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Every year when the Carmel Bach Festival's Young Artists Showcase gets announced I'm thrilled but not surprised at the number of Youth Music Monterey County students, past and present, that are a part of the line-up. You, your families, and our greater YMMC supporters are encouraged to attend Saturday, June 28th, at 3pm. Tickets are $15 and the music will be amazing.

Our Instrument Hospital Fund needs your help. https://www.youthmusicmonterey.org/donate No Patrick, but the cello sure needs our help! Summer is in full swing and our staff has been working on preparing for next year's music instruction. YMMC including Orchestra in the Schools and South County Strings needs your help with our music instrument inventory and repair fund. Our music instruments are kept in the best shape possible for everyone including our youngest and newest musicians and this is a significant expense. Please consider giving to our Instrument Hospital Fund   so that every student gets an instrument that is in good shape come Fall. All amounts are welcome. Thank you for your continued support. https://www.youthmusicmonterey.org/donate

Mariam is going to be a featured soloist at the Monterey Symphony during their 2025-2026 Season. Here is the link to cut and paste:  https://www.montereysymphony.org/current-season/ . Scroll down to the April 18 & 19, 2026 Weekend: Thus far she has had an amazing career. YMMC looks forward to hearing her perform and encourages you to do so as well.

Congratulations Blair on your Incredible Success! Blair is the founder and CEO of Chaos Creators ( https://www.chaoscreatorsent.com/ ), an entertainment agency dedicated to out-of-the-box social media marketing, fan engagement and short-form content creation. In her executive role, she has secured deals with Universal Music Group Nashville, led social media efforts for Interscope artist Kassi Ashton, and worked on projects like Dasha's viral hit "Austin". Forbes 30 Under 30 is the annual list published by Forbes magazine that highlights young leaders in their particular fields. ( https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2025/music )   Beginning as a violinist in JYO, Blair was a dedicated YMM musician for seven years. She became principal violin in the second violin section, then switched to viola prior to her move to HO. In 2014, following graduation from Santa Catalina School and YMM, Blair earned her Music Business Bachelors Degree at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she still lives and creates. At Belmont U., she honed her marketing skills through a number of internships. Prior to launching Chaos Creators she served as the creative director of Jonas Group Media, a marketing agency she built alongside Kevin Jonas, Sr. Blair has also been featured as a speaker at numerous events including the Youth Marketing Summit, the Women in Music Summit, and others.    Thank you Blair for leading the way with your amazing contribution to music business!

by Jeanne Gavrin Youth Music Monterey County proudly accepted the Arts for Youth Award of Monterey County Gives! 2021. Created to support mental health in youth through the arts. This award comes with a $1000 grant, for which we are grateful, from the Community Foundation for Monterey County. The grant will provide tuition assistance for one child to participate in YMMC for a year. Why Is Music Important to Mental Health? According to Erin Bailey, music educators are in a prime position to positively affect youth mental and emotional health (https://bit.ly/3d4aldD). In Bailey’s study, teens stated that music participation helps them release or control feelings and cope with pressure, loss, or abuse. Karen, an appreciative parent of an Honors Orchestra musician, provides an example: “My son came home from school on a YMMC afternoon extremely upset because he had failed terribly at sports that day. He was so distraught that both his dad and I drove him to rehearsal. However, we picked up an elated teen. He told us how the music raised his spirits and beyond that, to think through ways he could improve his sports. Thank you YMMC!” Despite the obvious challenges, YMMC provided virtual orchestral instruction during the pandemic. The “Fresh Perspectives” series added more Zoomable opportunities. Creative minds around the world provided events such as inspirational master classes and engaging career oriented interviews. Tricia, a grateful mom wrote: “YMM has had a lot to do with him [my son] staying motivated [during Covid]. While his other music groups have come to a complete halt, YMM has encouraged and given him a reason to keep the music going! We are incredibly grateful. You all, and this organization, have helped my kid and so many others in ways you don’t even realize. Thank you for supporting their mental health by giving them purpose, goals, and reasons to continue on with their music!!” Music Making Connects Us In this critical time, as we move out of the pandemic and students come together in person, YMMC continues to rise to the occasion of supporting mental health. Experiences like South County Strings students excitement at engaging in the Orchestras’ Spring Retreat Weekend, the camaraderie displayed at the Catalyst Quartet Master class, and the fabulous energy of the season’s final concert, “Magic By the Bay”, where over 100 students took the stage at once, exemplify what making music together can do. Kelly, an alumna, expressed what we hope each musician can take away: “When I joined YMMC, I never expected to also be joining a tightly-knit family of musicians from all walks of life. From trading laughs with the brass section, to sprinting home last-minute for black concert socks with some violinists, to letting dinner go cold and sharing stories till dawn with people I now consider my best friends, I cherish every relationship I’ve forged in these orchestras.”

