Good Evening and WELCOME
Dear friends, families, and cherished guests,
Welcome to Valley Christian Schools’ Christmas at the California. This year, we gather under the theme, “Creator of the Stars of Night,” celebrating the wonder of creation and the timeless story of Christmas.
As we embark on this evening of music and reflection, we invite you to ponder the origin story of Christmas—a story of hope, light, and love. In the birth of a child so long ago, we see the intimate care of a God who not only creates the vastness of the universe but also lovingly tends to the smallest details of our lives.
From the stars that scatter the heavens to the humble manger where the Christ child lay, creation itself speaks of a God who is both grand and near. As the prophet Isaiah declares, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Whether you approach this story from a place of deep faith, curiosity, or tradition, let tonight’s music and message remind you of the love and care that exists beyond our understanding. The season of Christmas invites us to pause and reflect on the gifts we’ve been given—the miracle of creation, the joy of community, and the light of hope that shines in every heart.
We are honored to have you join us for this evening of beauty and inspiration. May the music fill your soul with peace, and may the theme of “Creator of the Stars of Night” encourage you to look both outward to the heavens and inward to your heart.
Wishing you and your loved ones a season of joy, love, and discovery,
Troy Gunter
Vice President, Director of K-12 Conservatory of the Arts
Chloe Zhong | Visual Arts Fellow
“Light from the Star,” 2024 | acrylic on canvas I painted the Star of Bethlehem to symbolize Jesus’ birth as a light and hope for mankind. The yellow and blue colors represent the star’s glow, illuminating the night sky. In the foreground, two men stand on a cliff, holding torches and tending to their sheep as they look at the star. The light from the torch, though bright, does not compare to the light from the star, representing the significance of Jesus’ arrival.
THE GREATEST GIFT
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15)!
Thoughts turn to the gifts we bless one another with at this time of year. Cost does not necessarily determine the value of each gift. Often, the sentiment and thoughtfulness of a gift far outweighs the expense of the purchase. As I grew up, I recall that moment when I shifted from longing to receive gifts to an overwhelming joy in giving. This week, we gather as a community to enjoy the amazing gifts our students are developing to honor God.
I recall participating in incredible kindergarten Christmas concerts as a student at Valley Christian Schools. We would all recite Luke 2 in the verse choir, then maneuvered onto the stage to sing a song or two. Eventually, I played trumpet starting in fourth grade and was part of these concerts, singing in vocal groups and playing in the band. Those opportunities allowed me to develop gifts God continues to use in me today.
The night of Jesus’ birth so long ago was filled with starlight, an angelic presence, music, and dance. The ushering in of the greatest gift we can ever experience was a moment in history that will never be forgotten. The cost of Jesus’ life cannot be measured. Likewise, God’s immeasurable love defies human sentiment or thoughtfulness, reflected in the sacrifice of sending His only Son to us. It is the expression of eternal life. All we need to do is receive this beautiful gift with faith as a child. Peace and joy fill our hearts not only this time of year but for life. May you and your family experience the priceless gift of Jesus’ presence as you celebrate this year.
God bless and Merry Christmas!
Brian Clemons (’87) Executive Vice President, Valley Christian Schools
Grade
“But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His kingdom will never end’” (Luke 1:30-33).
Leona Jiao | Fourth
ON A STARLIT
MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2024 · 6:00pm
WELCOME/ OPENING PRAYER
ELEMENTARY K-3 CHOIR
Mr. Troy Gunter, Vice President, Director of K-12 Conservatory of the Arts
Mrs. Samantha Elliott, Director
O Come, Little Children ∙ Schulz/von Schmid, Arr. Teresa Jennings
On a Starlit Night ∙ Jill Galina
The Angels Sang ∙ Teresa Jennings
Il Est Né ∙ Grosjean/Legeay, Arr. Karl Hitzemann
On the Road to Bethlehem ∙ Mike Wilson
Prince of Peace ∙ Monica Scott
Christmas Lights ∙ Matt Redman
SOLOS & DUETS
Dustin Aoalin
Emma Breiling
Nichole Chen
William Conway
Felicity Dang
Anya Dhillon
Emma Fiedler
Fiona Griffiths
NARRATORS
Alexander Afshar
Stella Boekestein
Margaret Chitty
Emily Fan
Jayne Martinez
Carter Paraz
ACTORS
Walter Alley
Asher Cannistraci
Josiah Choi
Elenah Cobos
Diego Cong
Alice Daily
Juliette Jackson
Zoe Jones
Lauren Jung
Peter Nangoy
Luukas Osa
Greyson Smith
Dorothy Williams
Ivy Yuan
Zaya Pennix
Liam Staubli
Jackson Truong
Madeline Truong
Ethan Vinoth
Eleanor Xu
Caleb Daugherty
Avery Depold
Cameron Hering
Cadence Johnson
Lily Law
Garrison Truong
CLOSING Dr. Gabe Guven, Elementary School Principal
STARLIT NIGHT
Chelsea Jiang | Fifth Grade
“But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord’” (Luke 2:10-11).
IN THE GLOW OF
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2024 · 7:00pm
WELCOME/ OPENING PRAYER
INTRO TO DRUMS
DRUMS II
Mr. Troy Gunter, Vice President, Director of K-12 Conservatory of the Arts
Mr. David Sankus, Director O Come Three Kings ∙ Arr. Chris Brooks Deck the Halls ∙ Arr. Chris Brooks Songs for All Seasons ∙ Brian Slawson & Thoinot Arbeau Good King Wenceslas ∙ Arr. Chris Brooks
Mr. David Sankus, Director Wizards In Winter ∙ Paul O’Neill & Robert Kinkel, Arr. Brian Flack
JH JAZZ BAND
INTRO TO STRINGS/ STRINGS I
INTRO TO STRINGS/ STRINGS I STRINGS I
CHAMBER STRINGS
Dr. Mike Jones, Director Greensleeves ∙ Traditional, Arr. Victor Lopez Jingle All the Way ∙ James Pierpont, Arr. Victor Lopez
Dr. Scott Homer, Director Christmas in the Renaissance ∙ Traditional, Arr. Robert A. Curry
Dr. Scott Homer, Director Christmas in Brandenburg ∙ J.S. Bach, Arr. Larry Clark
Dr. Scott Homer, Director Rock, Rock Merrily on High ∙ Arr. Vanessa Fanning
Mrs. Lily Homer, Director
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas ∙ Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane, Arr. Calvin Custer David He, Piano; Joyce Xie, Violin I; Julia Hyun, Violin II; Joey Zhu, Viola; William Pu, Cello
INTRO TO BAND
BAND I
Miss Katelyn Dietz (’14) & Mr. Shane Ryan (’16), Directors First Holiday Fanfare ∙ Matthew R. Putnam Rockin’ Through the Snow ∙ James Pierpont, Arr. Brian Beck Nuttin’ for Christmas ∙ Words and Music by Sid Tupper and Roy C. Bennett, Arr. Michael Story
Miss Katelyn Dietz, Director Joy! A Holiday Fanfare ∙ Arr. Patrick Roszell
Christmas Time is Here ∙ Words by Lee Mendelson, Music by Vince Guaraldi, Arr. Michael Sweeney
The Polar Express ∙ Words and Music by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri, Arr. Johnnie Vinson
OF CHRISTMAS
STRINGS II
Mrs. Lily Homer, Director
Happy Holiday/White Christmas ∙ Irving Berlin, Arr. Ted Ricketts
A Charlie Brown Christmas ∙ Arr. Larry Moore
Music from Home Alone ∙ Leslie Bricusse & John Williams, Arr. James Kazik
BAND II
Mr. Shane Ryan, Director
The Merry Christmas Machine · Arr. Mark William
Have Yourself a Very Merry Little Christmas · Words and Music by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, Arr. Ryan Nowlin
