The Young People's Symphony Orchestra (YPSO) is the oldest independent youth orchestra in California and the second oldest in the nation. Founded in Berkeley in 1935, it has inspired generations of musicians and educated tens of thousands of audience members. Our alumni include many internationally distinguished musicians and prominent community members. David Ramadanoff has been Music Director/Conductor since 1989. Under his leadership YPSO has grown to a membership of 93 young players from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and has gained wide recognition as an outstanding youth ensemble. The members, ages 12-21, from 31 cities and 5 Bay Area counties, attend weekly rehearsals and coaching to learn challenging symphonic repertoire. YPSO presents four to six concerts each season in select Bay Area concert venues. In June 2008, Mr. Ramadanoff takes YPSO on a tour of Australia and New Zealand, including a prestigious performance as the chosen "showcase orchestra" for the Australian International Music Festival in the world-famous Sydney Opera House.

Wendy Howe, is the first official Executive Director of The Young People's Symphony Orchestra, a post she has held since 2005. She has served on the Board of Directors for YPSO during the 2004-2005 season. Previously she was Program Manager for the Piedmont Choirs, Outreach Coordinator for the Oakland East Bay Symphony, and Concert Coordinator for the Mills College Music Department. Ms. Howe holds an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts from San Francisco State University, and a B.A. in music from University of California, Berkeley. She is a professional cellist and private cello instructor.

Our mission is to guide young musicians to achieve excellence within an orchestral setting. We provide an educational environment that fosters accomplishment, serves as a cultural resource for the community, and builds future audience by instilling a passion for music. We encourage young people to become exemplary musicians, and young musicians to become exemplary people.
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Joyce Park

Joyce Park, cello, is sixteen and a junior at Piedmont High School. Winner of the 2007 2nd Place prize in the Junior Division of the Etude Club, as well as Honorable Mention for the Korean Young Musicians' Competition, she has studied cello for six years with Wendy Howe. Joyce is currently co-principal cello of Young People's Symphony Orchestra, of which she has been a member for four seasons. She is winner of the YPSO Concerto Competition, and will perform the Kabalevsky Concerto with the orchestra on May 18 in Berkeley. In March, 2008, she won the principal chair of the California Music Educator's Association All-State Honor Orchestra. She has performed in the Junior Bach Music Festival in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Joyce won Honorable Mention for the Korean Young Artists' Competition. She has been a member of Berkeley Youth Orchestra, and a scholarship student at Spark, the California State Summer School for the Arts, as well as La Honda Music Camp. Joyce has received Command Performances at CMEA adjudications for both solo and ensemble performances in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.
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Alexandra Bailey

Alexandra Bailey, 18, takes has been playing flute for 10 years, studying for the past five years with Michelle Caimoto. Alexandra joined YPSO last season. She currently takes 11th/12th grade courses with Seton Home Study School.

Kirk Brandenburg, Trombone
Kirk is an 18 year old senior at Bethel Christian Academy. He began his music studies in second grade on the piano and added trombone just before his fifth grade year. Kirk first took lessons with Mara Fox but has studied with Don Howe for the past two years. Playing trombone has brought him many wonderful experiences including a tour of Australia and New Zealand with Young People's Symphony Orchestra, concerto competition winner for Berkeley Youth Orchestra, guest artist with Oakland Youth Orchestra and Holy Names University, participation in the CBDA's All-State Band, and concerto player with Young People's Chamber Orchestra. Kirk loves performing and is excited to play today.

Sofie Dunderdale is a fifteen-year-old sophomore at San Francisco School of the Arts. She has been playing oboe since the end of the sixth grade. She has previously studied with Beth Antonopulos, currently studies with Kyle Bruckmann. In her free time, Sofie enjoys taking photographs, exploring San Francisco and walking around her neighborhood. Sofie has been a member of YPSO since 2005. She toured China with the orchestra in June 2006.
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Hilda Li, age 12, is in 7th grade at The Crowden Music Center. She began playing violin when she was seven, due to her sisters' influence. Currently she studies violin with Debbra Wood Schwartz. Alexandra, Sofie and Hilda will be accompanied by James Meredith. One of the San Francisco Bay Area's most well rounded musicians; James Meredith conducts the acclaimed Sonos Handbell Ensemble. He has been a clinician and conductor at workshops and festivals, and is a composer and arranger. James Meredith is a member of the board of directors of the Young People's Symphony Orchestra.
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Madison Greenstone

Madison Greenstone is a junior at Las Lomas High School where she plays in the jazz band and wind ensemble. She has been playing clarinet for 7 years and is currently studying with Donald Carroll. She has also taken lessons with Luis Baez and attended a master class with Richie Hawley. Over the summer she attended the Boston University Tanglewood Institute where she took part in the Yong Artists Wind Ensemble. Madison is the 2008 YPSO concerto Competition winner. This concert raise over $15,000 for six Bay Area homeless youth agencies.

