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Private Lessons YMMC has found private lessons to be an essential tool for our students to thrive and contribute to our orchestras. From violin to trumpet, browse our list of teachers below! We may have additional funding available to subsidize the costs of private lessons. Lesson Assistance Strings Pam Armstrong Cello Salinas (831) 917-4445 prgarmstrong@gmail.com Debbie Cirimele Cello Student’s Location (831) 624-2039 ccirimele@comcast.net Amalia Diaz Violin, Viola Pacific Grove (303) 591-8949 violinamalia@yahoo.com Wendy Geiger Violin, Cello (831) 659-2928 Janneke Hoogland Cello Carmel (831) 202-2362 jannekecello@yahoo.com Miriam Oddie Violin, Viola My home or via Zoom (303) 328-8505 Miriam.oddie@gmail.com Jill Wyckoff Violin Seaside (831) 884-6643 roonapotamus@yahoo.com Michael Blackburn Viola (831) 925-5025 m.blackburn@mbcharterschool.org Margie Dally Cello Carmel Valley (831) 917-1974 dally@sbcglobal.net Rose Marie Dunsford Violin, Viola Pacific Grove (831) 375-7290 rmdunsford@sbcglobal.net Cathy Goode Violin Carmel (617) 817-5711 cathygoode@rcn.com Stephanie Janowsky Harp Santa Cruz (408) 366-8810 Judy Roberts Cello Soquel (831) 462-5420 judyrobertscello@gmail.com Bryan Brash Viola Seaside (207) 615-6114 violamensch@gmail.com Daphne Denny Violin King City, Bradley (805) 835-9168 Michelle Galindo Bass, Piano Pebble Beach (831) 238-7217 GalindoMusic@aol.com Rafael Vazquez Guevara Violin Monterey (831) 324-2703 rafaelviolin7@gmail.com Aleksey Klyushnik Cello, Bass Monterey (916) 223-6989 akpycb@gmail.com Nick Williams Double Bass Monterey (831) 594-5404 nwmusic70@yahoo.com Woodwinds Debbie Busch Oboe East Garrison (650) 269-0652 debbusch21@sbcglobal.net Erica Horn Clarinet Laureles Grade (619) 665-1209 ericahornphoto@aol.com Stu Reynolds Saxophone, Clarinet Seaside, Santa Cruz (831) 899-7901 trading4s@att.net Isabella Grimes Flute Monterey, Seaside grimesisabella@gmail.com Erin Irvine Bassoon Santa Cruz, Pacific Grove (323) 422-1325 erin-irvine@hotmail.com Nick Williams All Woodwinds Monterey (831) 594-5404 nwmusic70@yahoo.com Ben Herod Saxophone, Clarinet Carmel, Monterey (831) 383-2550 bherodster@gmail.com Peter Lemberg Oboe, English Horn Monterey (408) 691-0114 plemberg59@gmail.com Brass Scott Hartman French Horn, All Brass San Jose (408) 781-0019 scottito@icloud.com Suzanne Mudge Trombone, Trumpet Carmel, Student’s Location, Online (831) 293-3525 trombonesue@yahoo.com Kevin Jordan Trumpet Carmel (831) 624-1695 coastbrass@gmail.com Gary Stotz Flute, Trumpet, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trombone Pacific Grove (831) 375-9718 stotzmusic@gmail.com Ruth Jordan French Horn Carmel (831) 238-3542 coastbrass@gmail.com Percussion/Piano Emma Bartlett Percussion, Piano Pacific Grove, Online (917) 676-0367 emmalbartlett@gmail.com Wendi Kirby Piano Monterey info@wendikirbymusic.com Frank Wyant Percussion/Timpani, Drums San Jose, Salinas, Carmel (408) 202-2790 fwyant@mpusd.k12.ca.us Eun Ha Chung Piano Carmel, East Garrison (845) 238-4971 Barbara Ruzicka Piano Carmel (831) 624-4905 Lucy Faridany Piano Carmel Valley (831) 659-3069 Mike Shannon Percussion Monterey (831) 214-7102 mshannondrums@gmail.com If you have questions or concerns, or would like to be listed above, please contact the office .