Christmas at the Circus · Arr. Randall D. Standridge
CLOSING
Mr. Eric Maxwell, Junior High School Principal
Anuhya Gottam | Visual Arts Fellow
“He Who Transcends,” 2024 | acrylic paint on canvas
The birth of Jesus was an undeniable accomplishment to all who observed, not just believers of the Christian faith. It was a beautiful event that gave way to His sacrifice, made possible at the intersection of God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and God the Son. He, who created the universe and all things, has come down to Earth in a human form to save His creation from the dreadful eternal consequence of sin: death. His love for us transcends beyond all space-time reality and the universe as we know it, manifesting as a newborn baby boy asleep in the humble arms of Mary. 9
GLORIA IN THE
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2024 · 6:00pm
WELCOME/ OPENING PRAYER
HS PERCUSSION I
EL HAND CHIMES CHOIR
Mr. Troy Gunter, Vice President, Director of K-12 Conservatory of the Arts
Mr. David Sankus, Director Christmas Day ∙ Brian Slawson Toboggan John Herndon
Mrs. Samantha Elliott, Director
God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen ∙ Traditional, Arr. Anna Laura Page
Away in a Manger ∙ Traditional, Arr. Anna Laura Page
HAND CHIMES CHOIR
Liam Cannistraci, Ethan Conway, Colton Daily, Isaac Gerlach, Kalaigho Hipolito, Lena Jung, Esther Liu, Emma Mast, Lena Streichardt, Emily Wang, Laura Yuan
WIND ENSEMBLE & SYMPHONIC WINDS
FOURTH GRADE CHOIR
Dr. Mike Jones & Mr. Shane Ryan, Directors Holiday Delight ∙ Caleb Hammer
Let the Bells Ring! ∙ Robert Buckley
Mrs. Samantha Elliott, Director
Christmas in the Valley ∙ Teresa Jennings
Do You Hear What I Hear? ∙ Regney/Shayne, Arr. Smallbone/ Backus
Perfect Light ∙ Chris Tomlin
SOLOS & DUETS
Avery Haddad-Stewart, Elizabeth Huang, Eden Koo, Averie Le, Grant Studer, Peyton Summers, Elsa Wang
NARRATORS
Aviana Basanty, Mason Blauman, Crew Cochran, Scottlyn Cossell, Celine Gyger, Lucas Jiang, Presley Morrella, Jordyn Sawkins
INSTRUMENTALISTS
Myles Blauman, Damari Brown, Zachary Cho, Lucas Jiang, Leona Jiao, Esther Liu, Brandon Price, Everly Rasmussen, Dylan Shaw, Emily Wang, Philip Zhao
EL STRINGS
Dr. Scott Homer, Director
First Christmas Suite ∙ Arr. Francis J. Carevella
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas ∙ E. Miller & J.P. McCaskey
Up on the Housetop ∙ Benjamin Hanby
Jingle Bells ∙ James Pierpont
THE HIGHEST
HS CLARINET
ENSEMBLE
HS WIND ENSEMBLE, SYMPHONIC WINDS, & SYMPHONIC BAND
FIFTH GRADE
DRAMA CHOIR
Miss Katelyn Dietz, Director
A Christmas Festival ∙ Leroy Anderson, Arr. for Clarinet Choir by Matt Johnston
Eb CLARINET
Ryan Beiter
EL BANDS
COMBINED EL BANDS & PERFORMING INDOOR
ENSEMBLE
CLOSING
Bb CLARINET
Derek Pfeiffer, Gahyeon Yoon, Terri Choi, Jooa Lee, Tsaiyu Chiang, Woobin Jang, Aimee Ding, Andrew Jun, Noah Phan, Vivian Yue, Sean Chae
ALTO CLARINET BASS CLARINET CONTRABASS CLARINET
Isobel Kwong
Joel Kent
David Yu
Dr. Mike Jones & Miss Katelyn Dietz, Directors Housetop Fantasy ∙ B.R. Handby, Arr. Richard Saucedo Sleigh Ride ∙ Leroy Anderson
Mrs. Samantha Elliott, Director A Light Has Dawned ∙ Christy & Daniel Semsen Bethlehem Skies ∙ Christy & Daniel Semsen
SOLOS & DUETS
Thomas Buschmann, Kaeson Chang, Emma Mast, Eliott Nyberg, Emily Xie
NARRATORS
Yasmeen Gyger, Lillian Morrison, Eleni Matheou, Marcelo Pastrana
FIFTH GRADE DRAMA CHOIR
Thomas Buschmann, William Cannistraci, Oliver Carson, Pierce Carson, Kaeson Chang, Nathaniel Chen, Amber (Yueh-Ning) Cho, Tessa (Wenting) Chu, Yasmeen Gyger, Morgan Koepplin, Emma Mast, Dina Matheou, Eleni Matheou, Haven Mora, Lillian Morrison, Eliott Nyberg, Marcelo Pastrana, Jasmine Sharafi, Siddhant Sharma, Oliver Tang, Raleigh Winter, Emily (Jingyan) Xie, Laura Yuan
Miss Katelyn Dietz & Mr. Shane Ryan, Directors Fourth Grade Band
Good King Wenceslas ∙ Traditional
Angels We Have Heard on High ∙ Traditional
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas ∙ Traditional
Jingle Bells ∙ Traditional
Fifth Grade Band
Up on the Housetop ∙ Traditional, Arr. Rush & Boyle
Mr. Jeff Wilson, Director
Joy to the World ∙ Arr. Paul Lavender & Will Rapp
Dr. Gabe Guven, Elementary School Principal
CREATOR OF OF NIGHT
A CONSERVATORY CHRISTMAS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2024 · 7:00pm
WELCOME/ OPENING PRAYER
SYMPHONIC CHORALE
FEATURED ARTISTS
Mr. Troy Gunter, Vice President, Director of K-12 Conservatory of the Arts
Mr. Britt Gunter, Conductor
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing ∙ Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Wesley, Arr. Dan Forrest
Meining Wu, Piano; Joshua Pham, Piano
Winter, from the Four Seasons; Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, “Winter” I. Allegro non molto ∙ Antonio Vivaldi
Serena She, Violin; Karen Matsui, Harpsichord
Angels We Have Heard on High ∙ Arr. Jon Schmidt, Al Van Der Beek and Steven Sharp Nelson
Nishi Kumar, Harp; Aiden Kim, Cello; Joshua Pham, Piano; Joshua Prabhakar, Cajon; Advanced Vocal Ensemble
O Holy Night/Ave Maria ∙ Adolph Adam, Charles Gounod, Johann Sebastian Bach & Placide Cappeau, Arr. Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson
Talia Santizo, Soprano; Kayla Lee, Violin; Meining Wu, Piano
JAZZ ENSEMBLE
Dr. Mike Jones, Director
Winter Wonderland ∙ Dick Smith & Felix Bernard, Arr. Jack Cooper
Daniel Li, Tenor Saxophone; Brandon Haghnazari, Alto Saxophone
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year ∙ Edward Pola & George Wyle, Arr. A. Lehmann & A. Büschelberger
Joshua Prabhakar, Vocals
Vivid Dance Team, Featured Performers
INTERMISSION
STRING ENSEMBLE
Mrs. Lily Homer, Director
Pastores a Belen ∙ Leroy Anderson
OF THE STARS CHRISTMAS FINALE
SYMPHONIC CHORALE & ORCHESTRA
CREATOR OF THE STARS OF NIGHT
Please refrain from applause between movements
I. PROLOGUE
O Come, O Come Emmanuel ∙ Arr. Taylor Scott Davis
II. IN THE BEGINNING…
Mr. Troy Gunter, Conductor
Introit, From the Creation ∙ Dan Forrest
Jack Gunter, Narrator
III. FOR UNTO US…
Mr. Britt Gunter, Conductor
Praise His Holy Names ∙ Fred Bock
Ginger Kaelin, Narrator
IV. GOD, THE CREATOR…
Mr. Troy Gunter, Conductor
Creator of the Stars of Night ∙ Dan Forrest
Joshua Pham, Nivi Josy & Talia Santizo, Soloists
Joshua Prabhakar, Narrator
V. CHRIST, OUR SAVIOR…
Mr. Troy Gunter, Conductor
Stille Nacht ∙ Franz Gruber, Joseph Mohr, Arr. Dan Forrest
Skylar Hutchins, Soloist
Malia Liu, Camille Baham, Narrators
CLOSING
Mr. Brian Clemons (’87)
Executive Vice President, Valley Christian Schools
Enjoy refreshments at the concessions stand on the mezzanine level of the lobby, open Thursday evening before the show and during the intermission.
Meet Our CONSERVATORY
SOPHIE CAO
Sophie Cao is a senior and a Conservatory Visual Arts Fellow. She works in a variety of mediums (oil, ink, various 3-D mediums, digital) and categorizes her work as either personal or public pieces. On the public art side, Sophie has worked on a variety of murals ranging from community-based murals on a utility box to commercial murals for the Santa Clara County Fair, Límon Burlingame restaurant, and a downtown San Jose mural for the joint construction project between the city and building developers. Sophie is interested in using public art to bring more visual interest and inspiration to various urban environments and communities. On the personal art side, she has exhibited her art at NUMU museum, CATS theater, and tabled at SJ Made.