Madiosn will be accompanied by Chris Hewitt is 19 years old and is from Brentwood, CA. He is a freshman at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, majoring in piano performance under Frank Wiens. After college, Chris is hoping to play professionally in broadways pit orchestras, to accompany, and to teach in a private studio. Chris enjoys composing music as well as arranging for barbershop quartets and a cappella groups. Besides music, Chris is interested in soccer, running, photography, and traveling.

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Mayumi Pierce

Mayumi Pierce has played violin for several years. She has been a member of the Young People's Symphony Orchestra for 5 seasons, as well as several other orchestras. She has performed in Junior Bach and in various ensembles. She also enjoys visual and martial arts.
Mayumi recently join her fellow orchestra members, along with 6 other Bay Area Youth Orchestras for a performance at Davis Symphony Hall on January 18, 2009 for a benefit concert to rasie money for homeless youth. This was the first time that other Bay Area Youth Orchestras collobated together on the same stage. This concert raise over $15,000 for six Bay Area homeless youth agencies. Mayumi plans to begin medical school in the fall.

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Clark Straub

Clark Straub, bass is a senior at Monte Vista high school in Danville, CA where he has been able to study and develop his passion for music. He is the principal bassist for the Young Peoples' Symphony Orchestra and has been playing in their orchestra for two seasons. He also plays in an all bass ensemble group, directed by his private bass teacher of 5 years, Barry Green, and funded by the San Francisco Symphony. He is a member of the symphony that performs at the All State Music Festival held at Cal Poly, which he performed with in 2007 and will perform again in Spring 2008. His passion is music and he wants to major in music at college next fall. Clark will be accompanied Jonathan Davis, Board member and local pianist.

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Lily Sham(No Photo)
Lily Sham, Bassoon has been playing the bassoon for four years and three years at the San Francisco School of the Arts. I am currently studying under Yueh Chou from the San Francisco Conservatory and Stephen Paulson from school. I have performed with various orchestras such as School of the Arts Full Orchestra, Young People Symphony Orchestra, and California Young Symphony for a brief period of time. I also performed my first concerto last year, Bassoon Concerto in F Major by Von Weber, with the Golden Gate Philharmonic
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Justin Sedor (No Photo)
Justin Sedor is a senior at Piedmont High School, and will be attending UCLA in the fall. He has been playing piano for 13 years, and started playing cello 5 years ago. He is principal cellist of the Piedmont High School orchestra, and has played in many youth ensembles in the Bay Area, including YPSO, OYO, and YPCO. Justin and Joyce will perform the Vivadi Concerto for Two Cellos in G minor.

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Max Raskin, has been playing Oboe fro 6 years. He is a Sophomore at Berkeley High School and is 16 years old. He will be performing Antonio Vivaldi's Oboe Concerto in E Minor.

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Annie LaMyrl Sandholtz started playing violin when she was five. She grew up in Provo, Utah, taking violin lessons from Linda Duncan and later Lois Stout. Annie was part of many youth orchestras, including Timpanogas Preparatory Orchestra and Timpanogas Chamber Orchestra. Last summer, before Annie’s junior year in high school, her family moved to Livermore. She currently studies with Debbra Wood Schwartz. Each week, Annie goes to Berkeley for lessons and for rehearsal with the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra, of which she is concertmaster. During the summer of 2008, she spent two weeks on an international tour with YPSO, performing in New Zealand and Australia, including in the Sydney Opera House. Last year, Annie had the opportunity of playing with a trio in the Junior Bach Festival. Her favorite part of being a violinist is getting to know other people and playing music with them.
This year, Annie is a senior at Livermore High School. She enjoys academics and sports as well as music. In Utah she played soccer year-round, and in California she has developed a love for running. She loves spending time with her family.

Lena Lane is a Junior at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton. She has been playing cello for nine years and has been a part of YPSO for three years. She also has played at the Apple Hill Chamber Music Summer Festival for two (and soon to be three) years and hopes that their goal of playing music for peace will come true. She is currently studying with Paul Rhodes and hopes to enter into the San Francisco chamber music program next fall.

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2009 Performers or 2008 Performers