Youth Music Monterey County supports two orchestras, a chamber music program, a brass ensemble, a woodwind ensemble, and in-school teaching and performance opportunities. Our Junior Youth and Honors Orchestras are led by conductor Maestro Danko Druško and feature approximately 100 student musicians. YMMC gears up for an exciting 2025-2026 season Youth Music Monterey County's Orchestra in the Schools program (OITS) is currently in session and no longer acceptig applicants as of 09/15/2025. Honors & Junior Youth Orchestras students should be registered, have made tuition arrangements, received their music links via mail or Dropbox, and looking forward to their first concert of the 2025-2026 season on November 16, 2025. Please make sure you have your music for rehearsals. Due to construction at the intersection of Carmel Valley Road and Laurales Grade, please give yourselves some extra time to drive safely. South County Strings registration through the Soledad Unified School District is complete and winter concerts will be announced closer to the performance dates. Please contact SUSD or Ms. Oddie for more details. Events The 2025-2026 Season is in full swing. JYO/HO rehearsals are Wednesdays for JYO at 4:30-6pm and HO at 6:30-8:30pm. Honors Concerto Competition is Saturday, October 18th at 1:00pm and opent to the public. Sunday, November 16th , Concert #1 is at 3pm. Please note that some emails erroneously stated the 6th. OITS classes are 4pm-6pm at the following various locations: Monday International Schol of Monterey (ISM) Seaside Tuesday Monterey Bay Charter School (MBCS) Pacific Grove Thursday All Saints Day School (ASDS) Carmel Valley and YMMC Music Cottage Monterey (cello only) Sun, Nov 16 A Country Spirit / Sunset Center Buy Tickets Nov 16, 2025, 3:00 PM PST Sunset Center, San Carlos St, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923, USA Sun, Mar 01 Hidden Deptsh / Sunset Center Buy Tickets Mar 01, 2026, 3:00 PM PST Sunset Center, San Carlos St, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923, USA Sun, May 10 Songs My Mother Taught Me / Sunset Center Buy Tickets May 10, 2026, 3:00 PM PDT Sunset Center, San Carlos St, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923, USA Upcoming Events A Country Spirit Sun, Nov 16 Sunset Center More info Buy Tickets Hidden Deptsh Sun, Mar 01 Sunset Center More info Buy Tickets Songs My Mother Taught Me Sun, May 10 Sunset Center More info Buy Tickets Play With Us! Featuring talented young musicians from over 30 local schools, YMMC's Junior Youth and Honors Orchestras present three acclaimed symphonic concerts at Sunset Center each year. Auditions for the Junior Youth and Honors Orchestras take place throughout the season. If you’re interested in auditioning please contact office@youthmusicmonterey.org or fill out an audition form . Three chamber music programs, including the Chamber Players , Brass Ensemble , and Woodwind Ensemble , focus on the intensive study of small-group music and give back to their communities through benefit concerts. Our South County Strings program with over 200 students each year in rural South Monterey County communities with free group string instruction and low-cost instrument rentals. Orchestra In The Schools offers Monterey County children in grades 3-8 in Monterey County an opportunity to learn an instrument, be part of an orchestra and perform with students from other schools. This can be your child’s first musical experience, no experience is necessary. About Us News YMMC Volunteers Oct 6 BBQ Fun Sep 9 Jazz & Desserts a Success! Sep 3 Fresh Perspectives YMMC's Master Class and Interview Series Catalyst String Quartet Jan 23, 2021 Peter Scaturro - Video Game Music Jan 12, 2021 Interview with JoAnn Falletta Sep 19, 2020