BAILEY COFFEE
Bailey Coffee is a senior Conservatory Honors Theatre Fellow with an emphasis in technical theatre. She has been in the Conservatory Theatre program for six years and has worked in over a dozen shows in her high school career. Bailey has participated backstage in shows such as The Addams Family, The Play That Goes Wrong, and Into the Woods. More recently, Bailey had the pleasure of being backstage manager, costume assistant, and prop and set dressing assistant for the VCHS fall play Clue. She is so excited to pursue her career further in technical theatre this year and continue spreading appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes.
JORDYN ELFORD
Jordyn Elford is a junior Dance Fellow. Expressing herself through movement and dance has been essential to Jordyn’s identity. Jordyn was born in Canada and started her dance career at Dance Spectrum when she was three years old. She then honed her skills as a promising ballerina with Dance1 in Sydney, Australia, and two years later, her love for dance brought her to one of the top dance schools in Singapore, All That Jazz Academy. Jordyn took full advantage of the diversity of cultures and benefited from an amazing variety of dance programs, including the opportunity to train with Brian Foley, one of Canada’s most renowned dance teachers and director/ choreographers. At age thirteen, Jordyn returned to North America, joined Capitol Dance Company, and has been a pre-professional “Company Dancer” since 2022. She has performed and won numerous awards and scholarships at an elite level in regional and national competitions and conventions. She enjoys all dance genres, including jazz, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, modern, and gymnastics. Jordyn is excited to be part of the VCHS National Champion Vivid Dance Team and honored to represent the Conservatory of the Arts as a Dance Fellow in 2024. She aspires to learn as much as she can as part of the pre-professional company at Capitol Dance while also actively participating as a Vivid Dance Team member to enrich her high school experience. Jordyn believes that dance makes the world a better place and that expressing oneself through movement is a universal gift from God. She is grateful for all her unique experiences and the support from her teachers, family, and friends.
CONSERVATORY FELLOWS
ANUHYA GOTTAM
Anuhya Gottam is a senior Visual Arts Fellow. Her love for art has grown since the age of five, and she enjoys creating pieces with acrylic/oil paint, soft pastels, and colored pencils. During her art journey, Anuhya has gone on to win several art competitions, such as Regional Gold Key and Honorable Mention in the 2023 and 2024 Scholastic Awards, an Exhibiting Artist second place overall in the Printmaking Category, and a Press Release Feature in the 2022 NUMU ArtNow competition. This past year, she has been a California College of the Arts Invitational Exhibitor in collaboration with the Scholastic Art Awards and a Bay Area Creative Youth Award Recipient. Anuhya is also the Executive Officer of the New Museum Los Gatos’ (NUMU) Teen Council, where she pursues art in a work setting. As a paid intern, she has curated past exhibitions, hosted museum tours, and co-created the 2024 and 2025 ArtNow exhibition themes alongside professionals in the museum industry. Besides the visual arts, Anuhya has been learning piano since age five and teaching since age fourteen to four students in the greater Bay Area. She has also been classically trained in the ancient Indian dance form of Kuchipudi for the past twelve years. Anuhya is excited to serve as a Conservatory Fellow this year under the support of her teachers, family, and friends.
BRANDON HAGHNAZARI
Brandon Haghnazari is a senior Conservatory Honors Fellow with an emphasis in music. He is the lead alto for the Jazz Ensemble and Wind Ensemble, and also plays for the Jazz Combo. His musical inspiration comes from jazz legends such as John Coltrane, Kenny Garret, and Phil Woods. He is currently studying with Andrew Dixon after having studied previously with Dr. Marcus Wolfe. He has had the honor of participating in the CASMEC All-State Jazz Band, the San Jose Jazz (SJZ) High School All-Stars, and the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars. He has received numerous awards from the Folsom Jazz Festival and the LPAA California Jazz Championships for combo performances and soloistic work. Brandon loves his time traveling with the jazz band, and creating wonderful memories with his friends along the way. He thanks his mentor and director, Dr. Michael Jones, for helping him develop as a musician during high school and junior high and how Dr. Jones pushes the band to improve at every rehearsal. Brandon is looking forward to becoming even more diligent in his craft this year, giving all the glory to God. When he is not practicing or performing, Brandon loves to work on cars and build go-karts.
Meet Our CONSERVATORY
ERIN KAO
Erin Kao is a senior and a Visual Arts Fellow who has been drawing since she was three years old. She seeks to portray the contrast of life in her art through the use of color, faces, and stories. Erin has been through VCHS’s Art III H, AP Art: Drawing, and AP Art: 2D Design courses and hopes to gain more experience interacting with her fellow artists. Although she has been drawing traditional since she began, and her Scholastic Art & Writing competition wins have been paper and canvas-based, she enjoys digital art. Through digital art, she lets her imagination run wild through characters and fantasy worlds, a drastic difference from the reality she captures on paper. She is currently working to publish comics on different platforms and consistently posts her journey on social media. Erin has worked with many studios to perfect her craft, including Hwu’s Art Studio as a graduate, and Susan Chung’s Art Studio, Ichen Art Academy. After drawing portraits of all fourteen students she supports as a teacher’s assistant, depicting them in their dream careers, her desire to pursue design and art in the future was solidified. She is excited to experience her first year as a Conservatory Honors Fellow alongside all the other members.
AIDEN KIM
Aiden Kim is a sophomore Conservatory Honors Fellow in music artist. He began studying cello at age seven and is currently studying with Jonathan Koh. Aiden was the first prize winner of the 2024 DVC/HNU Young Artist String Competition and will perform solo with the Diablo Valley College Philharmonic Orchestra in May 2025. He has also won first prizes in the 2020 and 2024 KAMSA Competition, second prizes at the CalASTA San Francisco Solo Competition, the Burlingame Music Club Young Musicians Competition, and the US Open Music Competition. As an avid chamber musician, he participates in the Young Chamber Musicians (YCM) program, and his trio has won first prizes at the US International Music Competition and the Santa Cruz Baroque Youth Chamber Music Competition. Aiden is currently the assistant principal cellist of the California Youth Symphony (CYS) Senior Orchestra. Additionally, he has attended summer programs, including the Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival and Institute in 2024 and the Heifetz International Music Institute in 2022 and 2023. He also has been invited to participate in the Meadowmount School of Music and the Bowdoin International Music Festival. He has performed in master classes and studied with David Finckel, Brinton Smith, Dmitri Atapine, David Geber, Andrew Mark, Paul Huang, and Kristen Lee. Aiden is passionate about sharing his music with the community and senior living homes.
CONSERVATORY FELLOWS
KAYLA LEE
Kayla Lee is a junior and third-year Honors Fellow, currently studying under Ms. Zhao Wei at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Some of her musical accomplishments include winning first place in the USOMC, KAMSA, Silicon Valley Music Competition, and receiving recognition as a winner of the YoungArts National Arts Competition. In addition, Kayla has soloed with the KAMSA Youth Orchestra, Temple Hill Symphony, and the CYS Associate Orchestra. She also participated in noteworthy programs, including tours with NYO-USA to South America, NYO2 to the Dominican Republic, and the Bowdoin International Music Festival in past summers. Kayla is currently the co-concertmaster for the CYS Senior Orchestra and enjoys playing with her piano trio at Young Chamber Musicians.
MALIA LIU
Malia Liu is a junior and has been involved with theatre for four years. She transferred to VCHS last year and has already felt so welcomed into the Valley Christian Theatre (VCT) family, participating in the productions of Into the Woods and Clue. Outside of VCHS Theatre, Malia is a member of the Starting Arts Dream Team. Her favorite roles at Starting Arts have been Young Amèlie in Amèlie and Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast. She is thrilled to be a part of the Conservatory Honors Fellows program and so incredibly grateful for the nurturing and supportive Conservatory community
Nichole Chen | Third Grade
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
Meet Our CONSERVATORY
KAREN MATSUI
Karen Matsui is a freshman and a Conservatory Honors Fellow. She began piano at age five with the gift of perfect pitch and is currently studying with Mrs. Kai Chi Zhu and Mr. Grant Kondo (Improvisation). Karen has won numerous prizes in prestigious competitions, including first prizes in the United States Open Music Competition (USOMC) 2024, 2022, New Star International Competition 2024, second prize in Pacific Musical Society (Composition) 2024, first prize in the Great Masters International Piano Competition 2023. In the 2024 VCS An Evening of Note annual event, Karen received an inaugural “Think Music Award” Scholarship sponsored by Steinway Artist Elliot Wuu. Other notable awards include Junior Bach, Elevato, MTAC Solo Category, and Silicon Valley Music Competition. Karen has participated in masterclasses with Prof. Victor Rosenbaum, Antonio Pompa-Baldy, David Cohen, Elliot Wuu, and Yoshikazu Nagai. Karen is also an outstanding chamber musician. Karen’s piano and violin duo won the first prize in USOMC 2024, and her Valley Christian Junior High piano trio was awarded first prize at the USIMC 2023 and the Santa Cruz Youth Chamber Music Competition 2023. The trio was invited to the Music For All National Chamber Music Festival 2023 in Indianapolis. As an avid improviser/composer since she was seven, Karen has been invited to perform at the Improvisation Honor’s Recital at the MTAC Annual Convention 2023 and 2024. Karen’s Improvisational work also received the first prize at the CAPMT Creative Vision Contest in 2023. Most recently, Karen’s original composition received second prize in the Golden Key Piano Composition Competition and was invited to perform at the World Composers Recital in Vienna in the summer of 2024. Besides playing the piano, Karen enjoys swimming, drawing comics, raising five cats, and playing the cello.
