clayton, Nico Abondolo, David Allen Moore, Darek Oles, Steve Lehman, and Larry Koonse. In 2018, he joined the faculty of Pasadena City College, and in 2021, he was appointed Jazz Director at Occidental College.