Alyze Rabideau South County Strings Director Alyze Rabideau received a Bachelors of Music Degree in Music Composition from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. During her time at the Blair School of Music, she studied violin with Jessica Blackwell, percussion with Ji-Hye Jung and Kwame Ahima, and composition with Michael Slayton and Michael Alec Rose. Alyze has also worked with distinguished composers including Joan Tower, Jack Stamp, Elliot Schwartz, and Elizabeth Austin. Her music has been performed throughout the United States as well as in Austria, Italy, France, Nepal, Kenya, and Spain. Prior to her current role as the South County Strings Director with Youth Music Monterey, Alyze taught English in Benin, West Africa as a member of the United States Peace Corps. In addition to teaching in the classroom, she created after school music clubs at multiple schools and a national summer camp for English and gender equality, Camp SPEAK. Before her move to Benin, Alyze worked at the W.O. Smith Music School, where she taught private lessons on violin, percussion, and saxophone and was the conductor for the StringSmiths String Orchestra. She also served as concertmaster for the W. O. Smith Faculty Orchestra. Currently, Alyze teaches violin and music theory at Monterey County Home Charter School. She enjoys cooking, hiking, and playing music with her four siblings, all of whom are string musicians. Back to Staff

This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. < Back Renewable Energy Program This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. You can create as many collections as you need. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own, or import content from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, videos and more. You can also collect and store information from your site visitors using input elements like custom forms and fields. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Preview your site to check that all your elements are displaying content from the right collection fields. Power in Numbers 30 Programs 50 Locations 200 Volunteers Project Gallery Previous Next

Sponsors and Partners Youth Music Monterey County’s programs are funded by the following foundations, institutions, businesses, sponsors and community partners, as well as hundreds of individual donors. We are incredibly thankful for their investment in our community and helping to build the next generation through music.

Vince Gomez Conductor Back to Staff

Artistic Staff Igor Poklad Director, Woodwind Chamber Ensembles A native of Odessa (Ukraine), Igor Poklad began his musical studies at the Odessa State Conservatory of Music (Clarinet Performance). Having moved to the United States, he continued his education at the San Francisco State University (BM Magna Cum Laude in Clarinet Performance and MM in Music History). While studying at SFSU, he excelled as a chamber music performer and soloists, winning Fremont Symphony Orchestra’s Solo Competition with his performance of Claude Debussy’s Premiere Rhapsody . Following the completion of his studies, Mr. Poklad joined the US Air Force Band of the Golden West and performed extensively throughout the United States. Additionally, Mr. Poklad has performed with a number of the Bay Area orchestras and ensembles (Napa Valley Symphony, San Francisco Concerto Orchestra, Vallejo Symphony, North Bay Philharmonic). Later, he was stationed in Germany as a member of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) Band, where he was in charge of the Clarinet Quartet. While performing with the USAFE Clarinet Quartet, Mr. Poklad toured throughout Europe and the Middle East. Some of the highlights of his performances overseas include appearances at musical festivals and subscription concerts in Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, Poland, Latvia, Israel, Serbia and Bulgaria. In addition to performing on clarinet and bass clarinet, Mr. Poklad enjoys playing Renaissance and Baroque music on a variety of recorders. Back to Staff

Sponsor Youth Music Monterey County's Concert Sponsor Program provides businesses the opportunity to publicly show their support for one of Monterey County's premiere arts education programs. Sponsorships for our concerts are available at the following levels and are awarded the following benefits: $1,000 Contributing Concert Sponsors half-page acknowledgement in the concert program. ($300 value) four tickets and a DVD recording of the concert. ($140 value) invitation to an after-concert reception. $2,500 Sustaining Concert Sponsors also receive: reserved seating ($29.99/ticket value) public acknowledgement and thanks at the beginning of the selected concert. mention in concert announcements to the press and any press advertising. $5,000 Encore Concert Sponsors also receive: an opportunity to present their sponsorship check to YMMC personally at the start of the sponsored concert. an announcement of their sponsorship in a press release to the local media. If you're interested in sponsoring one of our concerts, please contact the office . We'd love to work with you!