JACKSON MCNULTY
Jackson McNulty is a senior and has always felt a special connection to film and creating small projects. Starting in his freshman year, he was excited at the opportunity to channel his creativity by taking courses to grow his skills. Jackson has completed four film classes, along with a screenwriting class, to build his skills as a writer, director, and editor. Recently, he took on the role of director in the Advanced Class Production and is eager to get started. This year, Jackson looks forward to working as a Media Arts Fellow for the first time and is excited to showcase what he has in store for film and media.
CONSERVATORY FELLOWS
JOSHUA PHAM
Josh Pham is a senior Conservatory Honors Fellow with an emphasis in music. Josh discovered his passion for music at a very young age after listening to piano performances from his mom and attending several Josh Groban concerts, eventually beginning his musical journey playing the piano at four years old. Since then, he has performed in numerous events and competitions and participated in various masterclasses. Throughout his time at Valley Christian, Josh has been involved with the VCHS Conservatory Chorus and Advanced Vocal Ensemble, and as a musical director for the Valley Voices club. Studying as a vocalist and recently joining the VCT program, Josh was cast as the Mysterious Man in VCT’s Rita Moreno-nominated production of Into the Woods and as Maui in their summer production of Moana Jr. Josh is beyond excited for his first year as a Fellow, and is extremely grateful of having the privilege to share his musical passions and spread the beauty of music in partnership with the Conservatory. Josh would like to thank his family and friends, as well as Mr. Utomo, the Gunter family, Mrs. Kaelin, and Prof C for the endless support in his pursuits for the arts.
JOSHUA PRABHAKAR
Josh Prabhakar is a junior and he is honored to represent the Conservatory in theatre arts. He has been in various productions for the past five years and has fallen in love with the art of storytelling. Some of his past roles include Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, Robert Grove in The Play That Goes Wrong, and Orsino in Twelfth Night. Most recently, his performance as The Baker in Into The Woods was nominated for a Rita Moreno award. Outside of theatre, he is also involved in Valley Christian’s Choral and Jazz programs and is currently a member of the Starting Arts Dream Team, a vocalist for SFJAZZ, and a bassist/vocalist for the SJZ Allstars. Josh is blessed to have so many wonderful teachers and opportunities, and he is looking forward to growing more in his craft and honoring God in the arts.
TALIA SANTIZO
Talia Santizo is a junior and is very excited to begin her first year with the Conservatory Fellows program. Talia has been involved in VCT for eleven years. Some of her favorite roles include Rapunzel in Into the Woods and Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls. She also has most recently performed as Marian Paroo in Starting Arts’ The Music Man this summer and is part of the Starting Arts Dream Team. She is a member of VCHS’s Advanced Vocal Ensemble, as well as the Youth Worship Ministry at Venture Christian Church. She is extremely grateful for the wonderful platform VCT offers for artistic expression and growth, and is thrilled to represent VCS as a Theatre Fellow.
Meet Our CONSERVATORY
SERENA SHE
Serena She is a freshman currently studying under Vivian Hou. Beginning her studies with piano at the age of four, she later shifted to violin at seven. She has been coached by renowned artists from notable orchestras and conservatories, performing in masterclasses with Victor Rosenbaum, Sergey Antonov, Peter Zazofsky, Sam Rotman, and the Arneis String Quartet. As a passionate chamber musician and soloist, Serena won first prizes in USOMC, USIMC, USIOMC, Global Musical Arts Competition (GMAC), and Santa Cruz Baroque Festival Youth Chamber Competition. She has performed in events, including the Music for All National Festival and Junior Bach Festival, and participated in the Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall as a principal violinist, the California All-State JH String Orchestra as concertmaster, and Boston University (BU) Tanglewood Institute’s String Quartet Workshop.
MELINDA WONG
Melinda is a senior and Conservatory Honors Fellow with an emphasis in dance arts. At just four years old, she started training in ballet, jazz, lyrical, Chinese folk dance, and many other styles. Melinda began competing at age five, winning regional and multiple national titles. She joined the Vivid Dance Team during her freshman year and is now a Varsity Officer. While on Vivid, she has won numerous national titles and qualified as a solo finalist at the Lincoln USA Solo Classic in her junior year. Aside from competing, Melinda also has experience choreographing, contributing to “Partner Dance” in Emotions for the past two years. She finds great joy in creating art through movement and building community through the craft. Melinda is excited to spend her final year with Vivid and looks forward to performing and choreographing in Emerge and Emotions. While in college, Melinda hopes to continue sharing her love of dance with others and broadening her skill set. She is grateful for the support and meaningful experiences from her family, coaches, and friends.
MEINING WU
Meining Wu is a sophomore Conservatory Honors Music Fellow and she studies piano with Professor Hans Boepple. A scholarship awardee of 2024 Scholarship Program for Young Pianists by Chopin Foundation of the United States and a superior awardee in Music Performance of 2024 Bay Area Creative Foundationʼs Creative Youth Awards, Meining has won first place in many prestigious piano competitions including the CAPMT Honors Competition State Final, the Henry and Carol Zeiter, Bay Philharmonic Young Artist, Marilyn Mindell, Franz Liszt Center, Young Verona International, and Championʼs Keyboard International Piano Competitions. This summer at the 2024 Southeastern Piano Festival, she won the Discretionary Award in the Arthur Fraser Piano Competition. Meining is also a bronze medalist of the 2024 Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Annual Young Artist Competition. Since her debut with the world-renowned Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra at PianoTexas 2023, Meining has also performed with the Central Texas Philharmonic at the 2024 Texas State International Piano Festival finale concert and with the Golden State Youth Orchestra Senior Symphony at the 2024-25 Season Opener concert as a concerto winner. Besides music, Meining has a great passion for visual arts. Practicing a variety of art mediums, her artwork has won top prizes in prestigious art contests such as the US Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. She also loves dedicating her time to voluntary services where she can serve the community with her love for music and arts. Meining was awarded the United States President’s Volunteer Service Gold Award in 2023.
CONSERVATORY FELLOWS
LUCY XIE
Lucy is a senior and a Conservatory Honors Fellow with an emphasis in dance arts. She started dancing at age four and has been in love with it ever since. After moving to the US at six years old, she trained at the Academy of Classical Ballet for the entirety of elementary and middle school. Entering high school, Lucy joined the Vivid Dance Team and began training in other styles, including jazz, contemporary, lyrical, and hip hop. She has competed with the team for all four years, dancing in several nationally-ranked pieces, and is now in her second year as a Varsity Officer. Additionally, Lucy has performed in both the Emerge and Emotions dance shows each year during her time at Valley and had her choreography featured in the shows. Lucy loves how dance lets her express herself to the fullest, and she is extremely grateful for all the opportunities she’s been given and all the support she’s received from her teachers, family, and friends.
ANGELA YU
Angela Yu is a senior and a Conservatory Honors Fellow with an emphasis in Dance Arts. Angela has trained in various genres for over eleven years, with her passion for dance kicking off at just five years old. Her training began with ballet classes at Jensen Performing Arts and Capitol Dance Company. Following her transfer to Valley Christian in 2019, she branched out to other styles such as jazz, contemporary, lyrical, and hip-hop. In 2021, Angela founded K-ZONE, a K-POP dance crew/club at VCHS that, since its launch, has attended over twenty different events and showcases. She has choreographed for multiple Emotions dance shows, her pieces earning her the Bob Fosse Award for the most innovative choreography in 2023. Angela joined Vivid Dance Team that same year and now serves as a Varsity Officer. She is grateful to be able to glorify God with her gift through opportunities to participate in church productions and events, even teaching a dance breakout session. Angela is blessed to be able to serve the Lord through dance and hopes to devote her art to building His kingdom even more this year.