With the Catalyst Quartet and YMMC's Chamber Players ​ Saturday, April 9, 2022 10:30am - 12:00pm Carpenter Hall, Sunset Center, Carmel Free, no tickets required JOIN US as we welcome back the Grammy Award-winning Catalyst Quartet back to YMMC's Master Class Series, "Fresh Perspectives". This is the quartet of the future, performing the works of living and diverse composers. We are honored that they are sharing their valuable time and unrivaled talent with us again. Hailed by The New York Times at its Carnegie Hall debut as “invariably energetic and finely burnished… playing with earthy vigor,” the Catalyst Quartet believes in the unity that can be achieved through music and imagine their programs and projects with this in mind, redefining and reimagining the classical music experience.

Dear Youth Music Monterey County, I want to thank all of you who made our first YMMC Gala, Round Up, such a success this past October. It sold out, exceeded expectations, and continues to draw the admiration of those who attended and our Angel supporters. Thank you to our music students: The woodwind trio; Cayden Bloomer, Sophia Catania, and Stevie Dean who welcomed our guests with beautiful music. Adrea Chavez and Oscar Yanez, each on double bass, for the soulful Haydn piece. Juliet Oliver, on the marimba, who displayed mastery with her performance. David and Josef Elyoussoufi, on cello and piano respectively, a duet between brothers performed so skillfully and with depth of feeling. Alumnist, Peter Mellenger, and fellow musician, Gene Mason, for setting the tone of the event with bluegrass selections. YMMC would also like to thank our parent volunteers for answering the sign up call with needed items, work, and creativity that is crucial to the success of our organization. Thank you again for your support. Happy Thanksgiving to you, your students, and loved ones. Blessings and safe travels from those of us at YMMC Amelia Maaske, Director of Event

Our first YMMC Round Up! was a great success! Thank you to everyone - individuals, sponsors, and businesses - who made this happen. It was wonderful to see so many friends of YMMC, old and new, and we all enjoyed a great evening of California cuisine, fine local wines, and incredible performances by our students. We are filled with gratitude at the outpouring of love and support for our youth orchestra music education programs and your donations will ensure they continue. We hope to see you at our first concert on Sunday, November 14th, at 3 p.m., at the Sunset Center in Carmel. Tickets will be mailed to members of our Angel Network. All others, please click here for the concert information and to purchase tickets.

Hey there! We're gearing up for finally being back in person this season, and we're really excited to welcome new and old faces to our orchestra. Here's some relevant information about rehearsals and auditions. All of the below dates will be put in a Google/ical calendar available for download; check this space or the Musicians page for the link. Rehearsals & Concert Dates YMMC rehearsals take place every Wednesday. The Junior Youth orchestra meets from 4:30 - 6 PM, and the Honors orchestra meets from 6:30-8:30 PM. Rehearsals take place at Hidden Valley Music Seminars in Carmel Valley. For our first concert cycle, rehearsals will start August 25th, 2021, and run every Wednesday until the first concert on November 14th, 2021. (Rehearsals for concert #2 will start on November 17th, 2021, the Wednesday following concert #1.) Our concerts take place at Sunset Center in Carmel. They're typically held on Sundays from 3-5 with rehearsal call times in the mornings. More specific information will be sent out prior to the concert date. This year, the dates are: Concert #1: November 14th, 2021 Concert #2: February 27th, 2022 Concert #3: May 8th, 2022 2021-2022 Concerto Competitions Every concert season, some members of the Honors and Junior Youth orchestras prepare a solo concerto to perform to a panel of judges; the winner typically plays their concerto in the next concert (#2 for Honors, #3 for JYO). If you're interested in taking part in a concerto competition, we encourage you to contact our music director, Danko Druško, first: he will verify that the concerto is suitable to play in our ensembles before you begin preparing it. Forms and extra information about requirements are available on the website prior to the competition date, but please feel free to reach out to us with any questions now. Honors Concerto Competition: October 30th, 2021 Junior Youth Concerto Competition: February 13th, 2021 Retreats? In the making! During the rehearsal cycle for each concert, YMM orchestras each year take part in a weekend retreat at Hidden Valley Music Seminars. It's an opportunity to bond with their fellow musicians, take part in rehearsal and sectional intensives, and learn from fascinating guest musicians who come and present their work. Fall Retreat: We're still working on the dates, but this will likely be in early October--stay tuned! Winter Retreat: January 9-10, 2022 Spring Retreat: April 2-3, 2022 Special Events This year, YMM is putting on a Round Up! gala at Hidden Valley Music Seminars, October 3, 2021. It's a season kickoff event with proceeds benefitting all YMMC programs, including our Youth Orchestras, Chamber Ensembles, South County Strings, and Fresh Perspectives series. We'll have entertainment California cookout style--music, food, wine, & nonalcoholic beverages. Please visit our Round Up! page to learn more about sponsorship and admissions for the gala! FAQ Is everything slated to be back in person? Yes! We're planning on meeting in person at Hidden Valley. We'll adhere to any guidelines required by the county/state with regards to masks and social distancing, and we'll keep you posted on any changes. Where can I request tuition and lesson assistance? You can request financial assistance when you register, or jump straight to our tuition assistance or lesson assistance forms. When are auditions? Video auditions are being accepted now through August 18th. We highly encourage prospective students to audition by that date, so they don't miss the first rehearsal, but don't stress if you're reading this after the deadline--we'll assess individual auditions as they come. Any other questions? Don't hesitate to reach out!