Administrative Staff Candis Badgley Carlson Programs Director Clarinetist Candis Badgley Carlson enjoys a multifaceted career as a sought-after chamber musician, educator, freelancer, and arts administrator. Currently, she is the Program Assistant at Youth Music Monterey County. Previously, she has been the Woodwinds Teaching Artist with Youth Orchestra Salinas as well as a faculty member at California State University Northridge, teaching clarinet and chamber music. In demand as a chamber musician, Candis has performed with numerous chamber groups, including the LA Chamber Music Company, the Felici Trio, N’Cinq Woodwind Quintet, Exploration Music Project, CSUN ChamberFest, and most recently with the Monterey County Pops Woodwind Quintet. Mrs. Badgley Carlson also founded Valley Chamber Ensembles, a Los Angeles-based non-profit that strives to enrich the community by providing an experience and an education through chamber music. Through four seasons, she programmed several unique concerts and became a grantee of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. An active orchestral musician, Mrs. Badgley Carlson has performed with several orchestras including OperaSLO, Mission Opera, Lompoc Pops Orchestra, Ventura Symphony Orchestra, Sierra Nevada Pops Orchestra, Valencia Philharmonic, Moorpark Ballet Company, and Monterey County Pops. She has performed as a soloist with the CSUN Symphony Orchestra as a winner of the 2016 Concerto Competition. Additionally, Candis has recorded for motion pictures, several short films, and can be heard on the Marks Record recording “Music from the Heart from the Heartland.” Additional experience includes recording for the BMI program Uni Music Mentors with Emmy-nominated composers Cindy O’Connor, Rebecca Kneubuhl, and Tony Morales. Most recently she can be heard on bass clarinet on the motion picture soundtrack SICK. Mrs. Badgley Carlson received her Bachelor of Music from Wichita State University under Dr. Suzanne Tirk and her Master of Music from California State University Northridge under Dr. Julia Heinen. Back to Staff

John Larry Granger Conductor Back to Staff

Artistic Staff Alan Truong Music Director Alan Truong — conductor, educator, presenter — is a rising force in the sphere of American music, connecting music with the experiences of performers and listeners alike. He was recently Cover Conductor for the New York Philharmonic’s Art of the Score concert series and has made public appearances with the Juilliard Lab Orchestra and the Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra. With the Juilliard Orchestra, he has assisted some of the leading conductors of this generation, including Bertrand de Billy and Donald Runnicles. In 2023, he served as Assistant Conductor for the Aspen Festival Orchestra, in addition to being a fellow at the Conducting Academy. In the Winter of 2022, he stepped in on 48 hours’ notice to conduct AXIOM, Juilliard’s New Music Ensemble in a concert of world premieres. In 2025, Alan came full circle when he was named the first alumni Music Director of Youth Music Monterey County, having spent formative years in the orchestras as an adolescent playing the Bassoon. A Salinas native, he is a galvanized advocate for music education in under-resourced communities, a result of being raised in his hometown’s Youth Orchestra of Salinas, an El Sistema-inspired program. He continuously serves as a Teaching Artist, actively forming the future generation of the musical community in a city historically afflicted by an arts drought. In the past, he has worked extensively with the Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra, the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestras, and is a regular guest conductor with the Rochester Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. He has participated in masterclasses with some of today’s foremost conductors and pedagogues, including Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Bertrand de Billy, Robert Spano, Cristian Măcelaru, and James Ross. Alan was a recipient of the Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant and the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship. As of 2024, he holds a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the Juilliard School under the auspices of David Robertson. He also holds a Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Back to Staff

This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. < Back Rainforest Action Initiative This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. You can create as many collections as you need. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own, or import content from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, videos and more. You can also collect and store information from your site visitors using input elements like custom forms and fields. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. Preview your site to check that all your elements are displaying content from the right collection fields. Power in Numbers 30 Programs 50 Locations 200 Volunteers Project Gallery Previous Next