CHLOE ZHONG
Chloe is a junior Visual Arts Fellow. She specializes in painting, colored pencils, and digital art. Her art journey began when her mom put her in her very first art class, where she fell in love with visual art. Since then, she has been developing her craft and has earned numerous awards, including the Scholastic Art and Writing Gold Key, Cupertino Emerging Artist Award, and was interviewed by KTSF, a local news station, for winning first in Asian American Pacific Fund. Chloe volunteers consistently at her local art studio and has formed an organization that paints portraits of pets for families who’ve had their pets recently pass away, a project that has impacted hundreds.
Kidservatory
PERFORMERS
KINDERGARTEN CHOIR
Runia Abbasi, Levi Allen, Walter Alley, Sienna Alongi, Jace Andrews, Mackenzie Berendes, Clara Berger, Freja Blaabaeck, Valentina Cevini, Corbin Chahal, Lewis Chen, Gavin Cheng, Edith Chung, Jayce Chung, Diego Cong, Alice Daily, Chloe Deng, Avery Depold, Maxwell Diebolt, Lilian Ebrahimpour, Seon Eom, Caroline Guillemette, Clementine Guillemette, Hazel Gusmer, William Haase, Sophie Hormozian, Summer Hult, Cadence Johnson, Lillian Kawahara, Alex Kim, Eleanor Kim, Jayden Kim, Lucas Kim, Lily Law, Alexander Lee, Jonathan Li, Zac Liu, Cooper Macierz, Marie Martinez, Juliet Merriott, Luca Mezzavilla, Holland Morrella, Grace Olson, Mozelle Perli, Piper Peters, Nahla Pierrugues, Keshav Polavaram, Craig Randall, Camila Sienicki, Elijah Skelton, Everett Staubli, Hailey Sugano, Kaden Tibbitts, Lexi Trinh, Sarah Tsao, Kenni Walker, Kingston Walker, Karlie Wei, Henry Wilson, Isla Wu, Aria Xu, Stella Xu, Justin Yoon, Marley Yusuf, Leo Zhang, Raelynn Zhang
FIRST GRADE CHOIR
Audrey Aghassi, Hannah Aghassi, Matias Alejandro, Gina Alkhalidi, Bornaa Badakhshan, Melina Bakhtiary, Kara Bartholomew, Hazel Boekestein, Zachary Boncy, Benjamin Boroffice, Mila Cannistraci, Christian Cardenas, Eleanor Chen, Eliana Cibrian, Cohen Clark, Ella Conway, Ashley Cormier, Zealynn Dovey, Penelope Ferreira, Shiloh Gerlach, Levi Ho, Inaya Kamdar, Rena Kartiwa, Elliot Kim, Irene Kim, Andrew Le, Angeline Lee, Leo Lee, Sophia Lee, Arianna Li, Irene Li, Emma Lin, Zachary Liu, Christopher McSwain Jr., Sarah Meng, Parker Miller, Zara Naik, Samuel Osa, Aston Papaioannou, Sharon Park, Emmett Pfaff, Joshua Prawiharjo, Liam Reyes, Emerson Roush, Noah Salvagno, Aaric Samson, Amyra Solan, Mia Song, Lia Sood, Eila Street, Ellis Street, Dillon Talwar, Julian Tang, Tyler Thompson, Zya Tiwari, Victoria Tow, Lilliana Varda, Elijah Verduzco, Jasmine Vincent, Kaylee Wang, Lauren Woo, Andrew Xiao, Aiden Yoo, Zara Yoo, Kaila Young, Andy Yuan, Ella Zhang, Jordan Zhu, Joya Zhu
SECOND GRADE CHOIR
Luca Alongi, Anastasia Avalos-Soares, Madeleine Bettencourt, Arinelle Borromei, Jon Brassfield, James Brien, Ariadne Butler, Kai Carignan, Marie Carvalho, Joslyn Chahal, Claydon Chan, Gabrielle Chang, Lawrence Chen, Caden Joseph Co, Audrey Daily, Ava Delgado, Ashton Depold, Olivia Ervin, Charles Freeman, Joseph Fu, Elizabeth Guan, Jacob Guardino, Samuel Hsiao, Emma Huber, Lucas Hui, Daisy Hult, Rebecca Inker, Joey Jiang, Ariel Jiao, Gio Kim, Chloe Lee, Nathaniel Lee, Ethan Li, Sloane Lopez, Chloe Lum, Lucas Mak, Emilia Martinez, Ella McDonald, Mandjou Mehlmauer, Johnathan Mendoza, Oliver Merriott, Canaan Middlebusher, Kennedy Nguyen, Noelle Ning, Juliana Pastrana, Reagan Peters, Catherine Realini, Legend Robles Price, Zion Rose, Kaira Rowe, Jace Sharafi, Niam Sharma, Reeve Shaw, Olivia Shim, Anya Sienicki, Zara Solorzano-Wong, Aiden Talwar, Zachary Thompson, Zoey Thompson, Ryan Tongol, London Trinh, Maveryk Tuttle, Jack Van Der Veen, Matthew Washten, Wesley Williams, Alexandra Wilson, Nora Wu, Phoebe Wu, Stephanie Wu, Evan Xiao, Jihwan Yeo, Aiden You, Zoe Young, Cheng Zhou
PERFORMERS
THIRD GRADE CHOIR
Alexander Afshar, John Aghassi II, Dustin Aoalin, Nathaniel Barakat, Neil Bisht, Stella Boekestein, Emma Breiland, Asher Cannistraci, Neev Chadha, Aaron Chai, Amaya Chavez, Nathan Chen, Nichole Chen, Margaret Chitty, Josiah Choi, Elenah Cobos, William Conway, Emma Cordova, Corinne Brielle Cu, Felicity Dang, Caleb Daugherty, Anya Dhillon, Davis Dries, Xiwen (Emily) Fan, Emma Fiedler, Lila Foster, Miles Gao, Fiona Griffiths, Quinn Guerrero, Cameron Hering, Tiffany Hormozian, Samuel Hu, Kaden Huesca, Juliette Jackson, Zoe Jones, Lauren Jung, Celine Kim, Dominic Kim, Kayla Kim, Josiah Lam, Jaythan Mariscal, Dominic Martinez, Jayne Martinez, Ivaan Nag, Peter Nangoy, Luukas Osa, Carter Paraz, Zachary Park, Priscilla Peng, Zaya Pennix, Gabriella Proctor, Lennox Roush, Adrian Samson, Kinsley Silva, Sophia Skelton, Greyson Smith, Harrison Smith, Ryan Solorzano-Wong, Liam Staubli, James Stockhaus, Savannah Stockhaus, Jaxon Sugishita, Garrison Truong, Jackson Truong, Madeline Truong, Ethan Vinoth, Gentry Voshall, Jeremy Wang, Gavin Wei, Lincoln Wheatley, Dorothy Williams, Eleanor Xu, Cyrus Yang, Raymon Yang, Ivy Yuan, Edmund Zhang
FOURTH GRADE
Siobhan Aaron, Nicholas Afentoulis, Marc Alcantara, Jordan Antonel, Aviana Basanty, Heidi Berger, Mason Blauman, Myles Blauman, Penn Boudreault, Damari Brown, Andrew Cathey, Leo Chen, Zachary Cho, Erin Chung, Crew Cochran, Scottlyn Cossell, Colton Daily, Audrey Denena, Aiden Dong, Julian Erazo, Kayla Ellie Finelli, Ethan Freeman, Jacob Fugate, Benjamin Furr Uchicua, Anastasia Golter, Celine Gyger, Collette Haase, Avery Haddad-Stewart, Ryan Hopkins, Rebecca Hu, Elizabeth Huang, Aaron Inker, Lucas Jiang, Leona Jiao, Lena Jung, Isabella Kinnis, Eden Koo, Averie Le, Casey Lee, Jeremy Limpot, Isaac Lin, Esther Liu, Elise Luu, Miranda Mannina, Colton Merk, Hunter Michels, Nathan Moon, Presley Morrella, Kyle Mukkananchery, Samyra Naik, Aria Nair, Noah Ng, Gianna ONeal, Aarav Polavaram, Brandon Price, Adhvaith Ramesh, Everly Rasmussen, Jeriah Rowe, Jordyn Sawkins, Burrell Shabaglian, Dylan Shaw, Lena Streichardt, Grant Studer, Peyton Summers, Noelle Tseng, Colton Voshall, Elsa Wang, Emily Wang, Yulin (Dino) Wang, Caden Wu, Elissa Yeo, Philip Zhao
FIFTH GRADE
