CONDUCTORS JEFF EDMONS
ADAM PEZDEK
Music Director & Ovation Program Conductor
Concert Winds Conductor
Jeff Edmons celebrated his 20th season with SDYS in 2015-16. Under his direction, the Youth Symphony has experienced tremendous growth, both in enrollment and in its level of musical achievement. Performing the most difficult works in the classical repertoire, SDYS achieves the highest standard attainable by a youth orchestra. SDYS’ exemplary standards of skill and musicianship have afforded it the opportunity to participate in the most prestigious international festivals and perform with eminent guest artists and musicians from around the world. Under Mr. Edmons’ direction, the Youth Symphony boasts a strong international presence and sets a benchmark for excellence in the United States.
Adam Pezdek, a San Diego native, is a diverse instrumentalist, conductor, arranger, and composer. He spent 22 years in the United States Marine Corps as a musician and performed on trombone, piano, and as a conductor throughout the country and in Canada, Japan, Germany, Kuwait, and Australia. He has arranged over 300 pieces for Marine Corps Bands, scored music for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration and created arrangements for Aretha Franklin, Ryan Anthony, Bones Apart, and the San Diego Concert Band. From 2006-2009 Mr. Pezdek was a field show adjudicator for Youth Education in the Arts and the West Coast Musician Placement Director for the Marine Corps Music Program where he auditioned prospective applicants for Marine Corps Bands.
San Diego Magazine named Jeff Edmons as one of “50 People to Watch in 1997.” Mr. Edmons has been featured in articles and journals honoring his work and has been the subject of documentaries on CNN, Fox Television, National Public Radio, and more. Mr. Edmons has led youth, collegiate, and professional orchestras in critically acclaimed performances throughout the United States as well as in Mexico, Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Switzerland. He is frequently invited to judge and guest conduct local and regional orchestras and bands. He has received numerous local and national invitations and awards for his achievements in music education. He studied violin performance with Michael Davis, former Concertmaster of the Scottish National Orchestra, string pedagogy with renowned pedagogue Dr. Robert Gillespie, and wind, brass, and percussion pedagogy and wind ensemble conducting with Craig Kirchoff, Principal Guest Conductor of the Tokyo Wind Orchestra and past President and Chair of the National College Band Director’s Association. Mr. Edmons has dedicated himself to promoting youth music and youth education.
JUAN CRISTÓBAL PALACIOS Sinfonia, Wind Symphony & Concert Orchestra Conductor Juan Cristóbal Palacios is a native of Caracas, Venezuela. He received his Master of Music in conducting and composition from Yale University and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Boston University. In Venezuela he founded, managed, and conducted the Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil de Chacao. He also conducted the Chamber Orchestra of the Universidad Central de Venezuela, where he taught music history and music theory. Mr. Palacios has guest-conducted youth and professional orchestras in Venezuela, Brazil and the U.S. As President of the Chacao Cultural Foundation he produced exhibits and events including traditional arts and urban street art, music, and community theater. Since 2006, Mr. Palacios has been Principal of JCP Cultural Advisory, a group of professionals that helps organizations create, improve, develop, and implement cultural programs. 12
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Spring Concerts — Inspiration, Showcase, Ovation & Artist
In 2013 he served as the worship leader at Jamul Community Church. He received his Bachelor of Music from Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, New Jersey, and is pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching from Point Loma Nazarene University here in San Diego. In addition to leading SDYS’ Concert Winds, Mr. Pezdek is the Opus Wind Conductor for SDYS’ Community Opus Project in Chula Vista. He also works as a freelance arranger and musician and performs locally as an instrumentalist, arranger, and assistant conductor in the San Diego Concert Band.