Aaron Al-Khalidi, Jada Alabi, Alyne Alawi, Olivia Babassi, Adi Bisht, Avyaan Brahmbhat, Jacob Brien, Thomas Buschmann, Brandon Butchart, William Cannistraci, Lola Carignan, Oliver Carson, Pierce Carson, Kaeson Chang, Elias Chaplin, Bryce Chapman, Nathaniel Chen, Yueh-Ning (Amber) Cho, Wenting (Tessa) Chu, Ethan Conway, Jax Cossell, Hunter Cova, Cayden Croswhite, Abigail Dang, Oliver Day, Phoebe Faucette, Robert Fiore, Scarlett Gaffney, Isaac Gerlach, Ivor Griffiths, Rowan Guerrero, Yasmeen Gyger, David Hampson, Brianna Hernandez, Kalaigho Hipolito, Harrison Hoshii, Doreen Hu, Chizhi (Chuck) Huang, Karsh Jadhav, Chelsea Jiang, Alfred Jones III, Sora Kang, Elliot Kim, Kailyn Kim, Morgan Koepplin, Caleb Kraver, Hosanna Kwan, Ethan Lee, Mizuki Lee, Aaron Lin, Rebecca Liu, Joshua Loofbourrow, Emma Mast, Dina Matheou, Eleni Matheou, Caleb McDonald, Natalie McIntyre, Evan Merza, Cash Minnis, Kaila Moberg, Haven Mora, Lillian Morrison, Rohan Nagra, Ethan Nguyen, Mina Nguyen, Eliott Nyberg, Colin Paraz, Edugisle (Kikele) Pasternak, Marcelo Pastrana, Zoe Pierrugues, Sachin Rajesh, Kensington Rasmussen, Christian Realini, Uriah Rogers, Kayvan Sadr, Shiloh Scilingo, Ella Shankar, Jasmine Sharafi, Siddhant Sharma, Skyler Sit, Jamie Slattery, Carter Smith, Jack Solorzano-Wong, Oliver Tang, Ethan Tong, Kaedence Tuttle, Genesis Velasco, Elizabeth Wheatley, Raleigh Winter, Jaiden Xiao, Jingyan (Emily) Xie, Ziyao (Zach) Yi, Laura Yuan, Yihang Zhou
Junior Conservatory GROUPS
JUNIOR HIGH BANDS
Intro to Band
Flute
Navilan Balasubramaniam
Amelia Lam
Kayla Nguyen
Shuwan Qin
Ann Reinagel
Olivia Shen
Sadhana Swaminathan
Yuening Wu
Jeremy Zhou
Oboe
Naiyla Lawson
Clarinet
Chelsey Park
Alice Zhang
Bass Clarinet
Willow Stewart
Alto Saxophone
Rishaan Agrawal
Derek Jin
Yohaan Narayanan
Tenor Saxophone
Brian Lai
Jason Tang
Austin Zhao
Baritone Saxophone
Aaron Nama
Matthew Sienicki
French Horn
Zoe Delgado
Joshua Hsieh
Benjamin Lin
Trumpet
Jalen Bartholomew
Hannah Daugherty
Alan Gooding
Gwendolyn Griffiths
Declan Guerrero
Desmond Guichard
William Gunter
Wesley Homrich
Bryceton Liao
Ziming (Vincent) Lou
Hetian Zhou
Trombone
Luca Deac
Ruby Williams
Mark Zeidan
Lucas Zhang
Baritone
Isaac Luo
Tuba
Jonathan Delke
Aidan Lane
Band I
Flute
Kelly Zhang
Leah Kim
Isabella Moon
Fiona Qiao
Kaela Chang
Andrew Hu
Oboe
Hyeonjin Cheong
Clarinet
Jiayin Yao
Anni Wu
Gideon Adhiwiyogo
Bass Clarinet
Chloe Nyberg
Alto Saxophone
Oliver Townsend
Stella Yiu
Lindsey Dryden
Matthew Williams
Marc Tang
Isabella Sankus
Tenor Saxophone
Brett Chapman
Baritone Saxophone
Addison Morrow
Trumpet
Ethan Barnes
Hannah Sponseller
June Lee
Satchit Sridhar
French Horn
Kyle Zhuang
Veer Sandhu
Trombone
Daniel Lee
Dominic Viduya
Alexis Bonham
Eric Hom
Cody Tanner
Baritone
Aadya Yadlapati
Tuba
Michael Afentoulis
Adelyn Wilson
Band II
Flute
Sophie He
Andy Ping
Lexi Liu
Jeremy Yeoh
Donghwi (Brandon) Kim
Chloe Chen
Jerry Sun
Hanyue Zhou
Videsha Das
Clarinet
Jia Han
Emily Yuan
Zhonghao (Emily) Wang
Gemma Marfise
Roy Shin
Karishma Nagra
Bass Clarinet
Janie Hong
Alto Saxophone
Dale Wiggins
Vincent Zeng
Jacob Huang
Yoonhwan Lee
Tenor Saxophone
Ashwath Raghu
Baritone Saxophone
Jeremy Yip
Trumpet
Aaron Granado
Sebastien Wang
Jacob Proctor
Raymond Guichard
French Horn
Aiden Shankar
Trombone
Anjali Prabhakar
Liam Gordon
Tuba
Ethan Peng
JUNIOR HIGH DRUMS
Drums II
Nicholas Andriyuk
Akira Baird
Aiden Barnes
Caroline Beiter
Annika Breiland
Tim Chae
Ethan Chen
Olivia Ditty
Christopher Haddad
Elijah Harrison
Lex Hismatullin
Jacklyn Jang
Riley Liao
Aldric Shi
Cheng-Hsien (Henry) Tsai
Angel Wang
Evangeline Wong
Audris Yu
Iris Zhu
JUNIOR HIGH JAZZ BAND
Flute
Sophie He
Kaela Chang
Lexi Liu
Clarinet
Emily Wang
Jia Han
Gideon Adhiwiyogo
Alto Saxophone
Yoonhwan Lee
Vincent Zeng
Dale Wiggins
Tenor Saxophone
Ashwath Raghu
Baritone Saxophone
Addison Morrow
Trumpet
Hannah Sponseller
Aaron Granado
Ethan Barnes
Satchit Sridhar
Joshua Hsieh
Sabastien Wang
Trombone
Dominic Viduya
Liam Gordon
Cody Tanner
French Horn
Aiden Shankar
Piano
Kelly Chen
Luke Chen
Bass
Wyatt Olson
Luke Chacon
Drums
Kasen Zeng
Congo
Aiden Barnes
Vibraphone
Jacklyn Jang
Guitar
Luka Ramos
Jasen Chen
Ramsey Faucette
JUNIOR HIGH STRINGS
Intro to Strings & Strings I
Combined
First Violin
Dylan Aoalin
Kavin Balasubramaniam
Chloe Chen
Noah Cho
Ni Cui
Drew Dries
Yuna Lee
Tong Lin
Peyton Nguyen
Shree Raja
Ashvath Ramesh
Shrihari Ramkumar
Davina Tang
Rachel Thio
Katherine Tsai
Lexian Wang
Muxin Wang
Jason Xing
Second Violin
Solyana Amdeberhan
Rebecca Liu
Ryan Ninan
Marcus Nunes Shoop
Sophie Tran
Siena Yu
Matthew Zhang
Zhiyuan (Luna) Zhu
Viola
Luke Li
Isabela Park
Terry Peng
Cello
Evangeline Dang
Erin Kim
Xavier Taylor
Paladin Hu
Neah Menne
Strings II
First Violin
Jinu Chun
Julia Hyun
Ike Kalendra
Thatcher Kim
Joyce Xie **
Joey Zhu
Second Violin
Lina Hong *
Euna Jung
Claire Kim
Jaelen Taan
Third Violin
Ian Kartiwa *
Camille Nguyen
April Tang
Amelia Xiao
Cello
Sejin Cho
Victoria Pu
William Pu *
Zixi Ren
JUNIOR HIGH CHOIR
Indiana Basanese
Olivia Buschmann
Mira Chakravarthy
Michael Chunchu
Yvonne Deng
Sharanya Ghildiyal
Xitong (Cindy) Gu
Bethany Ho
Kobe Jiang
Autumn Molyneaux
Isena Orpia
Elle Patrick
Naomi Shaffer
Maahi Singh
Ava Thompson
Sarah Vinoth
Elise Yoon
Katie Yoon
Sherry Yu
Principal *
Concertmaster **
High School Conservatory
ENSEMBLES
BANDS
Symphonic Band
Flute
Samantha Martinez
Chloe Chiu
Lucas Kim
Sophia Licalsi
Claire Jiang
Bohan Duan
Clarinet
Woobin Jang
Aimee Ding
Andrew Jun
Noah Phan
Vivian Yue
Aiden Zheng
Blythe Hraban
Sean Chae
Kyle Chen
Arthur Huang
Isobel Kwong
David Yu
ChenYu Zhou
Bryce Siao
Jillian Gunter
Bass Clarinet
Theodore Kim
Alto Saxophone
Alice Siu
Stephanie Lee
Logan Sutton
Lily Nguyen
Angela Siu
Andrew Huang
Baritone Saxophone
Wesley Elliott
Caden Malinowski
Trumpet
Akhil Achanta
Andrew Rank
Cole Elliott
Adam Smith
Shiloh Samuel
French Horn
Riley Wilson
Reggie Saito
Baritone
Samuel Zeng
Jesse Chang
Jeffrey Chao
Tuba
Kayla Ahn
Srisai Manepalli
Symphonic Winds
Flute
Grace Wei
Dana Sun
Isabella (Xiran) Liu
Clarinet
Ayane Chiang
Jooa Lee
Terri Choi
Bass Clarinet
Joel Kent
Bassoon
Kimoon Bae
Stuthi Jaladanki
Alto Saxophone
Leo Huang
William Xie
Tenor Saxophone
Aansh Khanal
Trumpet
Kieran McMorrow
Allison Du
Isabella Nardelli
Trombone
Bryan Hu
Julia Lee
Matthew Vasquez
Baritone
Jessaleigh Hraban
Tuba
Miles Elliott
Wind Ensemble
Piccolo
Claire Luo
Flute
Sarah Bae
Ashlyn Choi
Oboe
Olivia Ahn
Bassoon
Anthony Paul
Alexander Wong
Clarinet
Ryan Beiter
Derek Pfeiffer
Gahyeon (Alice) Yoon
Bass Clarinet
Orion Arroyo
Alto Saxophone
Jiale (Jerry) Fan
Brandon Haghnazari
Tenor Saxophone
Daniel Li
Baritone Saxophone
Justin Shi
Trumpet
Bharat Raj
Lucy Peterson
Evan DeLong
Trombone
Daniel Shin
Jasper Yip
Anneliese Nauck
Euphonium
Jack Eatherton
Tuba
Josiah Huber
JAZZ
Jazz Ensemble
Alto Saxophone
Brandon Haghnazari
Jiale (Jerry) Fan
Tenor Saxophone
Daniel Li
Vivian Yue
Wesley Elliott
Baritone Saxophone
Justin Shi
Jeremy Yip
Trombone
Jack Eatherton
Jasper Yip
Anneliese Nauck
Bass Trombone
Josiah Huber
Trumpet
Lucy Peterson
Kieran McMorrow
Evan DeLong
Cole Elliott
Piano/Vibraphone
Conner O’Brien
Bass
Joshua Prabhakar
Drums
Christian Blue
Jazz Lab
Piano
Ankita Nag
Bass
Joshua Prabhakar
Vishnu Parthasarathy
Milania Chacon
Piano/Vibraphone
Conner O’Brien
Guitar
Holly Thompson
Amber Chen
Drums
Christian Blue
Rylan Finkbeiner
Harp
Nishi Kumar
PERCUSSION
Percussion II
Sofia Eom
Isabella Foreman
Ethan Fu
Daniel Hankins
Joshua Hsieh
Brandon Lan
Karina Maciel
Sonal Nagaraj
Kevin Ou
Maya Patience
Patrick Su
Sidharth Swaminathan
Thomas Trinh
Zixuan (Shawn) Wang
Aeneas Yu
STRINGS
String Ensemble
First Violin
Micah Chiang
Claire Choi **
Michael Deng
Avni Gupta
Lumi Kim
Zimo Li
Serena She
Jeffrey Tan
Michael Xie
Second Violin
Ainsley Andrews
Anthony Au
Ethan Co
Lin Cui
Conner Gordon
Alice Harper
Joshua Kim
Kayla Lee *
Shiloh Samuel
Ethan Wong
Viola
Jonathan Cheng
Charlotte Hoshii
Arianna Nauck
Mythreyi Venkateswaran *
Cello
Diya Karthik
Aiden Kim *
Luke Kim
Nalin Kim
Karen Matsui
Claire Son
Grace Wang
Harp
Nishi Kumar
Honor String Ensemble
First Violin
Claire Choi
Michael Deng
Joshua Kim
Kayla Lee **
Second Violin
Micah Chiang
Avni Gupta
Lumi Kim
Serena She *
Michael Xie
Viola
Jonathan Cheng
Mythreyi Venkateswaran *
Cello
Aiden Kim *
Luke Kim
Grace Wang
CHOIRS
Conservatory Chorus
Cassiopeia Arroyo
Abygale Athearn
Ayden Babish
Camille Baham
Genesis Bateman
Kayla Bracamontes
Jena Fujitaki
Johan Gonzalez
Jack Gunter
Nivedita Josy
Malia Liu
Qingyang (Lisa) Liu
Junior Lomeli
Evelyn Mao
Nistha Nath
Mikaela Olsen
Joshua Pham
Joshua Prabhakar
Talia Santizo
Prateek Satish
Amerys Seegars
Aanya Sethi
Joshua Upputuri
Varan Verma
Audrina Zhang
Philip Zhang
Advanced Vocal Ensemble
Abygale Athearn
Ayden Babish
Camille Baham
Jena Fujitaki
Johan Gonzalez
Jack Gunter
Nivedita Josy
Junior Lomeli
Malia Liu
Qingyang (Lisa) Liu
Mikaela Olsen
Nistha Nath
Joshua Pham
Joshua Prabhakar
Talia Santizo
Prateek Satish
Amerys Seegars
Aanya Sethi
Joshua Upputuri
Varan Verma
Symphonic Chorale
Kayla Abaya
Lonni Adams
Tamara Adkinson
Kayla Ahn
Arkopriya Aich
John Armeniakos
Mia Arreola
Cassiopeia Arroyo
Orion Arroyo
Abygale Athearn
Ayden Babish
Camille Baham
Vedika Baldua
Hannah Balog
Genesis Bateman
Oishee Bhattacharyya
Brody Boncher
Kayla Bracamontes
Sirui Cao
Sophie Cao
Milania Chacon
Sean Chae
Amber Yong An Chang
Dylan Chang
Jesse Chang
Reid Charkowsky
Quang Chau
Bryan Chen
Houhai Chen
Chloe Cheng
Marisol Chou
Kara Day
Hongfan Deng
Lexin Deng
Leilani DeVore
Sophia Diep
Haoran Ding
Bethany Dohn
Lauren Dryden
Allison Du
Alyssa Du
Bohan (Bill) Duan
Laila Elashmawi
Cole Elliott
Wesley Elliott
AnaRose Flenniken
Jena Fujitaki
Ryder Furtado
Vera Gan
Abigail George
Anvi Goel
Johan Gonzalez
Anuhya Gottam
Magnolia Gridley
Moses Gridley
Alan Gu
Siena Guardino
Jack Gunter
Jillian Gunter
Kristina Guo
Brandon Haghnazari
Sohyun Han
Daniel Hankins
Emma Hanna
Roger He
Aubrey Heath
Phuong Hoang
Hyun Hong
Bethia Hormoz
Kaitlyn Horng
Joshua Hsieh
Elisa Hu
Jiarui Hu
Madelyn Hu
Andrew Huang
Victor Huang
Skylar Hutchins
Arushi Iyer
Madeleine Jackson
Maya Janardhanan
Woobin Jang
Nivedita Josy
Ginger Kaelin
Erin Kao
Aansh Khanal
Molly Kharya
Betsy Kidwell
Ishika Korla
Isobel Kwong
Raghav Lakkaraju
Allison Lao
Lydia Lau
Ivy Le
Eliza LeCompte
Autumn Lee
Ellie Lee
Jooa Lee
Julia Lee
Mikayla Lee
Soheun (Sonia) Lee
Stephanie Lee
Annie Li
Ashley Li
Ethan Li
Iris Li
Julia Li
Sihan Li
Sophia Li
Annabelle Lin
Xilang Lin
Aria Liu
Christopher Liu
Lisa Liu
Malia Liu
Max Liu
Junior Lomeli
Jasleen Lu
Xilai (Teddy) Luo
Tiffany Ly
Maya Mahadevan
Aashna Mahato
Aayan Maheshwari
Caden Malinowski
Emily Manuto
Evelyn Mao
Boston Marcuccillo
Samantha Martinez
Jackson McNulty
Devshree Mistry
Roshni Mohapatra
Micah Moon
Sophia Morais
Nathaniel Movido
Aarna Nair
Isabella Nardelli
Nistha Nath
Sarah Nepita
Mason Nguyen
Wendy Nguyen
Evan Nicolosi
Ryan Niu
Sofya Oklopkova
Mikaela Olsen
Kevin Ou
Shaurya Panda
Ashley Park
Cailyn Park
Sammy Parmenter
Sean Payne
Audrey Pfeiffer
Ashley Pham
Joshua Pham
Alexandra Phillips
Juliette Phillips
Alyssa Polanco
Anjali Prabhakar
Joshua Prabhakar
Olivia Quinones
Maybelle Rabe
Shreya Raju
Andrew Rank
Emily Rank
Annika Roy
Khloe Sakai
Talia Santizo
Prateek Satish
Isabelle Schwarte
Amerys Seegars
Aanya Sethi
Jadon Shabaglian
Melody Shen
Daniel Shin
Bryce Siao
Adam Smith
Rayce Snyder
Isabella Su
Patrick Su
Nivetha Subramanian
Varshini Subramanian
Dana Sun
Gavin Taan
Alicia Tang
Emily Tang
David Thomas
Chao Yun (Zoey) Ting
Darlene Tran
Tay Tran
Thomas Trinh
Valerie Tsai
Joshua Upputuri
Caleb Vartanian
Varan Verma
Maahi Vidyarthi
Eileen Wang
Katelyn Wang
Tiara Wang
Yufei Wang
Grace Wei
Clarisse Wong
Shannon Xiao
Davin Xu
Grace Xu
Vanessa Xu
Seraph Yang
Summer Yang
Zesen (Kimi) Yao
Lillian Yee
Annabel Yeoh
Sofia Yiu
Eric Yu
Yuelan Yuan
Iris Zeng
Audrina Zhang
Diana Zhang
Matthew Zhang
Naige (Zoe) Zhang
Philip Zhang
Sophia Zhang
Angelina Zhao
Allison Zhong
Zhenghao (Ken) Zhou
Grace Zhu
Zhitong (Alice) Zou
Principal * Concertmaster **
CONSERVATORY ADMINISTRATION, MUSIC FACULTY, AND STAFF
CONSERVATORY LEADERSHIP
Mr. Troy Gunter Vice President, Valley Christian Schools Director, Conservatory of the Arts tgunter@vcs.net
Mr. Britt Gunter Associate Director of Conservatory Programs bgunter@vcs.net
Mr. Ivan Utomo Associate Director, Conservatory of the Arts iutomo@vcs.net
Mrs. Michelle McLaughlin Associate Director of Student Learning mmclaughlin@vcs.net
Mrs. Dena Armeniakos Director of Conservatory Operations darmeniakos@vcs.net
CONSERVATORY DIRECTORS
Mrs. Jill Carlson Director of Visual Arts K-12 jcarlson@vcs.net
Mrs. Myra Kaelin (’94) Director of Theatre Arts K-12 mkaelin@vcs.net
Mrs. Michelle McLaughlin Director of Dance Arts K-12 mmclaughlin@vcs.net
Mr. Iain Roush Director of Media Arts K-12 iroush@vcs.net
Mr. Jeffrey Wilson Director of Music Arts K-12 jwilson@vcs.net
CONSERVATORY MUSIC FACULTY
Mr. Reggie Coates Guitar Studies rcoates@vcs.net
Miss Katelyn Dietz (’14) Woodwind Studies kdietz@vcs.net
Mrs. Samantha Elliott Elementary Music selliott@vcs.net
Mr. Britt Gunter Choral Studies bgunter@vcs.net
Mrs. Melissa Gunter Director of Piano Studies mgunter@vcs.net
Mrs. Lily Homer Director of Strings Development lhomer@vcs.net
Dr. Scott Homer Director of Strings Studies shomer@vcs.net
Dr. Michael Jones Jazz Studies mjones@vcs.net
Miss Elizabeth Lin (’14) Piano Studies elin@vcs.net
Mr. Shane Ryan (’16) Brass Studies sryan@vcs.net
Mr. David Sankus Percussion Studies dsankus@vcs.net
CONSERVATORY OPERATIONS & SUPPORT
Miss Liana Dietz
Mrs. Colette Evans
Mr. William Fonda
Ms. Judi Fuller
Mrs. Lianne Rydquist
Mrs. Maribeth Wiens
PRODUCTION STAFF
Mr. Robert Rubino Sound Design
Ms. Pamila Gray Lighting Design
Mrs. Cameo Wallace Guillemette Digital Content Producer
IN APPRECIATION
Valley Christian Schools’ Conservatory of the Arts expresses its gratitude to Mr. Robert Massey and the Symphony San Jose staff for supporting the Christmas at the California concert series.
Giving PLANNED
The Shechem Oak Society empowers our community to make an extraordinary impact on future generations. The society comprises all who generously bequeath legacy gifts to Valley Christian Schools.
God assured Abraham of keeping His promise to grant the land to Abraham’s descendants. Shechem holds a significant place in this narrative—it’s where Jacob excavated a well and erected an altar, where Joseph’s family laid his remains to rest, where Joshua delivered his parting words in service to the Lord, and where Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah to the Samaritan woman at the well (Genesis 12:6, 33:18, Joshua 24:26, John 4:12). Shechem stands as a powerful symbol of God’s faithfulness across generations. We fervently pray that VCS, like Shechem, will serve as a reminder of God’s unwavering faithfulness in Silicon Valley and worldwide.
At a time when many American educational institutions are straying from biblical values, you can ensure that Valley Christian Schools continues its Quest for Excellence for future generations. Join us in providing high-quality Christ-centered education to our children and grandchildren by including VCS in your will.
VCS partners with Thompson & Associates to offer confidential and complimentary estate planning consultations to our board members, administrators, faculty, staff, and community. Join my wife, Kris, myself, and others in discovering the most tax-efficient means of transferring your estate to benefit your family and your passions.
As a trusted member of our VCS community, please accept our gift to you and arrange your estate planning consultation with Darren Penny of Thompson & Associates. You may email advancement@vcs.net or call my office at 408-513-2503. If you have already included VCS in your planned giving, kindly inform us so we may include you in our Shechem Oak Society.
Looking forward,
Clifford E. Daugherty, Ed.D. President
Annual Gifts to the UPCOMING EVENTS
WARRIOR FUND
Tuition funds operations. Philanthropy fuels vision. Every gift makes a difference, so please consider donating to the Warrior Fund today.
April 5, 2025
Join us for our annual Quest Ball dinner and auction. Enjoy a night to honor and celebrate the Warrior legacy, raise essential funds, and make a difference for students through tuition assistance. vcs.net/questball
May 12, 2025
We look forward to welcoming the VCS community for a round of golf and a day of fellowship at the annual Golf Classic. vcs.net/golfclassic
Wherever you may be, we’re always here to support our amazing alumni like you.
As you continue to make a positive difference in communities around the world, we want to stay connected! We currently have twenty-nine ambassadors all over the country that have connected with fellow alums near them. This past year we have visited eleven cities across the US and look forward to hosting an alumni dinner near you soon. Simply scan the QR code and fill out our “Alumni Connect Form” to stay updated on news and events. Let us know about where you’ve been, where you’re headed and stay connected with us today!
OUR CHRISTMAS PRAYER A
Family Tradition
Our Father, thank You for sending Your only begotten Son to earth as a baby so many years ago. Thank You that Jesus paid the punishment for my sins by dying on the cross. And, thank You that He has the power of God to defeat death through His resurrection for everyone who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. Let the lights of the Christmas season remind me of Christ as the Light of the world. May Your Word penetrate my heart as I receive Your gift of eternal life by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We rejoice with the heavenly angelic hosts as our children and every member of our family receive Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, for now and for eternity. We are so grateful, Lord Jesus, that whoever believes in You will not perish but have everlasting life. This Christmas, we celebrate that You came to the earth and You were created to save me, my family, and the entire world. In the mighty name of the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Amen.
MISSION STATEMENT
Valley Christian Schools’ mission is to provide a nurturing environment o ering quality education supported by a strong foundation of Christian values in partnership with parents, equipping students to become leaders to serve God, to serve their families, and to positively impact their communities and the world.
VISION STATEMENT
A world where every student pursues their personal Quest for Excellence™
FOUNDING STATEMENT
Valley Christian Schools supports the homes and churches of students in providing an education that is grounded in the Judeo-Christian values of the Bible, as reflected in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. Valley Christian Schools is committed to a Quest for Excellence™ in all of its educational programs and provides a comprehensive kindergarten through twelfth grade curriculum with a rigorous college preparatory program. Firmly founded on Christian values, Valley Christian Schools challenges youth to aspire toward lives of character, service and influence while pursuing their individual Quests for Excellence
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